"We are looking at the reaction to our request for assistance from the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina in ensuring the unhindered passage of the Russian medical humanitarian team across the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to assist the University Clinical Hospital in Mostar city and are perplexed," the embassy said, adding that providing humanitarian assistance has become hostage to politics.
In early April, the Russian ministry said that Moscow would send 24 military personnel and equipment to Bosnia and Herzegovina to help fight the coronavirus, adding that the request for aid came from Republika Srpska, one of the political entities within Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"We are looking at the reaction to our request for assistance from the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina in ensuring the unhindered passage of the Russian medical humanitarian team across the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to assist the University Clinical Hospital in Mostar city and are perplexed," the embassy said, adding that providing humanitarian assistance has become hostage to politics.
According to the embassy, those who are now loudly refusing help were equally loudly indignant a month ago at the fact that Russia assisted only Republika Srpska. It also recalled that the Bosnian authorities said in April that any help was welcome.
"We reject the insinuations that Russian doctors arrive 'with different purposes' as groundless and malicious, damaging friendly relations between our countries, in favor of which, by the way, those from whom we are now hearing these allegations also spoke," the embassy added.
In late April, Russian military experts completed disinfection operations at 28 facilities in 11 cities across Republika Srpska in a bid to curb the virus.
So far, the number of cases of the coronavirus in Bosnia and Herzegovina has surpassed 1,900, including more than 70 fatalities.
