Milorad Dodik, through his uncompromising struggle, opened the door for Republika Srpska in the United States, while Željka Cvijanović and the team involved in the talks contributed through round-the-clock work to a change in the U.S. administration’s approach toward Srpska, SNSD Organizational Secretary Igor Dodik said.
Dodik stressed that Republika Srpska neither sold nor conceded anything, nor gave up any part of its interests in exchange for the lifting of U.S. sanctions. Rather, he said, the new U.S. administration recognized that representatives of Srpska had been treated unjustly.
“Milorad Dodik, through his uncompromising struggle and persistence in demanding that Republika Srpska be left alone and allowed to decide for itself, certainly opened the door. We had previously tried to find people willing to talk to us in Washington and many other places, but there was simply no willingness to listen to us,” Igor Dodik told ATV.
According to him, the change came with the arrival of the Trump administration, where representatives of Republika Srpska found interlocutors who understood their position that peoples should be represented by those elected at the ballot box.
“We tried year after year, but simply had no one willing to talk to us. Fortunately, and thank God, in the new U.S. administration we found people who fully understand us. Their priority is that peoples should decide for themselves in their own country and that representatives elected in legitimate democratic elections should represent the people, rather than having laws imposed by an illegitimate high representative or having a foreigner govern the country,” Dodik said.
He attributed a particularly important role in the talks to Serb member of the BiH Presidency Željka Cvijanović, as well as to the broader team involved in establishing contacts.
“I have to mention President Željka Cvijanović, who worked, negotiated and held talks day and night. I say day and night because the time difference meant that this could not always be done during daytime hours, and I know we spoke during the night as well. Ana Trišić Babić, Nemanja Kovačević and many other people also contributed to all of this,” Dodik said.
He recalled that after sanctions were lifted almost a year ago, there was widespread speculation about what Republika Srpska had supposedly conceded to the U.S. administration in return.
“No matter how much we said at the time that we had conceded nothing and that an injustice had simply been corrected, there were people who did not believe us. Time has shown that we conceded nothing and that the people on the other side understood that an injustice had been committed. We absolutely did not give up any part of Republika Srpska,” Dodik emphasized.
He identified the end of political pressure and imposed decisions as the biggest change in relations with the U.S. administration.
“The attitude and relationship toward us have fundamentally changed. There are no more impositions and no more, I have to put it this way, cowboy politics of Murphy and Schmidt, who exerted enormous pressure on the leadership of Republika Srpska simply because we thought for ourselves rather than the way they wanted us to,” Dodik said.
As evidence for his claim that previous sanctions were not primarily aimed at combating corruption, Dodik pointed to sanctions imposed on the president of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Republika Srpska, the head of the Constitutional Court of Republika Srpska and the director general of Radio Television of Republika Srpska.
“When you see that they were sanctioned simply because they were members of the committee marking Republika Srpska Day, then you understand that their objective was not to target individuals over corruption or illegal activities. They wanted to suffocate the system and its leadership, strip Republika Srpska of its authority and transfer its competencies to Sarajevo,” Dodik said.
Speaking about the period when he himself was under U.S. sanctions, Dodik said the measures against him personally did not affect him as much as sanctions imposed on his friends and other people close to him.
“The sanctions against me did not upset or hurt me that much, but the sanctions against my friends, people close to me and relatives did, because they were placed under sanctions merely because they were connected to me through friendship, family ties or as godparents. Everyone with the surname Dodik was put under sanctions,” he recalled.
He said some people who were simply conducting their own business ended up on the blacklist merely because they knew him or his father.
“When you know what you are doing, which direction you are taking and that you are doing the right thing, you somehow put it aside because you know that the injustice will eventually be corrected. But people who were simply doing their jobs ended up on the blacklist because they knew us. That hurt me the most,” Dodik said.
According to Dodik, the change in political relations has also opened up financial opportunities that had previously been completely closed to Republika Srpska. He noted that Srpska had issued bonds twice and that a significant portion of investment funding had been secured from U.S., European and other international funds and banks.
“Until a year ago, this was completely blocked. Every form of financial flow toward Republika Srpska was obstructed. Today, there are well-intentioned investors who want to invest here and create new jobs,” Dodik said.
He highlighted proximity to the European Union, electricity prices, an educated workforce and natural resources as key advantages of Republika Srpska.
“When investors see the conditions we offer – that we are on the border of the European Union, that we have inexpensive energy and an educated workforce – they genuinely want to invest. Today, we are recognized by American funds and investors, and the result is an investment cycle larger than anything Republika Srpska has seen before. While we were under sanctions, we simply could not approach them, but now that has completely opened up and changed,” Dodik said.
Speaking about Donald Trump Jr.’s visit to Banja Luka in April this year, Dodik said it put Republika Srpska in the spotlight of numerous international media outlets and increased the interest of foreign investors.
“The very fact that he came to Banja Luka was significant. We had met several times before his visit, and the last time, in Budapest, we discussed Republika Srpska’s energy potential. Since he is very interested in artificial intelligence, he recognized Republika Srpska as a potential base for American and global investors,” Dodik said.
His idea, he explained, is to use Republika Srpska’s energy potential to develop data centers that could be leased by some of the world’s largest technology companies.
“We can build data centers and have companies such as Meta, Google and others come here and lease space. I would like Republika Srpska to build data centers and rent them to American and global companies for data storage. That would generate enormous revenues flowing into the budget of Republika Srpska,” Dodik emphasized.
He said such investments would provide not only financial benefits but also contribute to the political and security stability of Republika Srpska, as major international companies would have an interest in ensuring that the area where their data is stored remains peaceful and secure.
According to Dodik, other investors interested in energy, data centers and artificial intelligence also visited Republika Srpska following Donald Trump Jr.’s visit.
Dodik said U.S. interlocutors had been asked to assist in resolving disagreements between Republika Srpska and Sarajevo in order to unblock energy and technology projects.
The development of artificial intelligence and new technologies, he said, does not mean that every citizen needs to understand algorithms. Instead, technology should simplify everyday life.
“I do not think every one of us needs to know how an artificial intelligence algorithm works – I do not know it myself. What will help us is digitalization, greater efficiency of procedures, less bureaucracy and corruption and, above all, there will no longer be service counters,” Dodik said.
As an example, he cited certain local government digitalization processes in Gradiška, which he discussed with Mayor Zoran Adžić.
“People can now obtain certificates of no criminal conviction, citizenship certificates or birth certificates with a single click, without having to go from counter to counter and waste time. We need to introduce this throughout Republika Srpska, and I believe it will help our people,” Dodik said.
Dodik also addressed years of speculation about his alleged ties to the IT company Prointer, which ceased operations after its bank accounts were closed due to U.S. sanctions. He said he had never been an owner or employee of the company but confirmed that he supported its establishment and participated in developing the project.
According to him, the idea emerged more than a decade ago after he developed contacts at major international IT conferences while exploring ideas related to digitalization.
“Friends and enthusiasts approached me because they wanted to establish another company, believing that we had many engineers and talented people whose knowledge could be put to use. The idea was to create an IT company that would operate not only in Republika Srpska but more broadly. I supported that, participated in developing the project and connected them with global companies with which they established significant partnerships,” Dodik said.
He said he later withdrew so that media pressure and the association of his name with the company would not harm either his family or the company, which employed more than 500 people.
“Of course I regret everything that happened. I consider it a crime against the intellectual potential of Republika Srpska. Highly skilled engineers and other professionals worked at that company for more than ten years. What pleased me was that, despite all the problems, the management decided to pay all employees two months’ salaries in advance while they found their footing and looked for new jobs,” Dodik said.
He added that former employees subsequently found positions at other companies thanks to their knowledge, certifications, licenses and experience.
Asked whether there was room in Republika Srpska for young, educated and capable people without party membership, Dodik said that in the private sector, particularly in the IT industry, no one looks at political affiliation.
“What is a problem today in public administration is that employment is sometimes conducted in a way that gives priority to party affiliation. But I have to mention Prime Minister Savo Minić, who, when forming the Government, asked for the freedom to select associates according to expertise and knowledge,” Dodik said.
He cited ministers who are not SNSD members, including Draga Mastilović, Radan Ostojić, who came from the Veterans’ Organization, and Radenko Bubić from the private sector.
“This demonstrates openness and our desire to move forward, as well as the need to put knowledge and expertise first. Party affiliation and loyalty will always exist, and I think it is difficult to eradicate them completely, but these examples show progress in that regard,” Dodik emphasized.
Addressing speculation that he was behind certain media outlets, including UNA Television, Dodik said the project was launched by Serbian citizens from Germany, backed by German funds interested in investing in a new regional television network.
“When you had Western capital channeled through regional television stations for propaganda against Republika Srpska, and Qatari capital through Al Jazeera, I believed there should also be a space where Republika Srpska could present its position. I asked and insisted that the project start from Banja Luka, so that voices from Bijeljina, Brčko and Doboj could also be heard in Skopje and Ljubljana,” Dodik said.
According to him, his involvement was limited to insisting that the television network’s headquarters and the majority of its jobs be based in Banja Luka, rather than Republika Srpska merely receiving a small correspondent office.
He said the project was branded in Croatia as “Dodik’s television” and “Serbian propaganda,” which prevented it from obtaining a broadcasting license.
“More than 70 people worked in Zagreb and received salaries for 12 months, while the television station was unable to obtain a broadcasting license. They would not issue it because they believed Igor Dodik was behind the television station,” Dodik said.
He rejected claims that UNA Television was an SNSD project, saying its programming featured representatives of both the government and the opposition.
“My only request and my only involvement in that project was that the voice of Republika Srpska be heard, nothing more. Unfortunately, even that did not succeed,” Dodik concluded.
Source: RTRS
