Thirty years ago, at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, the General Framework Agreement for Peace in BiH was initialed, ending the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and establishing its constitutional and legal order. Historian Miloš Ković said on RTRS’s Morning Program that at the time the agreement was initialed in 1995, the situation in Belgrade and on the other side of the Drina was far from optimistic.
He recalled the expulsion of Serbs from Krajina, attacks, and numerous hardships.
He noted that these events deeply marked the Serb people, and that many viewed the signing of the agreement as something imposed.
“Nevertheless, people gained peace, and even the worst peace is better than the ‘best’ war. They returned to their lives. Over time, it became clear that Republika Srpska had won a high degree of freedom and that those sacrifices were not in vain. Serbs fought to remain in the state in which they had lived for decades, and a Serb entity was won — paid for with blood,” Ković said.
However, he added, pressure on the Serb people continued.
“The dismantling of Dayton began immediately after it was signed. The High Representative was conceived as a sort of colonial administrator, and the ‘Bonn powers’ gave him enormous influence. Many officials were dismissed, and 83 competencies of Republika Srpska were abolished. The High Representative took it upon himself to change the Constitution of Republika Srpska and to remove democratically elected representatives,” Ković stated.
He said Paddy Ashdown is particularly remembered for stripping away competencies that were vital for the survival of the Serb people. What was paid for in blood during the war, he added, was gradually taken away by High Representatives.
“Today we are facing a situation in which Christian Schmidt, who has no authority, is attempting to dismiss the elected president and alter legal acts of Republika Srpska and BiH. This absurd situation has reached its peak, and it is something every reasonable person would oppose — especially the Serb people, who would defend themselves to the very limits,” Ković said.
In Republika Srpska, today is a public holiday, while the Federation of BiH does not consider this date particularly significant — something, he said, that was expected.
“From the beginning, it has been clear that Western powers viewed Republika Srpska as a temporary solution, expecting the Serb people to lose their freedom and be absorbed into a unitary BiH that the Serb people do not want. That is why mobilization is essential — spiritual, cultural, and political — on both sides of the Drina to preserve Republika Srpska. Fortunately, today we have Russia and China supporting Republika Srpska, and there are also such forces in America. Thank God, things are changing for the better, and we must remain wise and set aside petty vanities,” Ković concluded.
Source: RTRS
