1 of 2 | Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Milorad Dodik was sanctioned by Britain on Monday over taking actions London says threatens the stability of the country. Photo by Fehim Demir/EPA-EFE
April 12 (UPI) -- Britain has sanctioned two high-ranking Bosnian-Serb politicians on accusations that their actions to stoke secession undermine the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina and threaten to undo more than a quarter century of peace in the Western Balkans.
Milorad Dodik, a member of Bosnia and Herzegovina's three-person presidency, and Zeljka Cvijanovic, president of Republika Srpska, one of the nation's two autonomous entities, were targeted with British sanctions on Monday for their alleged destabilizing activity in the Balkan country.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss accused the pair of politicians of being emboldened by Russia's invasion of Ukraine to use their positions to push for Republika Srpska to secede from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"These two politicians are deliberately undermining the hard won peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina," Truss said in a statement. "Encouraged by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, their reckless behavior threatens stability and security across the Western Balkans."
Britain on Monday accused Dodik of driving for Republika Srpska to withdraw from key state institutions through the use of "divisive, dangerous, nationalist rhetoric" while encouraging ethnic hatred and genocide denial, which undermine regional and domestic peace.
Cvijanovic was accused of using her office to table legislation to transfer powers from the nation to Republika Srpska as well as having glorified war criminals and denied genocide committed during the Bosnian War of 1992-95.
Truss said their actions specifically threaten the Dayton Peace Agreement, which ended that international armed conflict.
The sanctions -- the first under its Bosnia and Herzegovina sanctions regime that freeze the politicians' assets and bans their entry to Britain -- follow the U.S. Treasury hitting Dodik with sanctions in January.
The United States on Monday also sanctioned seven former politicians on corruption accusations that the Biden administration says threatens stability in the Western Balkans.
In a recorded statement, Matt Field, the British ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, explained the sanctions were not punishing Republika Srpska or its citizens but were being enforced against two individuals who acted irresponsibly with the power entrusted to them and were not against.
"Today's decision has to be part of a wider approach to end the consequence-free environment in BiH, which must be domestic as much as international, to hold politicians and others to account for their actions," he said. "Elected representatives must focus on delivering for citizens and ensuring support to democratic institutions."
Christian Schmidt, the high representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, described the sanctions as "reasonable" considering the failure of these two politicians to meet requirements of responsible politics" while thanking Britain for imposing them.
"Dodik and Cvijanovic missed every opportunity to get back into constructive dialogue for the benefit of the people in this country, including the ones in Republika Srpska. Instead, they have chosen to undermine the DPA and the Constitution," he said in a statement. "They will have to bear the consequences of their words and deeds."
