The Minister for Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education of Republika Srpska, Željko Budimir, stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin is fully engaged with the situation in Republika Srpska and shows understanding.
“President Putin understands that the position of the Serb people in these circumstances is very complex. The world is undergoing new restructuring. A power structure resembling a multipolar world is already emerging,” Budimir said regarding the recent visit of the Republika Srpska delegation, led by President Milorad Dodik, to Belarus and Russia.
Budimir pointed out that the most significant aspect of the meeting between the President of Republika Srpska and the Russian Federation was that Dodik managed to re-engage a part of the world with the situation in BiH and the position of Republika Srpska, as well as with the issue of the constant breach of the Dayton Peace Agreement by certain Western countries.
“Russia has renewed its interest in the region, despite being in very complex circumstances, primarily due to the military operation in Ukraine,” said Budimir, who attended the meeting between the President of Republika Srpska and Russia as a member of the delegation.
Speaking about the closed-door discussions between the two statesmen, Budimir reiterated that Putin shows great understanding and is well-informed about the situation in the Balkans.
“The relations are cordial. In diplomacy, there’s a rule. There must be a personal relationship, personal contact between leaders. Dodik is one of the highly respected individuals in that free part of the world, as we can call it today, which no longer accepts the hegemony of the West, especially the United States. He is recognized as one of the leaders of the people fighting for freedom and who was the first victim of unipolarity and American hegemony,” Budimir said.
He reminded that Putin thanked Dodik because BiH did not impose sanctions on Russia, primarily due to the stance of the leadership of Republika Srpska and most of all due to the principled policy of the President of Republika Srpska.
“Gratitude was shown afterward. The Russians are a people who highly value even help that, on the other hand, can be seen very symbolically,” Budimir noted.
He added that Dodik diplomatically brought up an important issue during the meeting with Putin, which is that Republika Srpska has once again become a subject of interest for major powers that witnessed what happened in the region in the 1990s, including the Russian Federation.
“It is no coincidence that the principled stance of Republika Srpska was rewarded on the other hand, and the leadership of Republika Srpska, namely President Dodik, was awarded the highest decoration given to foreigners in the Russian Federation – the Order of Alexander Nevsky,” Budimir said.
He emphasized that President Dodik is the bearer of this order, but it was an award given to the Serb people and Republika Srpska.
“This is one of the greatest diplomatic successes of Republika Srpska since Dayton to date, at least regarding relations and bilateral meetings with the leadership of the Russian Federation,” Budimir stressed.
He mentioned that Republika Srpska and the Serb people are very close to the Russian people through historical, political, diplomatic, and economic ties, which is significant to the Russians.
Budimir stated it is impossible to impose sanctions on the country that is the largest by area in the world.
“This is a country that has sustained investments. Russia had a growth of 3.5% last year. We’re talking about a country that, under sanctions, has such growth at a time when Germany is in recession for the third year. And that is the best indicator of the direction of policy in Eurasia and how the Americans, as some transatlantic linking factor, have created chaos in Europe,” Budimir said.
Speaking about the visit to Belarus and numerous meetings of the Republika Srpska delegation with officials of that country, Budimir said that Belarus is an economic miracle in the post-Soviet space.
“That country has managed through its path to preserve itself, to further develop and develop a special form of self-sustainability. Of course, it is now in very complex circumstances. It enters a type of union that will strengthen the Russian Federation, so these are countries that will have a particularly significant place in the region in the coming period, and we must join and impose ourselves as an important partner to them,” Budimir said.
Source: RTRS
