Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Friday called for a de-escalation of tensions in Bosnia and Herzegovina following talks with the international High Representative for Bosnia, Christian Schmidt.
“We continue to engage in constructive dialogue with High Representative Christian Schmidt. I expressed concern over the current political crisis and once again called for tensions to be eased. We condemn actions that threaten the Dayton framework and BiH’s functionality,” Plenković wrote on social media platform X, referring to Bosnia’s 1995 peace accords.
He said peace, stability, and Bosnia’s path towards the European Union were of strategic importance for Croatia, as was ensuring full equality for Bosnian Croats, one of the country’s three constituent peoples. Plenković also underlined the urgent need for electoral reform to guarantee legitimate representation for Croats.
Plenković was joined at the meeting by Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman.
The talks came a day after Schmidt announced the suspension of budget funding for political parties led by Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik and National Assembly Speaker Nenad Stevandić.
Schmidt told reporters in Sarajevo that the decision would cut off public financing for Dodik’s Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) and Stevandić’s United Srpska (US) party at all levels of government.
The move followed an incident on Wednesday when officers from Bosnia’s State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) attempted to serve an arrest warrant on Dodik at the Republika Srpska government office in East Sarajevo but were blocked by heavily armed RS police officers.
Dodik later told reporters he was not afraid of arrest, accusing SIPA and the Bosnian Court of acting as an “occupying force” and declaring they would not be allowed to operate on Republika Srpska territory.
He also accused Schmidt of “criminal and fascist” behavior, claiming the High Representative was preparing legislation on state property that, if imposed, would prompt Republika Srpska to declare secession.
In mid-March, Bosnia’s state court ordered one-month detention measures for Dodik, Stevandić, and RS Prime Minister Radovan Višković after they failed to respond to summonses from prosecutors investigating alleged attempts to undermine the constitutional order.
