Bosnia and Herzegovina

Lord Bellingham Excerpts

Tuesday 2nd June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

We work very closely, as I am sure the noble Baroness would want, with the EU, the Council of Europe, the US and other partners to do just that. We are 30-plus years on from what happened and some people say that it is time to move on but, actually, it is clear that the conditions for that have not been met. There are new actors and risks of which we need to be mindful, and it is important that we stick to the agreement and, as the noble Lord opposite said, that the right person is forthcoming and that we pick them.

[Lord Bellingham (Con)]

As the Minister is aware, one of the major roadblocks to harmony between the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska and the Bosnia-Croat federation is the lack of a unified police force. Will the UK draw on its huge experience of capacity building and expertise in this area to make this a key part of our bilateral relations, as well as trade?

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

That is an interesting suggestion. We have expertise in doing that kind of work, where appropriate, but it needs to be done alongside the relevant authorities, so that we make sure that we move things along in a way that is sensitive to the context—if I can put it that way. I am happy to speak to colleagues to find out whether that is something that the UK is actively considering at the moment.