- Republika Srpska offers controversial ways out of crisis
The Speaker of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, Nenad Stevandić, announced on March 21 that the RS authorities have declared the need for international arbitration between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska due to “violations of the Dayton Peace Agreement.”
In addition, he noted that the RS expects “the termination of the High Representative’s mandate and his withdrawal of his decisions” and that the RS representatives are “ready to seek a compromise”, in particular, to initiate the withdrawal of laws that are in the process of being adopted in the RS. “The crisis in BiH will be resolved by repealing the laws imposed by High Representative Christian Schmidt, and after that we will be ready to recall the laws that were recently adopted by the Republika Srpska Parliament,” said Stevandić.
As is known, the National Assembly of Republika Srpska has previously adopted a draft of the new RS Constitution, and laws prohibiting the activities of the judicial and police institutions of BiH in RS have also been adopted and have entered into force.
Stevandić stressed that the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina is Annex IV of the Dayton Agreement, and that these are not laws adopted by parliaments, but international treaties signed by the RS, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Herzegovina, Serbia and Croatia, to which such major powers as the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, and Russia were witnesses. The same applies to Annex X, which defines the role of the High Representative in BiH.
“Since these are agreements, or rather annexes to agreements, we in the RS believe that arbitration is necessary to resolve this constitutional conflict,” said Stevandić.
“We have filed an appeal with the addresses of all signatories to this agreement and all major countries, including the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe,” Stevandić told a press conference.
The Peace Implementation Council in BiH, which included the United States, Russia, and more than 50 other countries, developed Annex X at the Bonn Conference in 1997. At that time, the High Representative was granted the authority to amend and introduce laws and dismiss officials in BiH. These powers were later upheld by the Constitutional Court of BiH.
The current High Representative, Christian Schmidt, has amended the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina and introduced criminal liability for “disrespect for the decisions of the High Representative.” On February 26, the President of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik, was convicted under this article.
He has also amended the article on the criminal offense of “threat to the constitutional order,” adding “other actions” to the threat of force. On this basis, Stevandić, Dodik, and the Prime Minister of the Republika Srpska, Radovan Višković, are suspected of undermining the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has issued the relevant arrest warrants.
The proposal, voiced by Nenad Stevandić, has been assessed by analysts as an attempt to find a strategy for getting out of the situation created by the political leadership of Bosnia and Herzegovina, being the result of internal pressure from the opposition in Bosnia and Herzegovina and pressure from the international community, including the United States.
- Kenya formalizes recognition of Kosovo’s independence
Kenyan President William Ruto recognized Kosovo as an independent state during a closed-door meeting in Nairobi on March 26, Kenyan media reported.
Former Kosovo President Behgjet Pacolli, who posted photos of President Ruto signing the recognition letter on his Facebook page, called it a “remarkable ceremony.” “The Republic of Kenya, one of the most important countries in Africa, has officially recognized the Republic of Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state!” Pacolli said.
The news came after a nearly five-year pause in the process of international recognition of Kosovo.
Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said diplomatic relations between the two countries were expected to be established in the near future. She thanked Kenyan President William Ruto for the just and important decision, as well as Kenyan institutions and citizens who supported this “major diplomatic step” for Kosovo.
The Serbian Foreign Ministry condemned “the decision of the Republic of Kenya to recognize the unilaterally declared independence of the so-called ‘Kosovo’” and stressed that “Serbia will take all necessary diplomatic and political measures in response to this unacceptable and hostile act”.
The ministry stressed that such a step is a gross violation of international law and “a sad precedent in the traditionally friendly relations between Serbia and Kenya”.
Media recall that President Ruto met with his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vučić in October 2023 on the sidelines of a conference in Beijing. At that time, Vučić noted that he had received assurances that Nairobi would not recognize Kosovo. Last October, the spouse of the Serbian President, Tamara Vučić, visited the country, where she met with the top leadership and spoke of the “sincere friendship she felt in Kenya”.
- First results of probe into catastrophic fire in Northern Macedonia
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of North Macedonia, in cooperation with the Prosecutor’s Office, has completed the first phase of the investigation into the fire at the Pulse nightclub in Kočani on March 16, which killed 59 people and left almost 200 injured.
The catastrophic blaze was preceded by a series of chain failures and illegal actions by government and local authorities, legal entities and individuals, said State Prosecutor Ljubco Kocevski.
Two criminal cases have now been initiated against 34 individuals and three entities for committing the crime of “serious crimes against public safety”. According to the inquiry, the suspects, by their actions in the period from 2012 to March 16, 2025, conceived a large-scale threat to people’s lives and property.
Among those arrested are:
• former Minister of Economy,
• former Director of the State Market Inspectorate,
• former Director of the Protection and Rescue Department,
• three former mayors of Kocani, two from the currently ruling VMRO-DPMNE and one from the opposition SDSM.
Responding to criticism of the investigation by the opposition, VMRO-DPMNE stated that the institutions operate professionally and for the first time, current and former officials have been held accountable, regardless of party and ethnic affiliations.
- Rumors of military alliance between Serbia and Hungary
The Serbian newspaper Kurir wrote about the possible creation of a military alliance between Serbia and Hungary. According to the media outlet, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić are already outlining a military alliance between the two countries.
This is Serbia’s response to the Memorandum on Military Alliance signed in Tirana by Croatia, Albania, and “so-called Kosovo”, Kurir notes. Since Croatia and Albania are members of NATO, Hungary, as a member of the Alliance, can sign a similar agreement with a country that is not a member of the North Atlantic Alliance, which is Serbia, the publication writes.
There has been no official confirmation of this report. However, judging by the statements from Serbian leaders, the expansion of cooperation between Belgrade and Budapest in the military field is indeed in the works.
President Vučić announced on March 26 that in a phone call with Prime Minister Orbán that evening, the parties agreed “on the accelerated improvement of our mutual relations in all spheres of public life, including the military and defense field.” He noted that important bilateral documents are expected to be signed soon.
- President Vučić meets with EU leaders
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić at a working dinner in Brussels on March 25.
Serbia’s future is in the EU, von der Leyen and Costa emphasized after the meeting.
Vučić, in turn, noted that with European officials “we discussed Serbia’s strategic path and how committed Serbia is to the European path.” “I said that Serbia is absolutely committed to this strategic path,” he said.
The meeting of the Serbian president with EU leaders took place against the backdrop of record-breaking protests in Serbia, which have been broiling for several months. The situation in Serbia was discussed in Brussels.
During the meeting, Vučić assured the head of the European Commission and the president of the European Council that no “sonic cannon” had been used to disperse protesters, and that the authorities were ready to “verify this by all means.” The Serbian president also informed the EU leaders that “a decision will be made very soon on the formation of a new government or holding elections,” which should demonstrate the authorities’ readiness for a reboot.
In turn, von der Leyen and Costa stressed that Serbia needs progress in implementing reforms, especially in terms of media freedom, fight against corruption, and elections. However, there was no sharp criticism toward Belgrade.
The EU’s very restrained position on the protests and continued contacts of European leaders with Vučić are causing a lot of criticism both in Serbia itself and abroad. Last week, 32 MEPs demanded that von der Leyen cancel the meeting, but Brussels did not heed to the opinion.
