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US meddling with B&H’s affairs, conniving at Republic of Srpska’s demonization — Lavrov

According to the Russian top diplomat, Moscow sees obvious discrimination of Bosnian Croatians in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the reform of election laws is called to change this situation

MOSCOW, January 17. /TASS/. Washington continues to meddle with Bosnia-Herzegovina’s domestic affairs and connive in attempts at demonizing the Republic of Srpska, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday after talks with his visiting Croatian counterpart, Gordan Grlic Radman.

"Active attempts are currently being made to turn Bosnia from a state with two entities and three state-constituting nations enjoying equal rights into a unitary state. And the Republic of Srpska and its leaders are being demonized for these purposes and with the acquiescence of some Western countries, first of all, the United States," he said.

"It is quite telling that despite all its calls for non-interference into the domestic affairs of other countries, the United States has appointed a special envoy for electoral reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We think it quite telling from the point of view of the United States’ approaches to the Western Balkans problems," Lavrov noted.

According to the Russian top diplomat, Moscow sees obvious discrimination of Bosnian Croatians in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the reform of election laws is called to change this situation. This reform needs to be "completed as soon as possible on the basis of the Dayton principles of equality of the three state-constituting nations and two entities."

In a bid to protect the rights of the Croatian national minority in Bosnia-Herzegovina ahead of the general elections in that country in 2022, Croatia’s authorities call on the neighboring country to reform its election laws to grant ethnic Croatians the possibility to elect their representative to the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.