Bosnia and Herzegovina–Serbia relations

Bosnian–Serbian relations

Bosnia and Herzegovina
Serbia

Bosnian–Serbian relations are foreign relations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. Bosnia and Herzegovina has an embassy in Belgrade. Serbia has an embassy in Sarajevo and a consulate-general in Banja Luka. Both countries are full members of the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA). Serbia is an official candidate state for membership of the European Union and Bosnia is recognized as potential candidate country by the European Union.

Geography

The two countries are located in the western Balkans and Southeastern Europe. They share 357 km of land boundary, partly (206 km) along the Drina.

Yugoslavia

Bosnian War

2015

On July 8, 2015, Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution that would have condemned the Srebrenica massacre as a genocide. Lobbied by the Republika Srpska and Serbia, the veto was praised by Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić stating that Russia had "prevented an attempt of smearing the entire Serbian nation as genocidal" and proven itself as a true and honest friend.[1]

Invited by the Bosnian government to attend the annual Srebrenica Genocide Memorial, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić accepted, travelling to Srebrenica on 11 July 2015 to pay his respect. He was attacked by a mob in the crowd with stones, bottles and other objects and had to flee the premise. Members of the crowd shouted "Allāhu Akbar" and "Die, Chetnik".[2] Social media has called him a "genocide denier".[3]

A planned memorial to the victims of the Operation Oluja was prohibited in Sarajevo.[4]

Economy

Serbia is the second top investor in Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to data spanning May 1994–December 2013.

Culture

The main language in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina is Bosnian and Serbian. Serbs and Bosniaks ethnolinguistically belong to the South Slavic peoples.

Demographics

Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbs are one of the three constituent peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina along with Bosniaks and Croats. They are the second largest ethnic group, numbering 1,086,733 (30.78%) according to the 2013 census. The community is concentrated in Republika Srpska (numbering 970,857; 82.95%), one of two entities making up BiH. Serbs are predominantly of Eastern Orthodox faith.

Bosniaks in Serbia

Bosniaks are a recognized minority of Serbia. They are the fourth largest ethnic group, numbering 145,278 (2.02%) according to the 2011 census. The community is concentrated in the region of Sandžak in southwestern Serbia. Bosniaks are predominantly of Sunni Muslim faith.

Republika Srpska

The beginnings of formal cooperation can be traced to the Bosnian War; Republika Srpska got support from Serbia.[5] At the Dayton Agreement, the President of the Republic of Serbia Slobodan Milošević represented the Bosnian Serb interests due to absence of Radovan Karadžić. Dayton Agreement ensure the right for entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to establish special parallel relationships with neighboring countries consistent with sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Agreement on Special Parallel Relations is signed in February 28, 1997. The Agreement was implemented December 15, 2010.[6] Until now was organized significant number of formal and informal meetings between representatives of two sides.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Russia blocks U.N. condemnation of Srebrenica as a genocide". Reuters.
  2. ↑ "Vucic attacked, hit with stones in Srebrenica (video)". B92. 11 July 2015.
  3. ↑ "Serbia's president condemns 'savage' attack on PM at Srebrenica". The Guardian. 11 July 2015.
  4. ↑ "Sarajevo:Zabranjeno odavanje pošte žrtvama "Oluje"". B92.
  5. ↑ Judah. The Serbs. Yale University Press. pp. 222–224. ISBN 978-0-300-15826-7.
  6. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-08-15. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
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