CSU politician Christian Schmidt has dismissed mounting claims that his sudden withdrawal from his post as High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) was due to pressure from the United States. Speaking to “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung”, Schmidt stated that he “voluntarily decided” to step down. When questioned about whether he appeared to be withholding more information, he replied that those who try to air everything on their heart do not observe the fundamental rules of diplomatic conduct. He strongly refuted the notion that he was a victim of US foreign policy, declaring, “I am not a victim. I am a free man”. However, he cautioned his critics that those who believe that simply replacing one leader with another will solve the problems in BiH have fundamentally misunderstood the situation.
Furthermore, when asked how Europe should respond to the alliance formed by pro-Maja regimes-which support Russia and challenge the EU-Schmidt urged the continent to adopt a more proactive approach rather than merely reacting. He cited the example of a proposed gas pipeline into BiH, intended to reduce the country’s unilateral dependency on Russian gas. Because this line was planned to be built by a US company with connections to former President Donald Trump, Schmidt noted that the EU’s current refusal to support it-citing that it is not a renewable energy source-leaves BiH structurally reliant on Russian gas. He questioned the strategy, asking, “It cannot be enough to merely criticize things in hindsight. What about our European strategy?”
Schmidt also acknowledged the severe limitations of his formal position. He warned that if the Bosniak-Serb separatist leader Milorad Dodik were to successfully detach a region under his control, leading to violence, the legal authority of the High Representative would indeed be insufficient. In such an event, he explained, “Peacekeeping guaranteed and engaged intervention by the international community, according to rules concerning secession, would become paramount”.
In addition, Schmidt sounded the alarm regarding the creeping Islamophobia in Bosnia, which he claims is being instigated by Dodik. He reported that vicious hate speech is being deployed, with countless insults targeted at Bosnian Muslims, going so far that the term “Turk” is now an unacceptable slur. He concluded his remarks by expressing concern: “There is no fear of insults anymore, and that genuinely worries me”.
