5 minutes agoThe prosecution launches investigation into Dodik's origin of Lavrov's gift
Periskopi(5 years ago)
(5 years ago)Bosnian prosecutors said on Friday they would investigate the background of the gift, which Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik has made to Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during his stay in Bosnia this week. The 300-year-old icon Dodik donated to Lavrov could have been illegally smuggled from [...]
The 300-year-old icon Dodik donated to Lavrov could have been illegally smuggled by war-torn eastern Ukraine.
The Ukraine Embassy in Sarajevo has raised concerns about the artifact, after the Serbian news agency Srna, in Bosnia, published a photo of the icon and its stamp of authenticity, which suggests it may have originated in the town of Lugansk, where pro-Russian separatists are fighting Kiev forces.
Tens of Bosnian Serbs have fought alongside the rebels in the war in eastern Ukraine, which began in 2014. Serbia and Bosnian Serbs have close ties with Russia.
Milorad Dodik, the Serb representative in Bosnia's three-member presidency, has so far refused to comment on the issue.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry confirmed on Friday that its embassy in Sarajevo had urged Bosnian authorities to provide “clarifications and full information on the circumstances of this issue”.
In a letter published by Bosnian media, the Ukraine Embassy said failure to provide information about the icon would be seen as an indication of support for “the aggressive policies and military actions of the Russian Federation in Ukraine”.
The Reuters agency requested from the embassy a copy of the letter or other details in the case, but declined.
