Dodik: Russian support for referendum is "logical"

Dodik: Russian support for referendum is "logical"

"Russia never supported such legal violence perpetrated by the international community," he said, and added that country was the only one that remained consisted in implementing and respecting the Dayton Agreement, "the signing of which it witnessed."

Dodik thanked Russia for this support, and noted that the referendum will be "unavoidable" if the demands of the RS are not fulfilled.

"The support of Moscow, which openly sided with Srpska (the Serb Republic), is very important and comes at the right time, because the RS has been unjustifiably subjected to international community's attacks because of the democratic decision it made on the referendum," said Dodik.

He added the decision was "not about taking up arms" but about using a democratic right for citizens to declare themselves in a referendum.

"Moscow's position must be respected! Such positions of Russia, who has always openly defended Srpska's stance, and at the same time has had an unbiased and principled policy toward Bosnia-Herzegovina, encourage us," Dodik stressed, and added:

"It means a lot, because it says that those who guaranteed the Dayton Agreement, who were witnesses to it, know absolutely best in what way it was made."

According to him, the arguments of "all those who claim that Dayton is being violated" by the plan to hold the referendum failed, "because Russia has remained the whole time the only one consistent in its respect of Dayton."

Dodik's comments came after a Russian Foreign Ministry official said late last week that "weak efficiency of the justice system in Bosnia-Herzegovina and its bias has compelled the RS to resort to a referendum."

According to Alexander Bikantov, quoted by the Russian media, "political forces in Bosnia and the international community are also acknowledging the inefficiency of the justice system."

He noted that the violation of legitimate rights of Serbs as one of the constituent nations in Bosnia-Herzegovina is not met with adequate reaction of judiciary bodies on the national level.

"This is why RS is compelled to resort to democratic instruments at its disposal so as to ensure realization of its legal interests," Bikantov said.

He noted that the existing problems in Bosnian, including the shortcomings in the work of the judiciary should be tackled within "equal dialogue of all participants in the internal political process in keeping with the Dayton Treaty."

Otherwise, avoiding talks with RS concerning critical matters and unilateral intervention of the high representative in Bosnia will only destabilize the situation in the country, Bikantov warned.