Bosnia and Herzegovina–Serbia relations explained

The modern-day countries of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia both originated from Yugoslavia. The majority of population in both countries speak one of the standard varieties of Serbo-Croatian and Serbia is one of the largest investors in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Both countries are full members of the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) and are official candidate states for membership of the European Union.

History

See also: Republika Srpska–Serbia relations. The beginnings of formal cooperation can be traced to the Bosnian War; Republika Srpska got support from Serbia.[1] At the Dayton Agreement, the President of the Republic of Serbia Slobodan Milošević represented the Bosnian Serb interests due to absence of Radovan Karadžić. The agreement ensured the right for entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to establish special parallel relationships with neighboring countries consistent with sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The agreement on Special Parallel Relations was signed on February 28, 1997 and implemented December 15, 2010.[2]

On July 8, 2015, Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution that would have condemned the Srebrenica massacre as a genocide. Lobbied by the Republika Srpska and Serbia, the veto was praised by Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić stating that Russia had "prevented an attempt of smearing the entire Serbian nation as genocidal" and proven itself as a true and honest friend.[3]

Invited by the Bosnian government to attend the annual Srebrenica Genocide Memorial, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić accepted, travelling to Srebrenica on 11 July 2015 to pay his respects. He was attacked by a mob in the crowd with stones, bottles and other objects and had to flee the premise.[4]

In February 2021, Serbia donated 5,000 COVID-19 vaccines to Bosnia and Herzegovina.[5]

List of wars

NameDateResultSources
Bosnian-Serbian war1349–1351Banate of Bosnia (Kingdom of Hungary)Serbian EmpireBosnian victory[6]
[7]
First Serbian Uprising1806–1813Bosnia Eyalet (Ottoman Empire)Revolutionary SerbiaOttoman victory[8]
[9]
[10]
Bosnian War1992 (April 3[11] – May 19)Republic of Bosnia and HerzegovinaRepublic of Serbia (Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia), Republic of Serbia (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)Withdrawal of the Yugoslav People's Army[12]
[13]

Geography

The two countries are located in the western Balkans and Southeastern Europe. They share 357 km of land boundary, partly (206 km) along the Drina.

Economy

Serbia is the second top investor in Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to data spanning May 1994–December 2013.

Culture

Serbs and Bosniaks ethnolinguistically belong to the South Slavic peoples.

Demographics

Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina are one of the three constituent nations of Bosnia and Herzegovina along with Bosniaks and Croats. They are the second largest ethnic group, numbering 1,086,733 (30.78%) according to the 2013 census. The community is concentrated in Republika Srpska (numbering 970,857; 82.95%), one of two entities making up BiH. Serbs are predominantly members of the Serbian Orthodox church.

Many Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina live in Serbia. Bosniaks of Serbia are a recognized minority of Serbia. They are the fourth largest ethnic group after Serbs, Hungarians and Roma, numbering 145,278 (2.02%) according to the 2011 census.[14] The community is concentrated in the region of Sandžak in southwestern Serbia. Bosniaks are predominantly of Sunni Muslim faith.

Resident diplomatic missions

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Judah. The Serbs. 2009 . Yale University Press. 978-0-300-15826-7. 222–224.
  2. Web site: Successful implementation of agreement on special, parallel relations :: EMG :: Business news from Serbia 2010 . 2011-02-25 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110815155219/http://emg.rs/en/news/serbia/141801.html . 2011-08-15 .
  3. News: Russia blocks U.N. condemnation of Srebrenica as a genocide. Reuters. 8 July 2015 . 2017-06-30. 2015-10-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20151009051716/http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/08/us-bosnia-srebrenica-un-idUSKCN0PI1W620150708. live.
  4. News: Serbia's president condemns 'savage' attack on PM at Srebrenica. 11 July 2015. The Guardian.
  5. Web site: Војводине. Јавна медијска установа ЈМУ Радио-телевизија. ФБИХ прихватила Вучићеву понуду - 5.000 вакцина. 2021-02-26. ЈМУ Радио-телевизија Војводине.
  6. Book: Klaić, Vjekoslav . Vjekoslav Klaić . Poviest Bosne do Propasti kraljevstva . 1882 . 140 . Croatian.
  7. Book: Bošnjak, Slavoljub . Zemljopis i poviestnica Bosne . 1851 . Croatian.
  8. 2020 . Bratislav M. . Teinović . Преглед политичког живота у босанском ејалету (1804–1878) . A review of the political life in the Bosnian eyalet (1804–1878) . 137–154 . Kultura polisa . 2812-9466 . 17 . 42 . Без сумње, у Босни је почетак рата са Србијом и Црном Гором значио прекретницу у даљим унутрашњим политичким односима. . Without a doubt, in Bosnia the beginning of the war with Serbia and Montenegro marked a turning point in future internal political relations..
  9. 2006 . Dušan T. . Baković . A Balkan-Style French Revolution? The 1804 Serbian Uprising in European Perspective . 113–128 . Balcanica: Annual of the Institute for Balkan Studies . 2406-0801 . 36 . The resounding victory of 12,000 Serbians over the powerful 20,000-strong army of Bosnian beys at the Battle of Mišar in 1806 raised hopes among Serbian peasants in Bosnia that Ottoman rule might be replaced by that of Karageorge’s Serbia..
  10. Web site: Bašagić . Safvet-beg . Kratka uputa u prošlost Bosne i Hercegovine, od g. 1463-1850 . Internet Archive . 1900 . Bosnian.
  11. Book: O'Ballance, Edgar . 1995 . Civil War . 27–38 . Civil War in Bosnia, 1992–94 . St. Martin's Press . 978-0-312-12503-5 . After a three-day battle, in which JNA tanks were involved, Visegrad fell on the 16th..
  12. Web site: ICJ: The genocide case: Bosnia v. Serbia – See Part VI – Entities involved in the events 235–241 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110301032417/http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/91/13685.pdf . 1 March 2011 . 25 April 2015 . As regards the relationship between the armies of the FRY and the Republika Srpska, the Yugoslav Peoples’ Army (JNA) of the SFRY had, during the greater part of the period of existence of the SFRY, been effectively a federal army, composed of soldiers from all the constituent republics of the Federation, with no distinction between different ethnic and religious groups. It is however contended by the Applicant that even before the break-up of the SFRY arrangements were being made to transform the JNA into an effectively Serb army. ... on 8 May 1992, all JNA troops who were not of Bosnian origin were withdrawn from Bosnia-Herzegovina. However, JNA troops of Bosnian Serb origin who were serving in Bosnia and Herzegovina were transformed into, or joined, the army of the Republika Srpska (the VRS) which was established on 12 May 1992 ... the Respondent does not deny the fact of these developments ....
  13. 2007-12-18 . 1994 . Charles R. . Patrick . Tactics of the Serb and Bosnian-Serb armies and territorial militias . 16–43 . 10.1080/13518049408430131 . The Journal of Slavic Military Studies . 1351-8046 . 7 . 1 . The last two years have witnessed the end of Yugoslavia as a nation and its military organizations. The FJNA and the FTDF are gone; the armies and militia of the FY republics have risen in their place. Serb and Bosnian-Serb armed forces, although much smaller, appear almost identical to that of the FJNA. The militia forces of these two countries appear to be mobilized units of the FTDF. ... According to open-press reporting, the Serbian and Bosnian-Serbian Armies force structure remains unchanged from that of the FJNA..
  14. Web site: РЗС Резултати извештаја . 2013-02-13 . https://archive.today/20130416155245/http://webrzs.stat.gov.rs/WebSite/Public/ReportResultView.aspx?rptId=1210 . 2013-04-16 . dead .

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