Milorad Dodik, leader of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), said on Friday he was surprised by the reaction of the U.S. Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina to a letter sent by Bosnia’s Minister of Foreign Trade Staša Košarac to the international High Representative Christian Schmidt.
Košarac, a senior SNSD official, addressed Schmidt as an “occupier” and enclosed a Nazi-era helmet in his message, drawing sharp criticism from several Western embassies.
“It completely surprises me to see this reaction from American representatives, because (U.S. President Donald) Trump says he will not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. I don’t know what this is now, but we will check,” Dodik told the Banja Luka-based Nezavisne novine.
He added that statements by U.S. presidents had traditionally carried the weight of “unwritten law”.
U.S. and European embassies condemn Košarac’s actions
The embassies of Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, the EU Delegation, and the U.S. Embassy all condemned Košarac’s move.
The U.S. Embassy wrote on X that Košarac’s actions “directly undermine efforts to preserve stability and advance the prosperity of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina”.
“Recent actions by the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations are counterproductive and run contrary to efforts to maintain stability and encourage prosperity,” the embassy said.
Dodik defends Košarac, repeats criticism of Schmidt
Dodik said Western embassies had failed to react to what he called Schmidt’s “destructive role”, accusing the High Representative of overstepping his mandate and violating the Dayton peace agreement.
“I don’t understand why they reacted, because the Republika Srpska has every right to defend itself. He (Schmidt) is an occupier, an outgrowth of formations that caused enormous losses to Serbs in 1941,” Dodik said.
He added that Košarac “has the right to his opinion”, and said it might be “time for Germany to take responsibility for the legacy that has harmed us”.