Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the governments of Germany and Russia have bilaterally agreed to replace the current High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2021 with a German candidate.

The Office of the High Representative continues to have an important role to play in ensuring a stable future for Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has the United Kingdom's full support. We have been approached by international partner governments, including Germany, about the possible replacement of Valentin Inzko as High Representative. We are in contact with France, Germany, Italy, and the United States on this matter. Our shared priority is the success of Bosnia and Herzegovina and all its citizens. Any change of High Representative would be subject to a formal appointment process and would ultimately be the decision of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC). As Russia is also a PIC member, they would be part of any process. It would be inappropriate to speculate about discussions between Germany and Russia on this subject.