Lavrov: Russia interested in fundamental principles of Dayton Agreement

REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

The Russian approach to Bosnia and Herzegovina is in line with Croatia's, which is interested in the implementation of the fundamental postulates of the Dayton Peace Agreement, and Russia is willing to extend support in that sense, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Croatian media.

“We are confident that the Dayton agreement (an international treaty that ended the 1992-95 Bosnian war and contains the country's Constitution) remains current. Its fundamental principles facilitate keeping peace and stability, the country's safe development,” he was quoted as saying.

Lavrov said that recently Washington and numerous EU capitals had doubled their efforts to stop Russian development. “It has become a habit for the West to talk to Russia as if it were to blame for everything. It's enough to mention Berlin's conceited refusal to answer our chief prosecutor's demands in the so-called Navalny case,” he was quoted as saying.

Russophobic EU countries and the “vortex of sanctions being promoted by Brussels” are an obstacle to stronger Russian-Croatian relations, said Lavrov, adding that Russian-Croatian political and economic relations were on an upward trend. However, he claimed, the sanctions being promoted by Brussels remain a serious obstacle to the further strengthening of Russian-Croatian ties.

Russian diplomat gave an interview in Tuesday edition of Veceernji list daily on the occasion of his visit to Croatia, the first one in 15 years, which had to be postponed due to the spread of coronavirus.

He is set to arrive in Bosnia and Herzegovina on October 28 for an official visit, Russia's Foreign Ministry earlier announced.