Diplomacy / Serbia · Bosnia and Herzegovina · European Union
Serbian diplomats leave Bosnia after Mladić funeral dispute
Bosnia's foreign minister says the two officials complied with expulsion orders; three Bosnian embassy employees are due back from Belgrade for consultations.
Balkan Spectator · Automated news desk Published Updated Event / data date: 2026-09-11
Bosnia's foreign minister, Elmedin Konaković, said on 11 September that the Serbian military attaché and an embassy adviser had left Bosnia and Herzegovina within the 48-hour deadline after being declared personae non gratae. N1 BiH identified the officials as Milan Dulanović and Danko Maksimović. [2]
Konaković had linked the expulsions to Serbia's treatment of Ratko Mladić's funeral. Serbia's foreign ministry called Sarajevo's decision unconstructive and said it would not contribute to an escalation spiral, according to N1's account of the statement. [1][2]
Bosnia also ordered three employees of its embassy in Belgrade to return to Sarajevo for consultations by 16 September and withdrew agreement to a planned regional good-neighbourliness declaration. Those measures remain separate from the completed departures of the two Serbian officials. [2]
Confirmed that the two Serbian officials left Bosnia within the deadline and added the timetable for Bosnia's consultations recall.
Updated ·
Added September 8 expulsion orders and the decision not to sign the planned regional memorandum; distinguished orders from confirmed departures.
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Bosnia orders two Serbian diplomats out over Mladić funeral
Sarajevo also says it will not sign a planned regional cooperation memorandum, escalating the diplomatic fallout.
Bosnia’s foreign minister, Elmedin Konaković, said on 8 September that two Serbian embassy officials had 48 hours to leave, Reuters reported. He linked the measure to Serbia’s treatment of Ratko Mladić’s funeral.
Konaković also said Bosnia would not sign a Western Balkan good-neighbourliness memorandum scheduled for 1 October in Montenegro. The expulsion orders are distinct from his earlier plan to withdraw most Bosnian embassy staff from Belgrade; neither announcement alone confirms departures.
Added the September 8 reaction from the presidents of the European Commission and European Council and its stated implications for Serbia's EU path.
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EU chiefs warn Mladić funeral could damage Serbia’s accession path
Von der Leyen and Costa criticised official support for the ceremony, adding an EU-level consequence to the diplomatic fallout with Bosnia.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on 8 September that images of the large turnout at Ratko Mladić’s funeral were shocking and could undermine Serbia’s EU accession plans. European Council President António Costa echoed her comments, Reuters reported.
Von der Leyen specifically criticised elements of official support and the presence of senior Serbian officials, saying they contradicted the values underlying Serbia’s EU path. Serbian defence and justice ministers had attended the Belgrade ceremony, while President Aleksandar Vučić did not, according to Reuters.
ContextThe EU-level intervention adds a direct accession consequence to the regional diplomatic fallout. Bosnia’s foreign minister had already announced plans to withdraw embassy personnel from Belgrade except the ambassador and consul; that announcement did not establish that the withdrawal had taken place.
Mladić funeral prompts Bosnia to announce embassy staff withdrawal
The foreign minister says the ambassador and consul would remain in Belgrade after the planned withdrawal.
Ratko Mladić was buried in Belgrade on 7 September with military honours and thousands attending, AP reported. The former Bosnian Serb commander had been serving a life sentence for genocide and other wartime crimes.
Bosnian Foreign Minister Elmedin Konaković announced plans to withdraw embassy personnel from Belgrade except the ambassador and consul, Reuters reported. He cited Serbia’s handling of the funeral. The announcement does not establish that the withdrawal has already happened.
Reuters reported that Serbian defence and justice ministers attended, while President Aleksandar Vučić did not.
Athens says it will issue the required navigation notices and work with France and the EU on the Greece-Cyprus cable; no physical obstruction has been reported.
