The upcoming visit of the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, to the Russian Federation is very important because it involves a major power and a diplomatic ally of Srpska, assessed Željko Budimir, Minister of Scientific and Technological Development, Higher Education, and Information Society, for Srna.
He pointed out that thanks to the stance of Srpska’s officials, BiH did not join the countries that imposed sanctions on Moscow, although this was the desire of Bosniak political representatives.
“Had it not been so, you wouldn’t have a meeting between President Putin and President Dodik. Republika Srpska prevented the imposition of sanctions, even though political Sarajevo tried to do it several times. As long as BiH is a community where Srpska and the representatives of the Serbian people in joint institutions make decisions, sanctions against the Russian Federation will never be introduced,” emphasized Budimir, who is also a professor of international relations at the University of Banja Luka.
Speaking about international cooperation, Budimir said that the Russian Federation is an ally of Republika Srpska, as evidenced by its support in numerous organizations and institutions, primarily the UN, i.e., the Security Council.
“We expect continued support from the Russian Federation in international organizations. The most important is the support in the UN where Russia has shown a consistently constructive stance,” Budimir highlighted.
He added that cooperation with the Russian Federation remains intense, despite being jeopardized since the beginning of the special military operation.
“In the future, as the world increasingly takes on multipolar dimensions, the Russian Federation will be the one to decide on important issues in the Balkans, but also on issues of Serb national significance,” Budimir stated.
He noted that individuals from the Federation of BiH have already condemned the visit of the President of Srpska to the Russian Federation, and in this regard, someone needs to give them a lesson on what sovereignty is.
“Dodik, in one of his visits, ensured the uninterrupted supply of gas to Sarajevo. No one thanked for the fact that the price of gas remained the same, as in all friendly countries with which Russia cooperates and supplies them with gas,” Budimir said.
The President of Srpska will visit Belarus in addition to the Russian Federation, where, according to Budimir, a series of activities and the signing of agreements are planned, especially in the field of medicine and the part related to organ transplantation.
“Belarus is one of the leaders in Europe in terms of transplantation. It is a country with an organized medical system. Discussions will also cover cooperation in the fields of agriculture and forestry,” Budimir mentioned.
The President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, previously announced that he would visit Belarus, Russia, and Turkey at the end of this and the beginning of the next month, where he will meet with numerous officials and representatives of the business sector.
Source: RTRS
