Bosnia's defense minister refused to allow a military plane carrying Hungary's foreign minister to land in Bosnia's Republika Srpska on Wednesday, saying Budapest had supported the Bosnian Serb leader in actions that undermined the country's sovereignty.
Defense Minister Zukan Helez said that Hungary has not provided any explanation as to why Foreign Minister Szijjarto was on the plane that was attempting to land in Banja Luka, the main city of the Serb entity in Bosnia.
Szijjarto visited neighboring Serbia on Wednesday to discuss details of how Hungary could help Belgrade following the halt in crude oil supplies from Croatia.
Helez said that Hungary's Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, and Szijjarto had openly supported Bosnian Serb separatist leader Milorad Dodik in actions that "undermine the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of Bosnia and Herzegovina."
"As Bosnia's Minister of Defense, my duty is to protect the constitutional order, laws and interests of Bosnia," Helez wrote in a Facebook post.
"Therefore, I have decided not to approve this flight until full transparency and respect for our state are ensured," he said.
Dodik stepped down as president of Republika Srpska in August after being convicted of failing to comply with decisions by the international representative, Christian Schmidt, who oversees the peace agreement that has kept Bosnia united since the end of the interethnic war in the 90s.
Dodik has boasted about the support that Orbán offered to his policies.
He and his ally, Sinisa Karan, who won the snap presidential election in Republika Srpska over the weekend, met with Orban in Budapest on Wednesday.
