SNSD leader Milorad Dodik stated that he expects nothing from the meeting of the so-called Peace Implementation Council, which is expected to discuss the appointment of a new High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Dodik said that, in essence, the High Representative, as well as the very existence and operation of that office, represents a negation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- That position is only possible in accordance with the authorities defined by the Dayton Agreement. Since that has long ceased to exist, the office of the High Representative should be abolished, which would also mean the closure of the OHR office that, among other things, has brought Bosnia and Herzegovina into an impossible situation. I believe Bosnia and Herzegovina should not continue to exist if it requires a High Representative – Dodik emphasized in a statement to Srna.
According to him, no one can claim that Republika Srpska did not previously attempt to create a sustainable model for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- But with whom were we supposed to do that? With people like Christian Schmidt and others? They cannot dictate to us, from the perspective of international administration, how we should live here. Who are they? Let them deal with their own problems and stop spreading illusions and misconceptions among us – Dodik stressed.
Dodik reiterated that the PIC has no authority and is not a body that decides anything.
- The PIC is merely a farce and a usurper of freedom, rights and the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Through its actions it has undermined the constitutional system of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as interethnic trust. Therefore, I do not expect anything significant from its meeting – Dodik said.
He added that the PIC meeting in Sarajevo is essentially a farce through which European institutions seek to influence internal affairs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, preventing the country from functioning as a sovereign entity with its own capacity.
- They try to turn every minor issue into a major affair and present themselves as those who should regulate relations here. Let me also point out that previous High Representatives mostly acted in their own financial interests rather than in the interest of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its normal functioning – Dodik stated.
He emphasized that politicians within the PIC and others who come to Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot shape the country’s future while presenting themselves as devoted supporters of one political side.
- They constantly mislead and manipulate, even though bodies of the European Union, such as the Venice Commission, long ago stated that Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European path is incompatible with the existence of a High Representative. Yet they continue to ignore this. They should respect the decisions of their own institutions. The European path of Bosnia and Herzegovina is incompatible with the institution of the High Representative. They should stop ignoring that fact and stop trying to impose their own narrative on us – Dodik said.
Dodik stressed that it is positive that the new American administration led by President Donald Trump has stated that it does not wish to build foreign states and nations through imposed solutions.
- That gives hope that we could jointly and equally build relations within Bosnia and Herzegovina. This should be welcomed, as should the role of Russia, which has long argued that the OHR should be abolished. The OHR has long since become irrelevant as an office supporting the High Representative. Ultimately, there can be no High Representative without the consent of the signatories to Annex 10 of the Dayton Agreement, even though the PIC continues to ignore this in line with the old practices of Western colonial administrators – Dodik told Srna.
He specified that the current European Union and the Brussels administration are acting unreasonably in this regard and are ignoring realities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- They are not making decisions based on common sense but are imposing ideological and other concepts on us. Then they come and say: we will appoint a new High Representative. How will you appoint one? Where is that written? Annex 10 of the Dayton Agreement clearly states that the signatories appoint the High Representative and that the appointment is confirmed by the United Nations Security Council. How exactly do you intend to appoint someone? What will that look like? Whom do you think you can deceive again? Why do you believe we learned nothing while Christian Schmidt was here violating laws and accusing us of doing exactly that? – Dodik asked.
Republika Srpska, he added, has confidence in the new American administration, which, according to him, will establish a more realistic approach to Bosnia and Herzegovina and will not support attempts at its unitarization.
Dodik said that the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina attempted to reduce everything to the lowest levels of political organization, ignoring historical and political realities while trying to impose solutions.
- In their view, no one can govern a unitary Bosnia and Herzegovina except the Muslims. They fail to understand that Muslims are becoming increasingly significant demographic groups within the European Union and the wider Western world, something President Trump himself has warned about. By carelessly accepting migration flows, Europe has reached a situation where more than 40 million Muslims now live within the EU, which could become a serious demographic and security issue, as terrorist attacks in Europe often originate from such structures – Dodik concluded.
Source: RTRS
