NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană on Thursday reaffirmed the Alliance’s support for Bosnia during a visit to Sarajevo, condemning the “secessionist policies” of Bosnian Serb leaders, according to Euractiv.
“NATO strongly supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Geoană.
“Secessionist policies and divisive rhetoric undermined stability and hamper reforms and the well-being of your people,” he added in a statement.
Bosnia-Herzegovina has in recent years faced frequent threats from the Bosnian Serb political leader Milorad Dodik, who heads the Republika Srpska (RS).
Following a devastating ethnic war in the 1990s, Bosnia was split into two autonomous regions – the Federation shared by Bosniaks and Croats and Republika Srpska, linked via a weak central government. Bosnia has no unified foreign policy.
Dodik has several times called for secession from Bosnia, which has earned him sanctions from the United States and Britain.
Dodik, who maintains close relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has nevertheless repeatedly insisted that Bosnia is heading towards “peaceful separation”.