Christian Schmidt, the German diplomat serving as the top international envoy in Bosnia tasked with overseeing peace implementation, is stepping down, his office announced on Monday. Schmidt has taken the personal decision to conclude his service as the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina after nearly five years, according to a statement. He will remain in the role until a successor is chosen.
Clashes with Bosnian Serb Leader
Schmidt has repeatedly clashed with Milorad Dodik, the main politician in the Serb-run half of Bosnia, known as Republika Srpska. Last August, authorities removed Dodik from the presidency and temporarily banned him from politics for disobeying Schmidt's decisions. Dodik, who is pro-Russian, has pushed for the separation of Republika Srpska to join neighboring Serbia, stoking fears of renewed instability in Bosnia, where ethnic tensions remain high among Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks (mainly Muslim). Dodik also faced U.S. sanctions for his separatism, which were recently lifted. He frequently travels to Russia and attended an annual military parade in Moscow on Saturday commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
Role of the High Representative
The Office of the High Representative in Bosnia was established under a U.S.-brokered peace agreement that ended the 1992-95 ethnic war, which killed more than 100,000 people. The envoy has the authority to change laws and replace officials seen as obstructing postwar reconciliation. Bosnia is a candidate country for European Union membership but has been slow to implement necessary reforms due to political and ethnic bickering among nationalist politicians. The country consists of the Serb entity and a Bosnian-Croat entity, joined by a multi-ethnic central government.
