The High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina attributed his resignation to pressure from the United States
The High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina announced on May 23 that he had decided to step down early due to external political pressure. According to him, pressure from the United States was one of the key factors influencing his decision to resign.
This was reported by the DPA news agency.
Christian Schmidt, a German conservative politician who had held the position since August 2021, announced his resignation on May 12, calling it a “personal decision.”
But in response to a question from the German newspaper Augsburger Allgemeine about whether U.S. President Donald Trump had pushed him to step down as the international community’s top envoy in Bosnia, Schmidt acknowledged that Washington played a role in his decision.
Although he noted that he did not know Trump’s personal opinion on the matter, he said: “All I can say is that there was enormous and unexpected pressure from the U.S.”
In an interview published on Saturday, Schmidt said he wanted to prevent “the authority of the High Representative’s office from being undermined by this debate, the premises of which I do not fully understand.”
The High Representative in Bosnia has significant powers to ensure compliance with the 1995 Dayton Agreement, which ended the war. This representative, acting with UN backing, has the authority to dismiss elected officials, pass laws, and create new institutions.
The Trump administration is increasingly backing separatist politician Milorad Dodik, who insists on the secession of the Republika Srpska, the Serbian-majority part of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
During his tenure, Schmidt repealed a number of laws in the Republika Srpska aimed at preparing for its secession.
The pressure on Schmidt to force him to resign may also be linked to the fact that former RS President Dodik supported gas power plant and pipeline projects promoted by businessmen close to Trump, including a pipeline from Croatia to Bosnia.
“This issue did indeed play a role, but I was never against this project,” Schmidt said.
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