President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik stated that Republika Srpska and Russia continue to find ways to develop trade relations despite the sanctions and blockades imposed by the collective West, which have proven to be ineffective.
Dodik pointed out that the West is obstructing the construction of the gas pipeline planned by Russia and Republika Srpska.
“Excellent contacts with Gazprom are being maintained. Unfortunately, the West is doing everything possible to raise new barriers again and again. In this way, they are blocking the implementation of a very important project for us—the construction of a gas pipeline on our territory,” Dodik said in an interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestia.
The paper notes that the project entails the construction of approximately 140 kilometers of pipeline in Serbia and another 400 kilometers in Republika Srpska, with the possibility of branching toward the Federation of BiH.
Dodik emphasized that the collective West, through sanctions, is attempting to block and complicate the lives not only of Russians but also of their friends, including Republika Srpska.
“They are blocking our financial capabilities and opportunities to develop trade relations. However, we are finding ways to continue our joint work. In recent years, Republika Srpska has acquired three Russian civilian helicopters, which was extremely important for our police. We are also actively developing cooperation in the fields of industry and education. Russian language learning is being introduced in our schools, and we are promoting Russian culture,” said Dodik.
He added that Republika Srpska is proud for not yielding under pressure and for refusing to follow the Western policy of imposing anti-Russian sanctions.
“And we believe that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and the team of Russian President Vladimir Putin will manage to achieve normalization for the entire global community in the near future,” Dodik emphasized.
When the journalist noted that the U.S. had previously imposed sanctions on him, Dodik replied that sanctions are being imposed on everyone but are proving to be dysfunctional.
“Sanctions are imposed against everyone, including the Russian Federation. But we see that the sanctions are not working—at least not to the extent the West expected. And Republika Srpska continues to live and develop normally, even in more difficult circumstances,” said Dodik.
He stressed that Republika Srpska is very pleased with all of Russia’s achievements.
“According to data from the World Bank, Russia was previously ranked 11th, and now it has become the fourth largest economy in the world. President Putin and his team have succeeded in elevating Russia under challenging international conditions,” Dodik said.
Source: RTRS
