The Minister of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska, Željko Budimir, participated today in the International Conference on Combating Extremism, held at the National Center of Russia in Moscow, organized by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.
In his address to participants from 40 countries, Budimir stressed that extremism, as a prelude to terrorism, remains one of the most serious threats to the safety of citizens, their lives, and property, thereby endangering both national and international security.
“Although the focus is gradually shifting to other types of threats, such as armed conflicts, and less on extremism and terrorism, this in no way reduces the danger they pose. Unfortunately, the roots of radicalization and violent extremism that lead to terrorism have been present in Bosnia and Herzegovina since the mid-20th century,” Budimir emphasized.
Speaking about the challenges Republika Srpska faces in combating extremism, he highlighted that radicalization in BiH first appeared among members of the ‘El Mujahid’ unit who arrived during the war. Their radical ideas spread to the local population, which eventually led to organized terrorist acts.
“All terrorist attacks that occurred in BiH were carried out by members of the Wahhabi movement, whose connection with the largest terrorist attacks in the world is well known. These acts were carried out from a position of religious radicalism, with the idea of violently establishing a ‘Sharia state’ in BiH. This behavior manifests in the rejection of the Constitution and laws of BiH, as well as the institutions responsible for implementing them,” Budimir stated.
He reiterated the importance of international police cooperation in exchanging operational information and acting jointly, both preventively and repressively, in combating extremism and preventing its consequences.
The two-day conference, organized by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, focuses on discussing extremist ideologies in practice and improving legislation in the field of international cooperation against extremism.
Budimir, together with Republika Srpska Police Director Siniša Kostrešević, is on an official visit to the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for the City of Moscow, where they visited the Moscow Second Special Regiment.
Source: RTRS
