Republika Srpska is entering a period of stronger and more determined efforts to defend its achievements and the powers granted to it under the Dayton Peace Agreement, President Milorad Dodik has said.
Dodik emphasized that Republika Srpska does not advocate separation but insists on respecting the Dayton Agreement as originally written.
“All forms of coercion we have witnessed over more than 20 years through various disgraceful high representatives must be reviewed. Decisions that were not approved by the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH must be revoked. Only in this way can BiH give itself a new opportunity to continue existing,” Dodik told reporters in Banja Luka.
Dodik rejects accusations of separatism
Dodik argued that attempts by Bosniak political representatives to claim exclusive ownership of BiH would lead nowhere except toward its disintegration.
“There is no separatist movement in Republika Srpska, nor are there terrorist movements. Those exist elsewhere in BiH. Not a single Serb has been registered as a terrorist, but we know that many Bosniaks have returned from the Islamic State,” Dodik claimed.
He accused Bosniak political representatives of using media narratives to portray Republika Srpska as pursuing separatist policies.
“There is no separation,” he reiterated.
Dodik said that BiH had never been a state desired by all its constituent peoples and argued that Republika Srpska had sacrificed its ambition to become an independent state by accepting the Dayton Peace Agreement.
“However, we do not accept the distortion of the Dayton Agreement. We want to implement it as written, not according to the interpretation imposed by Muslim political representatives,” Dodik stressed.
Republika Srpska seeks greater recognition on the European path
Dodik accused international actors of working for years to weaken Republika Srpska’s constitutional position.
He said the European Union must provide clear recognition of Republika Srpska’s role and status in the European integration process if it expects that process to receive support.
“They can pursue the European path they have promoted so far somewhere in the offices of Brussels. For us, that is an anti-Serb path, and we do not want it. We want a path that fully affirms Republika Srpska as a constituent part of BiH, where we have our own rights and obligations,” Dodik said.
He added that Republika Srpska remains committed to the will of its people, who, he said, have chosen policies based on peace and stability.
“Republika Srpska is sacred to us, and working for its peace and security is the greatest contribution to its continued existence,” Dodik stated.
He also criticized his political opponents, accusing them of relying on international support and being united primarily by hostility toward Serbs.
“They have been spoiled by the international community, have no positions of their own, are divided among themselves, and the only thing that unites them is hatred toward Serbs. That hatred does not bother me, but I do not want to hate anyone. I respect the Bosniak people,” Dodik concluded.
Source: RTRS
