Bosnia and Herzegovina: Democratic Resilience

Lord Stirrup Excerpts

Tuesday 25th November 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

We are now 30 years on, almost to the day, from the Dayton peace agreement. Noble Lords should know that we are concerned by developments in the western Balkans and the fragility of the situation there—which, I have to say, is not helped by the now former leader in Srpska or by the activities of Russia in the region, which are aimed at destabilisation, misinformation and undermining democracy. We work closely with our allies and partners, and we are part of the Quint and a signatory to Dayton. It is our responsibility to maintain that focus so that the agreement, which was signed 30 years ago, can continue to maintain stability and peace in the western Balkans.

[Lord Stirrup (CB)]

My Lords, do Russia’s divisive activities in support of Republika Srpska not underline once again the importance of taking a strategic approach to countering Russia’s malign influence on the international scene more widely? What discussions are His Majesty’s Government having with other Governments to develop such an approach, and what practical measures are they putting in place in this regard?

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

We talk with very many of our allies and partners, I suppose most notably the United States, France, Germany and Italy, and through the EU and NATO. We have some programming in the region specifically aimed at countering Russian activities and misinformation, and we need to continue to do that. We work also on democratic institutions and strengthening those, including through the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, which many noble Lords will have worked alongside in the past.