Serbia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marko Đurić, told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the verdict and removal of the mandate of Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik represent a political witch hunt.
“Serbia and the United States, I would say after today’s meeting, share a desire to preserve stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the entire region,” Đurić told RTS following his meeting with Rubio in Washington.
He said he used the meeting to clearly convey both Serbia’s commitment to stability and the message that what has been done in the case of President Dodik is, in fact, a political witch hunt.
“It is an attempt to use undemocratic means, contrary to the will of the people who voted for Dodik, to remove a man elected in democratic elections and to impose a legal framework by unelected political figures — one that has not helped calm the situation,” Đurić said.
He added that the meeting with Rubio took place in an excellent atmosphere and included discussions on launching a strategic dialogue between Serbia and the United States in the near future, which would elevate bilateral relations to a level unseen in previous generations.
Đurić also emphasized that he conveyed to the U.S. Secretary of State the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, including the difficulties, pressures, and persecution facing the Serb population.
“We also communicated the pressures facing the Serbian Patriarch and the Serb Orthodox Church — a situation that truly requires international engagement to preserve stability,” Đurić said.
He assessed that the visit to the United States and the conversation with Secretary Rubio are extremely important for Serbia’s new strategic positioning with the new U.S. administration.
“This visit is a tremendous opportunity for Serbia — early and, relatively speaking, at the start of the new administration — to be the first country in the region to strategically engage with the new leadership. I believe that in the coming weeks and months we will see even more results and concrete steps,” Đurić concluded.
Source: Glas Srpske
