UK foreign secretary visits Bosnia to pledge support
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is visiting Sarajevo to reaffirm the U.K.’s commitment to peace and stability in Bosnia amid growing fears of malign influence from Russia in the ethnically-divided Balkan country
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is visiting Sarajevo on Thursday to reaffirm the U.K.'s commitment to peace and stability in Bosnia amid growing fears of malign influence from Russia in the ethnically-divided Balkan country.
During her one-day trip, Truss will meet with top Bosnian officials and announce plans to deepen “security and economic partnership with (the country) in the face of secessionists and Russian attempts to influence and destabilize” it, the U.K. Foreign Office said in a statement.
Truss will also address Bosnia’s multi-ethnic armed forces to urge support for Ukraine with a message that “Russia’s aggression cannot be appeased. It must be met with strength,” it added.
Bosnia has been divided along ethnic lines since the 1992-95 war between its Bosniak, Croat and Serb ethnic communities that killed around 100,000 people.
The country condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations, but failed to agree on imposing sanctions against the Kremlin because of opposition from Serb officials.
Fears of destabilization have mounted in Bosnia in recent months as staunchly pro-Russia Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik increased his divisive rhetoric, threatening to dismantle the country’s multi-ethnic institutions, block its long-stated strategic goal of joining NATO and advocating for the secession of majority Serb parts of its territory.
Dodik’s strong anti-Western stance has been repeatedly praised by Russia's ambassador to Bosnia, who stated in March that if Bosnian achieves its goal of NATO membership, Moscow “will have to react to this hostile act.”