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2d ago

Bosnia’s International Envoy Christian Schmidt to Step Down

The move forces a decision on whether Bosnia keeps an international overseer or ends outside supervision.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce speaks during her first press briefing at the State Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 6, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
FILE - High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina Christian Schmidt speaks during a panel discussion at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Dayton, Ohio, Friday, May 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon, File)
Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia called for the closure of the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia a day after German diplomat Christian Schmidt resigned from the post
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Overview

  • Schmidt said Monday he will leave the post after nearly five years and plans to depart in June, while staying on until a successor is chosen and as the Peace Implementation Council takes up succession in early June.
  • Russia called at the UN Security Council for the immediate closure of the Office of the High Representative after the resignation, arguing Bosnia should exercise full sovereignty without foreign oversight.
  • The United States praised Schmidt’s service and said it will vet candidates for a successor, stressing the next envoy must be trusted by all communities and act with impartiality.
  • The Office of the High Representative, created by the 1995 Dayton peace deal, can impose laws and remove officials, yet leaders in Republika Srpska dispute its authority because the UN Security Council did not confirm Schmidt.
  • Schmidt’s decrees and clash with Republika Srpska leader Milorad Dodik culminated in Dodik’s 2025 conviction and political ban for defying OHR decisions, a backdrop that analysts say could embolden new secession efforts and rattle stability.