SNSD leader Milorad Dodik stated that Republika Srpska was formed to be permanent and that, despite the anger of Zukan Helez, it will continue to exist permanently on its territory, with its people, history, and future.
“I have nothing against talking about abolition, I just don’t know what we would end up abolishing,” Dodik told journalists in Brčko, commenting on Helez’s statement that “the time has come to start a serious debate on abolishing the entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
Dodik stressed that Republika Srpska is far more stable and enduring, that it is not an aberration, and that it has withstood far greater “forces” than Helez, whom he described as disgraceful and who will remain in office for only a few more months.
He emphasized that the Serb people in Republika Srpska believe that peace and stability must be preserved above all else and that political agreement should be given priority.
“Bosniaks do not want a political agreement and have calculated that assistance from foreigners allows them to more easily achieve their goals of unitarization,” Dodik said.
He noted that the past several months, as well as the entire previous year, show that with the arrival of Donald Trump and a new administration in the United States, such pressure has ceased and that this will clearly lead to a situation in which dialogue becomes possible.
“It is not certain that abolishing the entities will be the priority. Perhaps something else, but we will see,” Dodik concluded.
Urgent resolution of the highway route issue
Dodik said that Republika Srpska wants to finalize agreements on the route of the highway.
SNSD leader Milorad Dodik said he expects Brčko District institutions to urgently resolve the issue of the route of the Banja Luka–Belgrade highway through the district, as Republika Srpska also wants to build a gas pipeline that would follow the highway route.
Dodik said Republika Srpska wants to complete agreements on the highway route and connect the already contracted sections from Modriča toward Brčko and further toward Bijeljina, noting that construction from Rača to Brčko is already under way.
“We want to be part of the highway corridor story. We respect the interests of people from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina regarding certain transport links. We expect the Brčko District, through its institutions, to resolve this issue. In this regard, property relations must be settled so that we can secure the most prestigious, most important, and cheapest energy source—gas. We will do everything to ensure that this gas pipeline can provide distribution from both directions, to be bidirectional, allowing gas to be used by whoever is competitive at a given moment,” Dodik said.
He expressed gratitude to Russia for accommodating Bosnia and Herzegovina by maintaining a very low gas price, even though Republika Srpska is a small consumer, while a much larger consumer is the city of Sarajevo, which has benefited from the cheap gas that Republika Srpska has been receiving from Russia all along.
“In the district, we want the Serb people, together with others, to fully exercise all their rights related to constitutive status, decision-making mechanisms, and the right to declare themselves as citizens of Republika Srpska, to freely observe all holidays, and to exercise everything that is in the interest of a constitutive people,” Dodik said.
Source: RTRS
