Bosnia Presidency Fails to Agree on Recognition of Kosovo

At a session of the state presidency on Thursday, the three members failed to agree on recognition of Kosovo, although there was some dispute about whether a proper vote had taken place, given that two members did not actually cast a vote, leaving only the Serbian member to claim victory.

Bosnian Presidency members: Zeljko Komsic (L), Milorad Dodik (C) and Sefik Dzaferovic (R), Photo: EPA: Fehim Demir

For the second time in less than a month, the three-member Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the body in charge of foreign policy, has discussed whether Bosnia should recognize Kosovo – and failed to reach a consensus.

The issue of recognition was raised by Zeljko Komsic, Croatian member of the presidency, at a September 17 session.

Komsic then said he wanted the item put on the agenda, citing the need to respect the will of the Albanian majority in Kosovo, and because, as he said, the independence of Kosovo was a fact.

At the time, he and Sefik Dzaferovic, the Bosniak member of the presidency, voted in favour, while Milorad Dodik, the Serbian member, voted against.

As no consensus was reached, the issue was left for the next session. According to Dodik, on this occasion, “After the attempt of … Komsic to withdraw his proposal (to recognize Kosovo), which was not possible, the session had to vote on the decision made earlier.”

“Komsic did not vote, Bosniak member Sefik Dzaferovic abstained, and I was against, which means Bosnia did not recognize self-proclaimed Kosovo,” Dodik told the media, referencing the former province’s unilateral declaration of independence in 2008.

Dzaferovic, who also chairs the Bosnian Presidency, said after the session that it was clear there would be no recognition of Kosovo by Bosnia until a consensus emerged.

“Komsic asked for the issue to be withdrawn, but Dodik insisted on a vote being taken. In the end, Dodik voted against, and Komsic and I did not vote at all,” Dzaferovic recalled.

On September 17, at the original discussion, Dodik had warned that, if the same voting ratio was repeated next time, he would launch a constitutional instrument to protect the vital interests of the Serbs in Bosnia, and forward the issue to the assembly in Republika Srpska, the Serb-led entity in Bosnia. Given that the RS assembly would reject the proposal, the issue would thus be closed.

The post-war constitution of Bosnia enshrines certain collective rights of the country’s three constituent nations, each of which may invoke a “national vital interests” clause to block or annul legislation or acts it deems a threat to its strategic interests. Dodik has invoked this instrument on a couple of occasions.

Bosnia now remains one of two former Yugoslav republics, the other being Serbia, not to recognise Kosovo. Most Western countries recognised it shortly after it declared statehood in 2008, but five EU member states do not – Cyprus, Greece, Romania Slovakia and Spain. Recognition remains a contested issue. About 116 countries have recognised Kosovo since 2008, but about 16 have since withdrawn recognition, and it is not yet a member of the UN.