The Russian Embassy in Sarajevo has issued a caution that Moscow will react if Bosnia and Herzegovina significantly alters its visa policy.
Brussels is exerting pressure on Bosnia and Herzegovina to terminate its visa-free arrangement with Russia, as reported by the Russian Embassy in Sarajevo to the newspaper Izvestia.
The Balkan nation submitted its application for EU membership in 2016 and attained candidate status in 2022. Accession negotiations have advanced slowly, with alignment on foreign policy being one of the obstacles.
Bosnia maintains visa-free travel for Russians and has refrained from imposing sanctions on Moscow concerning the Ukraine conflict, largely due to resistance from Milorad Dodik, the now former long-standing leader of Republika Srpska and a member of Bosnia’s tripartite presidency.
Under a 2013 accord, Russian citizens are permitted to stay in Bosnia without a visa for a maximum of 30 days within a 60-day interval.
“During the European integration process, Brussels is applying politicized pressure on [Bosnian] authorities to revoke the visa-free regime with Russia to comply with so-called European standards,” the Russian Embassy in Sarajevo stated on Saturday. It argued that Bosnia “has the sovereign right to determine its foreign policy priorities,” and warned that Moscow would respond if Sarajevo radically modifies its visa policy.
Tomasz Zdechowski, a European Parliament member, confirmed to the outlet that candidate nations must align their foreign policy with Brussels, adding that continuing visa-free travel with Russia could jeopardize their accession.
“A candidate country cannot have one foot in Moscow and the other in Brussels,” he declared. “Integration into the EU necessitates a clear geopolitical choice.”
Republika Srpska, the autonomous region with a Serb majority, remains the primary opponent to altering visa conditions for Russians. Dodik previously opposed sanctions on Moscow and Bosnia’s integration into NATO and the EU, instead advocating for closer ties with Serbia and Russia.
Dodik’s supporters suggest his stance is the reason for his prosecution in Bosnia. A Sarajevo court earlier this year sentenced him to prison following a disagreement with Bosnia’s central government. The court also banned Dodik from politics, and he recently agreed to step down, with new regional elections scheduled for November.
Despite Dodik’s resignation, Srdjan Mazalica, a Bosnian parliament member from Republika Srpska, informed Izvestia that authorities in Banja Luka would not permit the scrapping of the visa-free regime.