The United States has denounced "dangerous" comments by Russia's ambassador to Bosnia, who issued a tacit threat to the Balkan country over its proposed bid to join NATO.

Bosnia has been divided along ethnic lines since a war in the 1990s that killed some 100,000 people.

The country is ruled by a rotating tripartite presidency, with Croat and Muslim leaders in favour of joining NATO, while the Serb leader says he supports military neutrality.

Earlier this week, Russia's ambassador in Sarajevo, Igor Kalabukhov, said his country could "react" if Bosnia were to join the Western military alliance, invoking Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

"If (Bosnia) chooses to be a member of anything, that is its internal business. But there is another thing, our reaction", he said.

"We have shown what we expect on the example of Ukraine. If there are threats, we will react."

On Thursday, the US embassy in Bosnia hit out at what it called "threats", calling them "dangerous, irresponsible, and unacceptable".

"No third party has a say in security arrangements between NATO and sovereign countries", the embassy tweeted.

"We will continue to stand firmly by Bosnia and Herzegovina as it takes the necessary steps to secure its place in the Euro-Atlantic community of nations."

Fears of destabilisation have mounted in Bosnia in recent months since Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, a Kremlin ally, issued secessionist threats.

In December, Dodik launched a process of Serb withdrawal from Bosnia's joint army, judiciary and the tax system, stirring fears of breaking up the country or starting a new conflict.

Before making the move, Dodik travelled to Moscow, appearing to have tacit backing from Russia, the Serbs' historic ally.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is run by a dizzying bureaucracy meant to protect a fragile peace, including the rotating presidency, and no major decision can be made without consensus from all sides.

One half of the country belongs to the Serb entity while the other is ruled by a Muslim-Croat federation.

Bosnia condemned the Russian invasion at the United Nations, but failed to agree on imposing sanctions against the Kremlin due to opposition from Serb officials.

Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Biden to announce $800 mn in new security aid to Ukraine: US official
Washington (AFP) March 16, 2022
US President Joe Biden will announce $800 million in new security assistance to Ukraine Wednesday, a White House official said, with the announcement set to come soon after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the US Congress. The announcement, expected to come at 11.45 am (1545 GMT), brings "the total (aid) announced in the last week alone to $1 billion," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity late Tuesday, said. Zelensky is set to renew his appeals for more aid in his v ... read more