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Bosnia-Herzegovina External Relations Briefing: the “Non-Paper” Diplomatic Scandal Zvonimir Stopić

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Bosnia-Herzegovina External Relations Briefing: the “Non-Paper” Diplomatic Scandal Zvonimir Stopić ISSN: 2560-1601 Vol. 39, No. 4 (BH) April 2021 Bosnia-Herzegovina external relations briefing: The “non-paper” diplomatic scandal Zvonimir Stopić 1052 Budapest Petőfi Sándor utca 11. +36 1 5858 690 Kiadó: Kína-KKE Intézet Nonprofit Kft. [email protected] Szerkesztésért felelős személy: CHen Xin Kiadásért felelős személy: Huang Ping china-cee.eu 2017/01 The “non-paper” diplomatic scandal Summary Following the burst of articles published by the Slovenian media in April on a non-paper about the possible border changes in the Western Balkans countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, which the Slovenia’s Prime minister supposedly sent to European Institutions, a number of reactions by numerous politicians could have been heard both in Bosnia and Herzegovina and abroad. Most of them have either simply denied the existence of such document or/and criticized the ideas it incorporated. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued a special note to all its diplomats and consuls that they should actively work on debunking any sort of ideas that question the territorial identity on Bosnia and Herzegovina. Introduction A diplomatic scandal has been shaking the region this April after an informal political document, an alleged non-paper, was discovered by the Slovenian media. It was supposedly sent to the European Institutions by the Slovenian Prime minister Janez Janša. Slovenian news portal Necenzurirano claimed possession and published the non-paper with no written sender, receiver, date or any kind of logotype. The document incorporates ideas of border changes in the Western Balkans, including Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this report we will take a look at how state officials from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia, as well as some of the European Union institutions, reacted to the document. The Slovenian non-paper In the European institutions jargon, a !non-paper” is an informal document that is used in closed negotiations within the institutions of the European Union, especially by the Council of Ministers. Non-papers are used in order to search for an agreement about a certain procedural or political problem. Non-papers are a usual form of communication of one or more member states of the European Union on a certain issue. 1 In April, a controversy appeared after a media claim in Slovenia that the Slovenian prime- minister Janez Janša had sent a non-paper document to the European Union institutions in Brussels that supposedly proposes border changes amongst the countries of Western Balkans. On April 15th, the Slovenian news portal Necenzurirano (Uncensored) published a copy of the supposed non-paper document. The document is not verified as authentic but has stirred up the political spirits in the regions and European Union. The non-paper puts forward motions of border changes in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As it was published in the media, the non-paper incorporated ideas of changes of borders between Serbia and Kosovo, annexation of parts of Montenegro and North Macedonia with the Alban majority to Albania and annexation of part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Western Herzegovina, to Croatia. The cabinet of the Slovenian prime minister Janez Janša, where the controversial non- paper supposedly leaked from, decided not to comment Western Balkans non-paper at the time being. Janša only communicated that Slovenia is seriously trying to find solutions for the development and European Union perspective of the Western Balkans countries and that such media insinuations are trying to undermine such goals. Janša was criticized by the political opposition in Slovenia that he should make a clear standpoint on Slovenia"s policy towards the Western Balkan countries, especially Bosnia and Herzegovina. Slovenian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anže Logar, denied accusations that Janša has forwarded such non-paper to the European commission. Logar further stated that such media claims are manipulative and an attempt to compromise the Slovenian Government and its president. Peter Stano, the spokesman for the European Union, told the press that the politicians in Brussels are aware of the media news but are not aware of any such non-paper document reaching the European Union’s institutions. The spokesman for the European Council, Barend Leyts, also stated that he cannot confirm that European Council received any such document. This diplomatic affair comes in the light of Slovenia taking over the European Union presidency in the second half of 2021. The whole affair is even more interesting since Slovenia announced earlier that the region will be a priority issues of Slovenia"s European Union presidency mandate. 2 The March 5th meeting controversy The non-paper affair was further heated by the claims of Željko Komšić, the Chairman of Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, about a controversial question asked at a meeting between the state officials of Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, held earlier this year, on March 5th. Namely, Slovenian president Borut Pahor then asked the representatives of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, if their sides in Bosnia and Herzegovina could come to a peaceful dissolution. After this conversation came into the media via Komšić, Pahor"s office reacted by saying that the question the Slovenia president posed was in the context of concerns about such ideas. Furthermore, his office stated that the Slovenian president is in favor of territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, its European perspective and peaceful progress. As such, Pahor warns against ideas of dissolution of Bosnia and Herzegovina and border changes in the Western Balkans. Answering Pahor"s question at the March 5th meeting, Željko Komšić and Šefik Džaferović, second member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, had answered that peaceful dissolution of Bosnia and Herzegovina is not possible and that people who support such ideas could be leading the country and the region into a new war. According to Komšić, Milorad Dodik, the third member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, showed different opinion. Šefik Džaferović stated that Pahor said that there are certain ideas within the European Union that the dissolution of Yugoslavia should be finished before the accession of Western Balkans countries to the European Union. For Džaferović, the process of dissolution of Yugoslavia is finished. Also, on April 12th Komšić asked the Slovenian ambassador to a meeting where she further confirmed that the diplomacy of Slovenia towards Bosnia and Herzegovina has not changed. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s reaction note to diplomacies and consulates As a direct reaction to the media information on the possibility of this non-paper, Bisera Turković, the Minister of Foreign affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina had released an instructional note on April 21st to all diplomacies and consulates of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The instructional note says that the diplomatic representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 should continue promoting and protecting basic constitutional principles, and further work on respecting the territorial integrity and independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The diplomats and consuls are reminded that their obligation in communication with the state authorities in their accredited countries is to perform their duties within the framework of foreign political goals of Bosnia and Herzegovina, clearly defined by the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The foreign representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina should introduce the state authorities and high institutional representatives in their accredited countries that any malicious ideas that directly discredits the continuity of Bosnia and Herzegovina in its internationally acknowledged borders jeopardizes the immense progress achieved in the last two decades. Such ideas do not contribute to regional cooperation and stability, do not forward the reconciliation process and the atmosphere of international acknowledgement, and are particularly harmful to the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina at home and abroad. In the note sent by Bisera Turković, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, it is concluded that promoting ideas of changes in state borders of Bosnia and Herzegovina is contrary to democratic principles, human rights and relevant decisions and attitudes of the European Union institutions. Furthermore, on her Twitter account, Turković published that the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina is unquestionable and that she is convinced that nobody in the European Union can support ideas of endangering other"s integrity, although some retrograde voices in Bosnia and Herzegovina are trying to push this forward as a valid idea. Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina reacted to the note by saying that the Serbian representatives have their own viewpoints and the political dialogue about possible situations and solutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot be stopped. Conclusion After the leakage of the supposed informal diplomatic document, a non-paper accredited by the Slovenian media to the Slovenian Prime minister Janez Janša, most parties called out in the diplomatic affair have either simply denied the existence of such document or criticized the ideas it incorporated. Željko Komšić, the Chairman of Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, added further controversy by providing details on the meeting he held with the Slovenian President Borut Pahor in March this year. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued a special note to all its diplomats and consuls that they should actively work on debunking any sort of ideas that question the territorial identity on Bosnia and Herzegovina. 4 .
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