By Richard Thompson

France, Britain, Germany, Italy the European Union and the United States issued a joint statement condemning the Serb parliament's actions as "a serious threat to the country's constitutional order".

The statement warned: "At a time when formal opening of EU accession negotiations has never been so close, a return to political blockades would have negative consequences for all citizens ... a majority of whom support EU accession."

On Wednesday Republika Srpska’s (RS) regional parliament ordered Serb representatives in state institutions to obstruct decision-making and reforms required for EU integration.

The move follows an ongoing trial of RS leader Milorad Dodik, the pro-Russian nationalist leader of RS, who faces prosecution for defying decisions by High Representative Christian Schmidt – the international official tasked with overseeing Bosnia’s post-war recovery.

Dayton agreement

Lawmakers described Dodik’s trial as politically motivated and argued they were established by the peace envoy rather than through the Dayton Peace Agreement.

The 1995 Dayton accords ended years of bloody conflict that killed tens of thousands. They split Bosnia into two autonomous regions – the Serb Republic and a Federation shared by Croats and Bosniaks – under weak central government oversight.

Republika Srpska lawmakers have increasingly resisted this arrangement, with Dodik leading efforts to assert greater independence.

Among their resolutions, lawmakers requested that Dodik, who recently had surgery in Serbia, avoid court appearances until medically cleared.

The moves by RS lawmakers has heightened ongoing tensions between Bosnia's two regions.

Brussels recommends opening EU membership talks with Bosnia Srebrenica remembers victims following Mladic arrest

Ongoing sanctions

The political crisis has been deepened by increased pressure on Dodik's circle by the United States. On 18 December, Washington sanctioned four people and four entities from RS, including Bosnia's Foreign Trade Minister Stasa Kosarac, for allegedly helping Dodik's family dodge earlier restrictions.

These sanctions are part of broader efforts to address what Washington views as destabilising actions in the region.

The crisis has added to the Balkans’ volatile dynamics. Earlier this month, Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti visited Sarajevo, meeting with Bosnian officials despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties between the two nations.

The visit drew criticism from Bosnia’s Serb leaders, further straining relations.

EU accession?

The European Council opened accession talks with Bosnia-Herzegovina in March after authorities met key requirements set by the European Commission.

But tensions between Bosnia's regions remain high, echoing divisions that date to the 1990s war when Bosnian Serb forces, led by Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic – both later convicted of war crimes – orchestrated the killing of some 8,000 Bosnians.

The Washington-based Carnegie Endowment has warned that “progress on the EU track is no remedy for the chronic crisis besetting Bosnian politics”, describing Dodik as “a thorn in the side of the West”.

As Sarajevo works to address these challenges, the focus remains on whether the country’s leaders can bridge the political divide and keep Bosnia on the path to European integration.

By Richard Thompson

Iranian and Russian leaders praise deal covering areas including politics, security, trade, transport and energy.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin have signed a cooperation pact, deepening the partnership between two of the world’s most heavily sanctioned nations.

Iranian and Russian officials said the “comprehensive strategic partnership treaty” covers areas from trade and military cooperation to science, culture and education.

At a joint news conference with Pezeshkian in Moscow on Friday, Putin praised the deal as a “real breakthrough creating conditions for the stable and sustainable development of Russia, Iran and the entire region.”

The Kremlin earlier said that the treaty will enhance the “military-political and trade-economic” relations between Tehran and Moscow, though the specifics remain undisclosed.

Pezeshkian said the two countries were entering a new chapter in relations, especially in trade.

The leaders said the two countries would intensify cooperation across a range of areas including politics, security, trade, transport and energy.

Both countries have increased their trade activities in response to Western sanctions. Iran has already provided Russia with self-detonating “Shahed” drones, which Moscow has used in its nightly strikes on Ukraine, according to Ukrainian and Western officials.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has viewed Iran as a key strategic partner, a move that has alarmed Western officials who see both nations as destabilising forces globally.

Negotiations for the new treaty have taken years. The current framework between the two countries is based on a 2001 agreement that has been periodically renewed.

“The treaty … is constructive in nature and is aimed at strengthening the capabilities of Russia, Iran, and our friends in various parts of the world,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday.

The treaty is expected to remain in force for 20 years, the state-owned news agency TASS reported, citing Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali.

Building closer ties with Iran, China, and North Korea has been a central focus of Putin’s foreign policy as he seeks to challenge what he calls US-led “global hegemony.”

Pezeshkian’s visit to Russia comes after Tehran faced several foreign policy setbacks last year.

These included a Syrian opposition offensive that toppled President Bashar al-Assad, a key Russian and Iranian ally, and the weakening of the Iran-aligned Lebanese armed Hezbollah group after a war with Israel.

The treaty was signed just days before Trump’s return to power. The US president-elect, who has long been an advocate for an uncompromising stance against Iran, has threatened swift military action to end the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

During his first term, Trump withdrew from a multinational deal that provided Iran with sanctions relief in exchange for nuclear restrictions.

In 2020, Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike in Iraq, sparking outrage in Iran.

Last year, Trump warned that the US would “wipe [Iran] off the face of the Earth” if an alleged Iranian plot to kill him had succeeded.