Dear Madam President,
Distinguished Excellencies,
It is with deep sorrow that I have learnt about the tragic helicopter accident that occurred in Bosnia and Herzegovina yesterday, claiming the lives of four Italian soldiers and leaving eleven people injured.
On behalf of the state and the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, I once again extend my deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives, along with my sincere gratitude for their service, dedication, and contribution to the EUFOR Althea mission.
Distinguished Excellencies,
The Report of the Acting High Representative confirms, among other things, the importance of the international community’s continued attention to safeguarding peace, stability and the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Dayton Peace Agreement).
Twenty-six days ago, general elections were held in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
For the first time, new technologies were used in the electoral process, primarily biometric voter identification and ballot scanners.
The new technologies have fully demonstrated their value, and Bosnia and Herzegovina has once again confirmed its political maturity and ability to organise fair, free and democratic elections.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Dayton Peace Agreement is one of the most successful peace agreements since the Second World War.
It was achieved thanks to the strong engagement of the West, led by the United States of America (USA).
The Dayton Peace Agreement is one of the greatest achievements of American foreign policy and a symbol of American leadership.
Since the end of the war in 1995, my country has made significant political and economic progress with the support of the international community. This has included the unification of the defence system, judiciary, tax system and numerous other institutions.
Unfortunately, the results achieved over decades of implementing the Dayton Peace Agreement are now under threat.
The leadership of the Bosnian entity of Republika Srpska is openly attempting to destroy this international agreement and undermine peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
To achieve their anti-Dayton objectives, they seek to:
- weaken and abolish the mandate of the High Representative;
- weaken the institution of the Constitutional Court of BiH;
- and seize the state property of Bosnia and Herzegovina, contrary to national and international law.
The separatist leadership of the Bosnian entity of Republika Srpska is attempting to create the conditions for secession.
That is why we must clearly emphasise, also here in the UN Security Council, that any secession attempt would mean the collapse of peace and the Dayton Peace Agreement.
We must stop this together, and we must act in time.
The leadership of the Bosnian entity of Republika Srpska is attempting, through lobbying, to change decades of established US policy towards Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Their objective is to change US foreign policy towards Bosnia and Herzegovina and secure international support for secession.
Short-term lobbying efforts by anti-Dayton politicians should not take precedence over our long-term strategic interests.
With regard to lobbying, the Constitutional Court of BiH issued an exceptionally important decision on the 25th of September 2026.
Through its final and binding decision, the Court prohibited the financing of lobbying activities by the Republika Srpska entity that are not in accordance with the Constitution of BiH.
Lobbying is a legitimate activity when conducted transparently and lawfully. However, lobbying must not be directed towards undermining the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
There are three fundamental prerequisites for lasting peace and stability in the Western Balkans:
- holding accountable all those who generate crises and undermine the Dayton Peace Agreement;
- creating conditions for investment and stronger economic development;
- and building independent judicial institutions that will not serve as an extension of political parties.
We in Bosnia and Herzegovina have learnt important lessons from the current term of office. I hope the international community has done so as well.
We are aware that there are political actors who seek to dismantle the Dayton Peace Agreement.
Weakening the institutions entrusted under the Dayton Peace Agreement with protecting this international agreement would have catastrophic consequences for peace and security in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the entire region.
More precisely, undermining the position and competencies of the Constitutional Court of BiH, the state judicial authorities, and particularly the mandate and powers of the High Representative would directly threaten peace and stability.
The international community must preserve the instruments necessary to protect the Dayton Peace Agreement.
The signatories and witnesses of the Dayton Peace Agreement knew, even at the end of 1995, that the Agreement as a whole could not function without Annex 10.
It is therefore very important that the appointment of a new High Representative be carried out in such a way that the Peace Implementation Council selects the new High Representative, and that the powers and mandate of the High Representative are not undermined.
The closure of the Office of the High Representative (OHR) can only be discussed once the 5+2 Agenda has been fulfilled.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I wish to place particular emphasis in my address on the issue of the state property of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Only the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina has the exclusive competence to regulate all matters relating to state property through decisions of the competent state authorities.
Under the provisions of the Constitution of BiH, the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina continued the international legal personality of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the title holder to all state property.
The general principles of international law form an integral part of the legal order of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is obliged to comply with the ratified Agreement on Succession Issues. I remind that, following the consent of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH to ratification, the Presidency of BiH adopted the Decision on Ratification of the Agreement on Succession Issues in 2001.
The Agreement is a multilateral international treaty and, under the principle of pacta sunt servanda, all successor states, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, must respect and implement it bona fide.
The Agreement on Succession Issues explicitly states that Bosnia and Herzegovina holds title to this property. Therefore, the ownership status of this property is determined by the rules of international law.
Furthermore, the decisions of the Constitutional Court of BiH have established final and binding legal positions.
The Constitutional Court of BiH has clearly stated that state property reflects statehood, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, which belong exclusively to the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina and not to the entities.
State property is a fundamental element ensuring that state authority is sovereign in substance, not merely in form.
The entities and other lower levels of government may use this property only to the extent that they may be authorised by a law adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Bosnia and Herzegovina has an obligation to eliminate systemic discrimination, as established by the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.
All elements of discrimination must be removed from the Constitution of BiH.
Only a normative framework based on equality, non-discrimination and the functionality of institutions can ensure a stable and sustainable democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Distinguished Ambassadors,
Recently, the war criminal Ratko Mladić was buried in Serbia with the highest military and state honours.
The granting of the highest honours to a convicted war criminal is not an isolated incident.
At the beginning of October this year, the convicted war criminal Biljana Plavšić was buried with high honours and in the presence of the highest-ranking officials of the Bosnian entity of Republika Srpska.
The glorification of war criminals convicted by final judgments is unacceptable, and their glorification sends a dangerous message.
It is an indication that the ideology and policies that lead to aggression and genocide have still not been abandoned.
At the same time, while war criminals convicted by final judgments are being glorified, employees and researchers of the Srebrenica Memorial Centre are facing pressure.
They are facing pressure because they preserve the truth about the only genocide in Europe since 1945 – the genocide against Bosniaks.
It is absolutely unacceptable that institutions of the Bosnian entity of Republika Srpska, which committed genocide against Bosniaks, are today intimidating survivors and those who preserve the memory of the victims of genocide.
We regard the pressure on the families of genocide victims and those who preserve the truth about the genocide as a new and grave danger.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I welcome the UN Security Council’s decision to extend the mandate of the EUFOR Althea mission.
I particularly appreciate the fact that the UN Security Council has once again recognised that the security environment in Bosnia and Herzegovina requires a credible international presence.
The states that witnessed the Dayton Peace Agreement and other states should strengthen their support for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
There are numerous ways to provide support, but I particularly emphasise the importance of:
- sending a clear message that undermining the Dayton Peace Agreement will not be tolerated;
- considering the reactivation of targeted sanctions against those responsible for destabilisation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider region;
- providing full support to the High Representative in exercising his powers when necessary;
- and advocating faster progress towards Bosnia and Herzegovina’s membership in NATO and the EU.
Finally, I wish to state that there is no alternative to an independent, sovereign and united Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has a secure future.
The greatest strength of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the overwhelming majority of people who are prepared, at any cost, to safeguard and strengthen our state.
We will defend our state by all available means, in accordance with international and domestic law.
No one should doubt that.
Thank you to all our friends around the world who support a democratic and multiethnic Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Thank you for your attention!
