General Assembly Security Council

 

UNSC Debate on Bosnia and Herzegovina

[Wednesday, 3rd November 2021; 1500 hrs EDT/ 4th Nov; 0030 hrs IST)

 

INDIA STATEMENT

By

Mr. Pratik Mathur

Counsellor

 

Mr. President, let me begin by thanking Mr. Christian Schmidt (TBC) for his briefing on his first report to this Council covering the period from 16 April-15 October 2021.

 

2. The recent political developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina have the potential to undermine the progress made in the last two decades. It is important that all parties are encouraged to adopt a conciliatory approach and work closely to address all contentious issues. We believe the General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFAP) provides the basis to find solutions related to inter-ethnic conflict settlement through dialogue of the parties based on equality and mutual respect, compromise and consensus. The Agreement remains important for building enduring peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  

 

3. The Office of the High Representative (OHR), as an ad-hoc international institution mechanism has been overseeing the implementation of the civilian aspects of the Agreement. We believe it is incumbent on OHR to continue to work with all parties objectively to build trust to overcome the impediments. 

 

4. OHR is an interim mechanism and expeditious implementation of the 5+2 agenda should remain the top priority. The new High Representative has before him an emerging political situation, which if not addressed diligently, could adversely impact the Peace Agreement. Therefore, the new High Representative needs to promote cohesion and mutual understanding among all parties. 

 

5. We hope that disagreement among members of the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board over the Office of the High Representative will be resolved through consensus and constructive engagement, in line with the Peace Agreement. 

 

6. Bosnia and Herzegovina, due to its multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-cultural and multi-religious nature, has been facing challenges in its path towards sustainable peace. We believe these challenges could be overcome by its leaders through dialogue, mutual understanding, and empathy towards each other’s positions. It is important that all sides shun divisive rhetoric in their statements which may be used to stoke tensions between different communities. Towards this end, we hope the new High Representative will play an objective role in line with the provisions of the Peace Agreement. 

 

I thank you, Mr. President. 

 

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