NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday called on political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina to avoid «divisive rhetoric» in the country after warning that separatist actions provide «fertile ground» for outside interference.
In a meeting Monday at NATO headquarters in Brussels with the Bosnian member of Bosnia’s tripartite presidency, Denis Becirovic, the former Norwegian prime minister urged the Balkan country’s leaders to refrain from exacerbating «divisive rhetoric» and expressed concern about «separatist actions that may provide fertile ground for malign external activities.»
In this regard, it called for «concrete steps» towards internal reconciliation, promoting reforms that are in the interests of all Bosnia and preserve shared institutions, the Atlantic Alliance said in a statement.
Stoltenberg stressed that NATO fully supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and indicated that stability in the Balkan region is of «strategic importance» for the military organization.
In this way, the Atlantic Alliance has expressed its concern about the separatist tendency of Republika Srpska, one of the two entities that make up Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose president, Milorad Dodik, advocates secession and integration into Serbia.
Last week, a parade with 2,000 Bosnian Serb paramilitaries and police took place in Sarajevo to celebrate a Republika Srpska holiday that is, however, banned by Bosnian authorities. The event took place under the eyes of Dodik and Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, in a mass bath with Serbian and Bosnian Serb republic flags.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
