Subject: Urgent Appeal for Canadian Action Against Milorad Dodik’s Secessionist Threats to Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Right Honourable Mark Carney

Prime Minister of Canada

Office of the Prime Minister

80 Wellington Street

Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A2

 

March 11, 2025

Subject: Urgent Appeal for Canadian Action Against Milorad Dodik’s Secessionist Threats to Bosnia and Herzegovina

 

Dear Prime Minister Carney,

As members of the Canadian-Bosnian community, we express our sincere gratitude to Canada for its unwavering and continued support of Bosnia and Herzegovina, particularly in the post-war period. Canada's commitment to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Euro-Atlantic integration and its important role in ensuring peace and stability in the Western Balkans are invaluable. 

We are writing to urgently draw the attention of the Government of Canada to the rapidly escalating political crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina caused by Milorad Dodik, the President of Republika Srpska, one of the two constituent entities of the country. In February 2025, the State Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina sentenced Mr. Dodik to one year in prison and banned him from holding public office for six years for defying the rulings of the High Representative, the top international official responsible for overseeing peace in the country.

In an escalatory response to this verdict, Mr. Dodik, backed by the governments of Russia and Serbia, intensified his secessionist activities by ordering his party members to withdraw from Bosnia and Herzegovina’s state institutions and passing a series of separatist laws that block the operations of state judicial and security institutions within Republika Srpska. These actions represent a direct violation of the Dayton Peace Agreement, the very accord that has maintained peace and stability in the country since 1995.

Despite previous sanctions from the United States and the United Kingdom for corruption and destabilizing activities, Mr. Dodik’s current maneuvers represent an even greater threat to the stability and security of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the broader region. His actions have pushed the country to the brink of its most severe political crisis in decades. If allowed to persist, the risk of further escalation is imminent, jeopardizing not only the security in the country but also the wider stability of the Western Balkans.

Mr. Dodik’s actions have drawn sharp condemnation by Canada’s key allies, including the United States, the United Kingdom, NATO, and the European Union, all of whom have expressed grave concerns about the destabilizing impact of his secessionist actions on Bosnia and Herzegovina. The international community has recognized that Mr. Dodik’s blatant disregard for the rule of law and his continued efforts to undermine Bosnia and Herzegovina’s sovereignty threaten not only the stability of the country but also the broader peace and security of the Western Balkans region. 

As a founding member of NATO and a nation committed to upholding international law, Canada has a fundamental responsibility to preserve NATO’s mission of promoting peace, security, and stability worldwide. Canada’s leadership is crucial, particularly in times of crisis like this, to ensure that NATO’s values—democracy, territorial integrity, and the protection of human rights—are upheld and defended. Given the seriousness of Mr. Dodik’s actions and their potential consequences, Canada must step forward, alongside its allies, to take decisive action to prevent further escalation and to support the restoration of peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

We respectfully and kindly request that Canada join its allies in condemning Mr. Dodik’s actions and reaffirming the importance of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. 

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. We look forward to your prompt response.

Sincerely,

Emir Ramic

Dr. Emir Rami?

Director of the Institute for the Research of Genocide Canada