The B&H Presidency member Željko Komšić reacted to yesterday's statement from the Embassy of the Russian Federation on the Commission for Cooperation and Relations between B&H and NATO.

-First of all, we need to draw attention to a number of facts to the Embassy of the Russian Federation based on the decisions of the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, decisions that the Embassy of the Russian Federation should respect, especially when we have a long-standing position of Russia on respecting the decisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-

Therefore, he recalls, Bosnia and Herzegovina submitted an official request for participation in the MAP or NATO Membership Action Plan in 2009, in accordance with the decision of the then convocation of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, signed by B&H Presidency member Nebojša Radmanović.

-As for the statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, it is certainly the continuity of their activities towards all aspiring countries for NATO membership and, unfortunately, most often, such activities are manifested through causing greater and lesser difficulties. This was the case with Montenegro, and later in North Macedonia, during their path towards NATO membership. This is obviously a geopolitical game of Russia, which aims to stop the expansion of NATO in Europe- Komšić asserted.

However, he adds that this is not only a message to Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also to our allies within the NATO alliance, such as the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Germany and others.

-A political speech that abounds in nuanced threats is certainly not acceptable to them, nor to us in Bosnia and Herzegovina- concluded the member of the Presidency of B&H Željko Komšić.