Daily Sabah logo

Politics
Diplomacy Legislation War On Terror EU Affairs Elections News Analysis
TÜRKİYE
Istanbul Education Investigations Minorities Expat Corner Diaspora
World
Mid-East Europe Americas Asia Pacific Africa Syrian Crisis Islamophobia
Business
Automotive Economy Energy Finance Tourism Tech Defense Transportation News Analysis
Lifestyle
Health Environment Travel Food Fashion Science Religion History Feature Expat Corner
Arts
Cinema Music Events Portrait Reviews Performing Arts
Sports
Football Basketball Motorsports Tennis
Opinion
Columns Op-Ed Reader's Corner Editorial
PHOTO GALLERY
JOBS ABOUT US RSS PRIVACY CONTACT US
© Turkuvaz Haberleşme ve Yayıncılık 2023

Daily Sabah logo

عربي
  • Politics
    • Diplomacy
    • Legislation
    • War On Terror
    • EU Affairs
    • Elections
    • News Analysis
  • TÜRKİYE
    • Istanbul
    • Education
    • Investigations
    • Minorities
    • Expat Corner
    • Diaspora
  • World
    • Mid-East
    • Europe
    • Americas
    • Asia Pacific
    • Africa
    • Syrian Crisis
    • Islamophobia
  • Business
    • Automotive
    • Economy
    • Energy
    • Finance
    • Tourism
    • Tech
    • Defense
    • Transportation
    • News Analysis
  • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Environment
    • Travel
    • Food
    • Fashion
    • Science
    • Religion
    • History
    • Feature
    • Expat Corner
  • Arts
    • Cinema
    • Music
    • Events
    • Portrait
    • Reviews
    • Performing Arts
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Motorsports
    • Tennis
  • Gallery
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Op-Ed
    • Reader's Corner
    • Editorial
  • TV
  • World
  • Mid-East
  • Europe
  • Americas
  • Asia Pacific
  • Africa
  • Syrian Crisis
  • Islamophobia

Bosnian Muslim, Croat leaders boycott Russian FM Lavrov

by ASSOCIATED PRESS

SARAJEVO Dec 15, 2020 - 5:33 pm GMT+3
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attends a meeting with Bosnia's Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic in the capital Sarajevo, Bosnia, Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020. (AP Photo)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attends a meeting with Bosnia's Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic in the capital Sarajevo, Bosnia, Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020. (AP Photo)
by ASSOCIATED PRESS Dec 15, 2020 5:33 pm
RECOMMENDED
Soldiers of the Italian contingent of the NATO-led international peacekeeping Kosovo Force (KFOR) stand guard on the bridge between south and North Mitrovica, Kosovo, June 1, 2023. (AP Photo)

France, Germany press for new elections in Kosovo after clashes

kosovo-crisis

Bosnia’s Muslim and Croat representatives in the country’s three-member presidency on Tuesday boycotted a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, a major snub to Moscow’s top diplomat.

On his second day of the two-day visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Lavrov was due to hold talks with all three presidency members, including Sefik Dzaferovic, a Muslim, and Zeljko Komsic, a Croat. Only the Serb member, Milorad Dodik, showed up.

Dzaferovic and Komsic said they boycotted the meeting because of what they said is Lavrov’s "disrespect” of Bosnia-Herzegovina. They said that Lavrov should have started his official visit in Bosnia-Herzegovina's capital, Sarajevo, instead of first meeting Dodik in the Serb semi-autonomous half of the country on Monday.

Dodik, who is known for his staunch pro-Russian stance, has been advocating the separation of Bosnian Serbs and their joining neighboring Serbia. Although Moscow formally does not support Bosnia-Herzegovina's breakup, it has never openly criticized Dodik’s separatist policies.

Komsic said the meeting was rejected because Lavrov showed disrespect of Bosnia-Herzegovina at the press conference late on Monday, where there was no Bosnian flag and where he hailed Dodik’s comments that Bosnia-Herzegovina will remain militarily neutral and will never join NATO.

"Lavrov knows that only the state can make such decisions,” Komsic said at a joint press conference with Dzaferovic. "With respect to the Russian Federation as a big and powerful country, we will not agree to become a Russian pawn in the Balkans in their games and conflicts with the (European Union) countries or NATO member countries. We expect them to understand and support this,” Komsic said.

Lavrov did not comment on the boycott at a media conference later Tuesday, and the Russian foreign ministry posted a photo of the meeting without mentioning that two out of three presidency members were not present.

The Russian foreign minister’s visit coincidences with the 25th anniversary of the signing of the U.S.-mediated Dayton peace agreement that ended a four-year war in Bosnia-Herzegovina in the 1990s. Although the deal ended the bloodshed, it left Bosnia-Herzegovina largely dysfunctional and divided in half between the Bosnian Serb Republika Srpska and the Muslim-Croat Federation.

Lavrov said on Monday the agreement must not be changed, referring to comments by Western diplomats and Bosnian politicians that it needs to be upgraded to enable Bosnia to make progress on reforms. "I would like to say that any attempt to demolish (the Dayton agreement) can cause the most serious risks and consequences,” Lavrov said.

RECOMMENDED
Soldiers of the Italian contingent of the NATO-led international peacekeeping Kosovo Force (KFOR) stand guard on the bridge between south and North Mitrovica, Kosovo, June 1, 2023. (AP Photo)

France, Germany press for new elections in Kosovo after clashes

kosovo-crisis
  • shortlink copied
  • RELATED TOPICS
    fight-against-terrorism DEUTSCHE-BANK US-LIBYA-RELATIONS
    KEYWORDS
    bosnia-herzegovina bosnian muslims russia sergey lavrov
    The Daily Sabah Newsletter
    Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey, it’s region and the world.
    You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
    U.S. President Joe Biden (C) gestures as he and Hunter Biden (L) watch fireworks from the Truman Balcony of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 2022. (EPA Photo)

    Hunter Biden's alleged iCloud leak exposes inappropriate content

    hunter-biden
    A general view of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum in Purple Mountai, Nanjing, China. (Photo courtesy by Ahmet Faruk Işık)

    Seed of modern Turkish diplomacy in China: Nanjing city

    Nanjing

    Turkish Airlines becomes world's 8th-strongest airline brand

    TURKISH-AIRLINES

    Erdoğan's triumph through the prism of Pakistan

    TURKISH-ELECTIONS
    No Image
    1999 Izmit earthquake: Looking back on the 45 seconds that devastated Turkey
    PHOTOGALLERY
    • POLITICS
    • Diplomacy
    • Legislation
    • War On Terror
    • EU Affairs
    • News Analysis
    • TÜRKİYE
    • Istanbul
    • Education
    • Investigations
    • Minorities
    • Diaspora
    • World
    • Mid-East
    • Europe
    • Americas
    • Asia Pacific
    • Africa
    • Syrian Crisis
    • İslamophobia
    • Business
    • Automotive
    • Economy
    • Energy
    • Finance
    • Tourism
    • Tech
    • Defense
    • Transportation
    • News Analysis
    • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Environment
    • Travel
    • Food
    • Fashion
    • Science
    • Religion
    • History
    • Feature
    • Expat Corner
    • Arts
    • Cinema
    • Music
    • Events
    • Portrait
    • Performing Arts
    • Reviews
    • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Motorsports
    • Tennis
    • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Op-Ed
    • Reader's Corner
    • Editorial
    • Photo gallery
    • Jobs
    • privacy
    • about us
    • contact us
    • RSS
    © Turkuvaz Haberleşme ve Yayıncılık 2021