MUNICH – The head of the European Union for Foreign Affairs said on Sunday that he was deeply concerned about tensions in Bosnia and appealed to local leaders to avoid the collapse of the Balkan country.

“The situation in Bosnia is more alarming than ever. It has never been easy, but centrifugal trends are really worrying now, ”said Joseph Barrel, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, at the annual security conference in Munich.

Last month, the Biden administration announced new sanctions against Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, who has for years called for a Serb-led part of Bosnia to leave the rest of the country and reunite with neighboring Serbia. The United States has accused him of “corrupt activities” that threaten to destabilize the region and undermine a US-brokered peace deal more than 25 years ago.

“I can assure you that in close contact with the United States, Secretary of State (Anthony) Blinken and I have issued a very serious warning. We will not accept the disintegration and disintegration of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ”Barel said.

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He said he had contacted Dodik “to ask him to remind him of his duty to participate in the country’s common institutions.”

Bosnian Serbs are pushing for their own tax collection system, judiciary and even armed forces, which have so far been managed centrally.

“I call for the responsibility of the political leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina to avoid the country’s disintegration,” Barel said.

The Dayton Peace Accords ended the war in Bosnia, which killed more than 100,000 people and left millions homeless in Europe’s worst massacre since World War II. The agreement established two separate governing bodies in Bosnia, one ruled by Bosnian Serbs and the other ruled by Bosniaks and Croats. These two are linked by common national institutions, and all actions at the national level require consensus of all three ethnic groups.

Dodik says he and Bosnian Serbs are unfairly harassed by the United States and mistakenly accused of corruption.

MUNICH – The head of the European Union for Foreign Affairs said on Sunday that he was deeply concerned about tensions in Bosnia and appealed to local leaders to avoid the collapse of the Balkan country.

“The situation in Bosnia is more alarming than ever. It has never been easy, but centrifugal trends are really worrying now, ”said Joseph Barrel, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, at the annual security conference in Munich.

Last month, the Biden administration announced new sanctions against Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, who has for years called for a Serb-led part of Bosnia to leave the rest of the country and reunite with neighboring Serbia. The United States has accused him of “corrupt activities” that threaten to destabilize the region and undermine a US-brokered peace deal more than 25 years ago.

“I can assure you that in close contact with the United States, Secretary of State (Anthony) Blinken and I have issued a very serious warning. We will not accept the disintegration and disintegration of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ”Barel said.

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He said he had contacted Dodik “to ask him to remind him of his duty to participate in the country’s common institutions.”

Bosnian Serbs are pushing for their own tax collection system, judiciary and even armed forces, which have so far been managed centrally.

“I call for the responsibility of the political leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina to avoid the country’s disintegration,” Barel said.

The Dayton Peace Accords ended the war in Bosnia, which killed more than 100,000 people and left millions homeless in Europe’s worst massacre since World War II. The agreement established two separate governing bodies in Bosnia, one ruled by Bosnian Serbs and the other ruled by Bosniaks and Croats. These two are linked by common national institutions, and all actions at the national level require consensus of all three ethnic groups.

Dodik says he and Bosnian Serbs are unfairly harassed by the United States and mistakenly accused of corruption.