I believe the gas pipeline construction project will be realized despite obstructions, and Russian leader Vladimir Putin is also interested in it, said President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik in the program Drugi ugao.
“Some business arrangements with Russia have been halted, but we never gave up on them,” Dodik stated.
He emphasized that Republika Srpska maintains good economic relations with many countries.
“On the other hand, China is a country with significant economic presence here. We want to continue that cooperation and already have contracts with some companies. That’s how the story with Chinese President Xi Jinping was built,” Dodik said.
He added that additional agreements are needed, and implementation should begin quickly.
“I informed the President of China that our priorities are the construction of highways and hydroelectric power plants. I thanked him for his understanding, and he said that the Belt and Road project would continue,” said Dodik.
He stressed that China pursues a principled policy and is committed to peace and stability.
“Their priority is economic development. The Muslims terminated the agreement they had with China because Europe asked them to,” Dodik said.
He also expressed confidence that Republika Srpska will find understanding among key members of the incoming administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
“We also respect Croatia’s policy of non-interference in internal affairs. It is natural for Croatia to protect its people in BiH and not allow the subordination of Croats, as envisioned by the Muslims. This narrative about BiH’s destabilization doesn’t come from Croatia, but from Sarajevo, and I am grateful for the clear position Croatian officials have taken on political developments in BiH,” Dodik said.
He pointed out that one of the biggest issues in Dayton BiH is the continued influence of fundamentalist and unitarist ideas from former SDA leader Alija Izetbegović.
“Because of that ideology, we still face problems today. That is not our Serb national idea—it’s their fundamentalist one, in which the SDA adopted the Islamic Declaration as a programmatic document and has never renounced it. We, as the Serb political factor, will never accept it or be naive,” Dodik stated.
Dodik said it is symptomatic that, as an elected Serb representative, he continually offers dialogue to Bosniak representatives, but they refuse it, and added that the opposition in Srpska has acted in a treacherous and harmful way on that front.
“I have deliberately cut off all contact with British authorities because they have caused long-term damage to the Serb national interest in this region,” Dodik said.
Source: RTRS
