SNSD leader Milorad Dodik stated that he held a substantial and productive meeting in Moscow today with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko.
One of the main topics of the talks was the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Just as Russian President Vladimir Putin and all sovereignist leaders fight for the interests of their people and state, Serbs also have the right to fight for the interests of their own people, something that Russia, as a global power, understands very well – Dodik stated.
Dodik stressed that Republika Srpska considers any relocation of the OHR offices unacceptable, because it would mean a new form of captivity and lack of freedom for the Serb people in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He said that he presented this position during the meeting with Grushko, which was also attended by Republika Srpska Interior Minister Željko Budimir.
- If they relocate it somewhere else, as some advocate, then it will remain there for another hundred years, and that means our freedom will never truly be achieved, because we would always face such bureaucrats of one type or another – Dodik told media outlets from Republika Srpska.
He added that Republika Srpska would accept any agreement reached within the framework of the UN Security Council, including the approaches supported by Russia, China, and the United States.
- We asked our friends here that this should involve the arrival of a new person with a strictly limited mandate of one year, at most two, and when those two years expire, the function of the High Representative should expire as well – Dodik said, welcoming the US position that all interested parties should be consulted.
Dodik recalled that Annex 10 of the Dayton Peace Agreement states that the High Representative is selected by the signatories of Annex 10, including Republika Srpska, Serbia, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and the joint level of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Those are the five parties that choose the High Representative, and the appointment must then be confirmed by a relevant resolution of the UN Security Council – Dodik emphasized.
He said that the Russian side is highly informed about all details despite not being a member of the Peace Implementation Council, adding that he raised the question of how the European Union would react if Russia were to return to the Peace Implementation Council.
According to Dodik, any future High Representative would first have to “clean up the mess” created by Christian Schmidt.
- He must annul Schmidt’s decisions and review many decisions imposed by previous High Representatives that were contrary to the Constitution, because only then would we understand the genuine commitment, which we now hear declaratively from the Americans and other major powers, that perhaps the only salvation for Bosnia and Herzegovina is a return to the original Dayton Peace Agreement – Dodik said.
He added that although he supports a return to the original Dayton framework, he remains skeptical that this is realistically achievable.
- The Brussels administration, the Biden administration, and many others in the West dismantled the Dayton Agreement. They also failed to respect the Kumanovo and Minsk agreements. Why should we believe now that they will truly return to the original Dayton structure? That may simply be a way of buying time. But I must say clearly that we could see our future within Bosnia and Herzegovina only if it is organized according to the original Dayton Agreement – Dodik stressed.
According to him, this would require the return of all competences that Republika Srpska was originally granted under Dayton.
- The Muslims will not agree to that. We insist on it. And perhaps the best option is to create an atmosphere for a peaceful separation in order to preserve stability in the region – Dodik concluded.
He noted that these issues were discussed in detail during the meeting with Grushko and representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry and political leadership, recalling that Grushko had also recently visited Banja Luka and had already been informed of Republika Srpska’s positions.
Source: RTRS
