Bakir Izetbegovic

The post-electoral political deadlock in Bosnia in Herzegovina has stalled progress towards NATO membership, as political leaders fail to adopt the country's first Annual National Program, which the Western alliance requires as a condition for activating the Membership Action Plan, MAP.

BiH Presidency member Sefik Dzeferovic, chairman of the Council of Ministers Denis Zvizdic and SDA President Bakir Izetbegovic have all canceled their visit.

Sefik Dzaferovic (L), the presidential candidate from the main Muslim SDA party for Bosnia's three-man presidency, flanked by Bakir Izetbegovic, the SDA party leader, speaks at the party headquarters in Sarajevo on October 7, 2018.

They will represent Bosniaks (Muslims), Croats, and Serbs, respectively, in this tripartite body.

Bakir Izetbegovic is the leader of the SDA party and currently the Bosniak (Muslim) representative in the tripartite Presidency of BiH.

Sebija Izetbegovic spoke during an SDA campaign gathering in central Sarajevo to say she is "not a professional politician - but will become one, God willing."

Russia supports the territorial integrity and constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sergey Lavrov, Russia's Foreign Minister, said in Sarajevo on Friday during his long-awaited visit to the country.

The Russian foreign minister met earlier with the tripartite Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH), and on that occasion also made it clear that he is against the demonization of the Serb Republic (RS) - the Serb entity.

As Bosnia's politicians prepare for parliamentary and presidential elections in October this year, many of them are wooing voters with promises of big pay hikes.

The government of Bosnia's Serb-dominated entity, Republika Srpska, RS, has said it will take measures to increase salaries in the entity, with strong support from the RS President, Milorad Dodik.

The article, "Is Bosnia heading back to the dark old days of the 1990," was published ahead of October elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) and after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's election rally in Sarajevo, whose host was the current chair of the tripartite Presidency of BiH, Bakir Izetbegovic.

Jelena Rajakovic, the Bosnian ambassador to Israel, on Friday denied media reports that she attended the opening ceremony of the US embassy in Jerusalem earlier this week, amid confusion about whether a Bosnian delegation was present or not.