Samantha Power: Bosnia is at a crossroads, tensions lead to a risk of escalation

Bosnia and Herzegovina is at another crossroads today and the sustainability of 26 years of peace is in question, USAID Administrator Samantha Power said in Sarajevo on Friday, after meeting with Bosnia’s three Presidency members, officials and NGO representatives in the country.

She argued that Bosnia’s political leaders are trying to sow divisions and are not focused enough on the challenges that affect the lives of ordinary citizens who want to live in freedom, dignity and security.

She said that BiH Presidency member Milorad Dodik, the leader of the ruling party in BiH’s Republika Srpska (RS) entity, in particular, has created a climate of tensions that could lead to the risk of escalation.

She said she emphasized the importance of peace and the danger of secessionist rhetoric and activities during her meeting with the Presidency members.

Power said she spoke with investigative journalists, young officials, but also people who survived wartime prison camps and that all of them said they were worried, that many of them do not see a future in BiH and that are tired of the rhetoric used by politicians to raise tensions and increase divisions.

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Former detainees of all ethnic groups said, according to Power, that their testimonies are a reminder that this country must never go backwards and allow what happened in the past to be repeated.

She said the young people she spoke to told he they are tired of politics, that it is getting increasingly difficult for them to see the future in a country that is facing corruption and divisions.

Power said she urged the Presidency members to be leaders in solving problems and not to create them.

She reiterated that the United States supports the people of BiH.

“The citizens of this country do not want to go back in time or come to terms with the status quo. The United States does not want that either. You deserve a democratic future without ethnic tensions and corruption,” said Power.

She also spoke about the many projects the USAID implemented in BiH, as well as the newly launched campaign to promote tourism in the country with TripAdvisor.

Power commented on the ongoing political crisis in BiH, saying that the country’s RS entity withdrawing from state institutions would not be functional, would not benefit the citizens in the entity, and could jeopardize the sustainability of the Republika Srpska.