Bosnian Serbs Take First Step to Divide Bosnia and Herzegovina | News from Germany about Europe

Deputies of the People’s Assembly (Parliament) of the Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina voted to secede from the Bosnian armed forces, judicial and tax system. “This is the moment of winning freedom for the Republika Srpska,” said Milorad Dodik, leader of the ruling coalition of Bosnian Serbs, quoted by Reuters on Saturday, December 11.

The result of the vote was a non-binding opinion, which does not contain a final decision to leave the Bosnian state institutions, as such a step must be approved by the upper house of the Parliament of the Republika Srpska (the House of Peoples). The MPs have authorized the regional government in the next six months to develop new laws for the army, tax and judicial systems to replace the existing acts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Return to the 1995 constitution

As a result of the Dayton Agreement, which ended the 1992-1995 civil war, the former Yugoslav Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina retained its territorial integrity, but was divided into two autonomous regions – the Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is dominated by Bosnian and Croatian populations. Dodik, who is currently a Serbian member of the tripartite interethnic presidium of Bosnia and Herzegovina, wants to reverse all post-war reforms and return to the 1995 constitution, in which the state was represented only by basic institutions and all powers belonged to the regions.

In a joint statement by the embassies of the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany and Italy, as well as the European Union delegation, they called the assembly’s proposal a further step towards escalation. “Members of the ruling coalition in Republika Srpska must realize that the continuation of this stalemate, which calls into question the Dayton Agreement, will damage the economic prospects of the region, threaten the country’s stability, as well as the future of Bosnia in the EU,” the statement reads.

Nationalist Milorad Dodik, 62, was once a protege of Western countries, AFP points out. In his plans, he enjoys the support of Russia, with whose president he met on December 2 in the Kremlin. The Bosnian Serb leader accuses the Western states of transforming Bosnia at the expense of the Serbs and in favor of the Bosnian Muslims. If there is no political reaction to this, then in a couple of years the Serbs will have nothing to defend, Dodik said.

See also:

Brutalist architecture in the former Yugoslavia
Two saws
These concrete monsters stand in the Konyarnik district of Belgrade. They are called “Testers”, which means “Saw” in Serbian, because of the stepped shape of the lateral high-rises, reminiscent of the teeth of a saw. Like most examples of Yugoslavian architectural brutalism, they were built in the second half of the 1950s and in the 1960s.

Brutalist architecture in the former Yugoslavia
Flying saucer
During the era of Josip Broz Tito’s authoritarian rule, many representative gigantic structures arose in Yugoslavia, such as the glass-and-concrete Aviation Museum, which looks like a huge flying saucer. It is located next to the main Belgrade airport.

Brutalist architecture in the former Yugoslavia
The largest dome in the world
In 1957, when Pavilion number one of the Belgrade Fair Center was commissioned, its dome was the largest in the world.

Brutalist architecture in the former Yugoslavia
TV in an open field
Serbs call this residential complex in the new part of Belgrade “Television”. A giant microdistrict was built in the literal sense of this expression from scratch, not far from Tito’s residence.

Brutalist architecture in the former Yugoslavia
Partisan memorial
A giant memorial complex in Croatia, on Petrova Gora near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, was erected in 1981. It is dedicated to the partisans who died here in battles against the Wehrmacht and Ustasha units. During the Second World War, partisans hid in the forests of Petrova Gora. The memorial is in very poor condition and is on the verge of destruction.

Brutalist architecture in the former Yugoslavia
Green hospital
After the 2018 New York Museum of Modern Art dedicated a photographic exhibition to architectural brutalism, the style was rehabilitated in the former Yugoslavia as well. In particular, the decision to demolish the central clinical hospital Dubrava in Zagreb was revised.

Brutalist architecture in the former Yugoslavia
Belgrade Western Gate
The Genex Tower, often referred to as the West Gate of Belgrade, was built in 1980. These are, in fact, two towers connected by a bridge. The height of the residential tower is 124 meters. There are 184 apartments on 30 floors. The second tower is now empty.

Brutalist architecture in the former Yugoslavia
Heroes and Colossus
The concrete colossi are part of the so-called “Valley of Heroes”, a memorial complex in Sutjeska National Park in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Here in 1943, a difficult battle took place, in which the Nazis used 300 bombers against the Yugoslav Liberation Army, which had no air cover at all.
Author: Efim Shuman