Political scientist Aleksandar Pavić has described the meetings held by Serb member of the BiH Presidency Željka Cvijanović in the United States, as well as Milorad Dodik’s visits to Israel and his upcoming visit to Moscow, as a continuation of what he called Republika Srpska’s “brilliant foreign policy.”
Pavić told SRNA that, in his assessment, no one in Europe currently conducts diplomacy more successfully than Republika Srpska, adding that this approach has been particularly evident since Donald Trump returned to the White House.
He argued that maintaining relations simultaneously with Russia, the United States and Israel would represent a major diplomatic achievement for any country, noting that few European governments manage to maintain such ties.
“And Republika Srpska is doing this without full sovereignty and without its own diplomatic service. This is an achievement that did not happen overnight, but is the result of work that has been going on for a long time,” Pavić said.
According to Pavić, this would not have been possible without what he described as consistency in the policies pursued by SNSD under Milorad Dodik — building new friendships without abandoning old ones.
Pavić said Dodik is a welcome guest in the Kremlin, while Republika Srpska officials have established contacts with the Trump administration in Washington. He attributed this to their decision not to turn away from one partner in order to strengthen relations with another.
“No, they maintain relations with both sides. And that is respected. It is respected in the Kremlin and it is respected in the White House,” Pavić said.
He added that this approach remained consistent even during more difficult periods, pointing out that Dodik supported Trump during the four years he was out of the White House, as well as ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
“At the same time, that was not held against him in Moscow. And now we have a situation in which Republika Srpska, in my view, is in a much better position in both the Kremlin and Washington than Sarajevo. And that is without even mentioning Israel,” Pavić said.
He added that Republika Srpska has maintained long-standing relations with Israel, describing those ties as based on what he considers a rational and realistic approach.
Source: RTRS
