Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has good and friendly relations with Georgia based on mutual respect of territorial integrity and sovereignty, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina said in an official statement quoted by Banja Luka-based Nezavisne Novine. 

The announcement comes as Georgia sent a protest note to Sarajevo regarding the ongoing visit of Anatoly Bibilov, the Russian-backed leader of South Ossetia, to the Republika Srpska, a constituent entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“Taking into account that the problem of self-declared independence of the Georgian province of South Ossetia is an open question, to which we hope both sides will manage to find a solution, Bosnia and Herzegovina takes a stance of non-interference into the internal affairs of other states and expresses hope, that these problems can be decided peacefully and through dialogue of the sides that hold opposing views,” the statement of MFA reads.

The BiH Foreign Ministry also stated that the Ministry was not officially informed about the visit of the South Ossetian delegation and that it was in no way involved in the process.“Response to the Georgian protest note will be prepared based on the above positions and in accordance with the positive diplomatic practice of sustaining friendly bilateral relations of the two countries,” the Ministry added.

The Ministry also informed that on January 11 Foreign Minister Igor Crnadak would hold a press conference on the matter.

Anatoly Bibilov is on a three-day visit to the Republika Srpska, where he held a meeting with Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik and took part in the disputed Day of the Republic celebrations on January 9.