🎙Statement by the Head of the Delegation of the Russian Federation to the Vienna Negotiations on Military Security and Arms Control, Iulia D. Zhdanova, at the 25th meeting of the Commission established pursuant to the provisions of the Concluding Document of the Negotiations under Article V of Annex 1-B of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina October 21, 2026 Agenda item: “Review of the implementation of commitments contained in the Concluding Document by the participating States in 2026” • More than 30 years have passed since the signing of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which laid the foundation for the peaceful coexistence of peoples in the region. We note the key role of the UN Security Council, which endorsed the Agreement through Resolution 1031, bringing an end to the bloody conflict in the Balkans. • However, we are compelled to acknowledge the the persistent nature of acute inter-ethnic problems and contradictions in the Balkans. This situation derives from the #EU/#NATO’s efforts to change the geopolitical realities in the region by steadily increasing their presence. In its rhetoric, Brussels professes a “commitment to security and stability” and to the “territorial integrity and sovereignty” of the Balkan countries. • The main security challenge for the Balkans remains the situation in the Serbian autonomous province of Kosovo. Pristina’s establishment of its own army carries enormous risks. In this endeavor, the Kosovo Albanians enjoy the support of Western countries, which are flooding the province with weapons, training Kosovo military personnel and facilitating their participation in international contingents on an equal footing with representatives of States. • Intensive militarization of the Western Balkans continues. The Zagreb–Tirana–Pristina “axis” and the Zagreb–Ljubljana military bloc, established under the guise of defensive alliances, constitute an additional source of instability in the region. There is a clear formation of anti-Serbian structures, an attempt to squeeze Serbia and the Republika Srpska, an entity within BiH, in NATO’s vice. Fabricated threats allegedly coming from Serbs are merely a pretext for further strengthening these formations’ capabilities. • At the same time, we note the dangerous nature of the belligerent anti-Serbian rhetoric coming from certain political figures of the Federation and its representatives in BiH’s State-level institutions. Threats of armed escalation are unacceptable. The leadership of the Serbian entity demonstrates a rational vision and has repeatedly put forward initiatives for establishing a constructive dialogue within BiH. • We are convinced that Dayton remains the indispensable basis for a settlement in the Western Balkans region. Peaceful coexistence and well-being for the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina can be secured only by upholding the tried and tested Dayton principles governing BiH’s functioning, based on the equality of its three constituent peoples and two entities, dismantling illegitimate supranational bodies and ensuring that those peoples and entities enjoy the right to development. • As one of the guarantor States of the 1995 Peace Agreement, Russia stands ready to engage constructively in securing a genuine post-conflict settlement in the region. We once again call on all members of the international community to comply strictly with UN Security Council resolution 1244 in the interests of strengthening security and stability in the Balkans. Delegation on social media: 💙VK 💬Telegram 💬 X📺YouTube📺Rutube 💬Facebook