Russia will retaliate if Bosnia and Herzegovina follows through with its proclaimed intent to join NATO, Moscow’s Embassy in Sarajevo said Thursday.
Bosnia’s tripartite presidency is split between its Croat and Bosniak members who advocate integration into the U.S.-led military alliance and its pro-Russian Serb member who favors neutrality.
“In the event of practical rapprochement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and NATO, our country will be forced to react to this hostile act,” Russia’s embassy said in a Facebook post.
“No new round of the alliance’s expansion has improved Russia’s relations with new NATO disciples,” the embassy added.
The embassy also stressed that NATO’s main purpose “is to fight Russia, and joining it will force Sarajevo to take a side in this military-political confrontation.”
NATO, which was created during the Cold War to provide collective security against the Soviet Union, suspended relations with Russia in response to Moscow’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
Moscow has been keen to prevent NATO’s expansion into the Balkan states, playing up its shared cultural and historical ties with the region and seeking to bolster its commercial presence there. With North Macedonia joining the alliance last year, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia are now the only remaining Western Balkan countries outside NATO.
(c) The Moscow Times
The embassy also stressed that NATO’s main purpose “is to fight Russia, and joining it will force Sarajevo to take a side in this military-political confrontation.”
When did NATO ever attack Russia? If Russia are scared of little Bosnia joining NATO, they would shit themselves if Ukraine ever joined.
They don’t invade Nato countries. Which is why Ukraine and Georgia should have been allowed to join back in 2004, when Pribaltika joined. It was the treacherous and despicable French and Germans that blocked them then and they must share responsibility for the bloodshed inflicted by their rat friend putler on two peaceful countries.
I don’t know. Bosnia needs stability, this Nato bid could backfire. Why not allow Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia in instead?
The Russian lovers like Macron, Orban and Merkel would block any attempt by NATO to have these countries join. What I find interesting is that Russia issuing threats, is exactly the reason countries join NATO to begin with. Maybe they will attempt to murder the Bosnian president, they have a history of trying to murder leaders of countries wanting to join NATO.
Both RuSSia and Nato should stay out of Bosnia. Enough blood was shed. Stirring up shit everywhere is what RuSSia wants, Nato should not hand the ammo.
“In the event of practical rapprochement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and NATO, our country will be forced to react to this hostile act,” Russia’s embassy said in a Facebook post.
Nothing ‘forces’ you to do anything. Shitholes like muskovy are always looking for an excuse to slaughter their own citizens in a War just to make their dictator and a few generals look good.
“No new round of the alliance’s expansion has improved Russia’s relations with new NATO disciples,” the embassy added.
The shithole is not even remotely interested in improving relations with anyone, including its own citizens.