The European Union, the United States, and Great Britain on Wednesday evening, November 20, condemned the gesture of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, Staša Košarac, who sent the High Representative in BiH, Christian Schmidt, a World War II military helmet bearing the insignia of the notorious SS organization.
Košarac announced on social media that he had sent a “Letter to the Occupier” to the High Representative’s address, along with a bag in which he placed a German military helmet from the Second World War with the insignia of the infamous SS organization. Among other things, he called Schmidt a “worshiper of Nazi army traditions.”
“We strongly condemn today’s outrageous gesture by BiH Minister Košarac who sent High Representative Schmidt a military helmet from the Second World War, accompanied by an inappropriate and inflammatory letter. Such behavior is unacceptable for a public official,” stated the EU’s post on its X profile.
It added that political actors have a special responsibility to calm tensions, not to deepen divisions.
“We call on all actors to refrain from provocative rhetoric and actions. We urge them to focus their efforts on strengthening stability and prosperity that will benefit citizens,” the post noted.
The US Embassy assessed Košarac’s actions as “counterproductive and contrary to efforts to maintain stability and promote prosperity.”
“The United States calls for de-escalation of tensions in order to promote stability for the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” the US Embassy stated on X.
The British Ambassador to BiH, Julian Reilly, also reacted.
“Terrible and unfounded insults and hatred, such as those in Minister Košarac’s heinous move against High Representative Schmidt, have no place in civilized political discourse. Support for the High Representative, who has the mandate to protect the civilian provisions of the Dayton Agreement, is unquestionable,” the British Ambassador stated in a post on his X profile.
Earlier in the day, the German Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina announced that it was “deeply shocked” by the letter and package that Staša Košarac sent to the High Representative of the international community in BiH, Christian Schmidt.
“The comparisons, formulations, and actions contained in this letter are unacceptable and undermine the dignity of political dialogue. Equating Christian Schmidt with the National Socialist regime represents a serious trivialization of the crimes of National Socialism and is ultimately inappropriate,” the German Embassy in BiH stated, expressing support for the High Representative.
Milorad Dodik, the president of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), whose official is State Minister Staša Košarac, was convicted by the Court of BiH for disrespecting Schmidt’s decisions.
The High Representative, using the so-called Bonn powers which allow him to amend laws, used these decisions to annul a series of laws passed by the SNSD majority in Republika Srpska, some of which the Constitutional Court of BiH had also declared invalid.
Following the verdict, Dodik was stripped of his mandate as entity president.
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