German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has spoken out in favour of stepping up military peacekeeping in Bosnia-Herzegovina again if necessary.
During a visit to the EU stabilization mission, the EUFOR Althea, in Sarajevo on Wednesday, Pistorius reaffirmed the determination of the allies to preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
"In Serbia and in the Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia repeatedly finds fertile ground for its attempts to destabilize the region and expand its own influence, for example through disinformation campaigns and influencing the media," he said, referring to the Bosnian Serb entity, one of two that make up Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"The resulting tensions in the Western Balkans require us to continue and, if necessary, intensify our stabilization measures in consultation with our partners on the ground."
He said he was speaking from the perspective of NATO and the European Union.
The German army, or Bundeswehr, has around 30 men and women stationed in Bosnia as part of the mission. It was set up to support the Dayton Peace Agreement which ended the Bosnian war in 1995.
The country remains a potential theatre of conflict, and the German soldiers gather information through patrols and contact with the local population and institutions, and compile situation reports.
Pistorius visited the Kosovan capital Pristina on Monday.
