The Bosnian-Herzegovinian diaspora in the UK welcomes the decision of the UK Government to impose sanctions on Mr Milorad Dodik, Member of the Presidency of BiH and President of the SNSD, and Ms Željka Cvijanović , President of the Republika Srpska entity, for threatening peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina, encouraging the secession of the RS and causing instability in the Western Balkans, all under the influence of Russian President Putin. The sanctions apply to travel and property located in the UK.
BH UK Network, as the umbrella organization of BiH associations in the United Kingdom, would like to thank the members of Parliament and the House of Lords, the organization Remembering Srebrenica, numerous non-governmental organizations, as well as representatives of the BiH community in the UK who have been appealing to the British authorities for a long time to actively help overcome the political crisis in BiH caused by the secessionist activities of Milorad Dodik and representatives of the RS entity authorities.
Alicia Kearns MP, Patron of the BH UK Network and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Bosnia and Herzegovina, said: “These sanctions show that those who seek to undermine the legitimacy and functionality of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina and sow hatred and division for their own political ends will face consequences. The UK will always be a friend to all Bosnians – regardless of their religion or belief – and the sanctions announced only target corrupt politicians who would seek to undo the hard-won peace settlement contained in Dayton. As Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Bosnia and Herzegovina in the UK Parliament, I called for sanctions to be imposed on Milorad Dodik and Željka Cvijanović, and I applaud the Government for imposing asset freezes and travel bans on these two destabilising figures. I am proud that the UK is a leading international player in supporting peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina and I will continue to work in the UK Parliament on further measures if necessary. “are needed”.
Chairman of “Remembering Srebrenica” and Patron of the BH UK Network , Dr Waqar Azmi OBE, said:“Since September last year, Remembering Srebrenica has been working hard with parliamentarians from across the political spectrum in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Bosnia, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Srebrenica, as well as key individuals and organisations to hold parliamentary debates and advocate for strong action against all those who, emboldened by Russia, are destabilising the peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina by inciting hatred, denying genocide and promoting divisive rhetoric for the withdrawal of Republika Srpska from key state institutions, which would amount to secession – including the re-establishment of the Bosnian Serb army – the institutions responsible for the genocide in Srebrenica and we are grateful to every person, including our eleven UK committees and 1,450 champions. We are grateful to the UK Government for its firm stance and sanctions on Milorad Dodik and Željka Cvijanović whose destabilising actions are underpinned by the concept of a ‘Serbian world’ unification – an idea alarmingly similar to the ‘Greater Serbia’ of former President Slobodan Milošević and “We must not allow genocide deniers to be rewarded or for the international community to once again stand aside.”
This activity of the UK Government is one in a series of assistance to preserve both the integrity of BiH and peace in the Balkans, and of course to make life easier throughout BiH and to start thinking about the return of politicians to state institutions, all in the sense of better living conditions for citizens throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.
BH UK NETWORK
