“RS stable, democratic community”

Republic of Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik has stated that the RS grew into a politically stable, democratic community. “The RS, which was created as an expression of the will of the Serbian people in Bosnia-Herzegovina during hard times when the former joint state was falling apart, is today open for the life of all its citizens,” he pointed out. “RS stable, democratic community” He said that the RS was “an essence and basis of his work”, adding that his partners were all those who respected the Dayton Peace Accords, the Constitution and the laws and were trying to create modern and democratic RS. “At the same time, I’m telling everybody who is trying to diminish RS’ constitutional and Dayton capacity, its position and competency, no matter where they are coming from, that it is about time to give up on these attempts,” the RS president stressed. Pointing out that the RS was a permanent legal, territorial and political category, he said that the RS citizens would only accept “Bosnia-Herzegovina which was verified by the original Dayton Accords and which respects the RS”. Dodik also criticized the work of the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina (OHR), who used so-called Bonn powers to deal with political opponents and punish them, to create constitutional order and model political system in Bosnia-Herzegovina. He believes that Bosnia-Herzegovina was for a long time a state-legal and social-political experiment which was “unsuccessful for many and burdening for everybody” and points out that the RS managed to become politically and economically stable and self-sustaining in such difficult circumstances. “We are not and we won’t be a disrupting factor, but an equal partner in the talks with the representatives of the other entity and constitutive peoples, but also with the representatives of the international community with whom we want to build partner relations,” the RS president explained. He also said that the RS wanted a good cooperation with Serbia, the countries of the region, as well as with the EU, Russia, the U.S. and other countries that respected the RS. Dodik stressed that the EU membership was an important goal, but “not at all costs”, adding that Bosnia-Herzegovina’s EU accession process could not be used as a tool for making radical changes to the constitutional order and centralization of the country. “We can achieve everything with the RS, but very little or almost nothing without it,” he concluded. Milorad Dodik

“RS stable, democratic community”

He said that the RS was “an essence and basis of his work”, adding that his partners were all those who respected the Dayton Peace Accords, the Constitution and the laws and were trying to create modern and democratic RS.

“At the same time, I’m telling everybody who is trying to diminish RS’ constitutional and Dayton capacity, its position and competency, no matter where they are coming from, that it is about time to give up on these attempts,” the RS president stressed.

Pointing out that the RS was a permanent legal, territorial and political category, he said that the RS citizens would only accept “Bosnia-Herzegovina which was verified by the original Dayton Accords and which respects the RS”.

Dodik also criticized the work of the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina (OHR), who used so-called Bonn powers to deal with political opponents and punish them, to create constitutional order and model political system in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

He believes that Bosnia-Herzegovina was for a long time a state-legal and social-political experiment which was “unsuccessful for many and burdening for everybody” and points out that the RS managed to become politically and economically stable and self-sustaining in such difficult circumstances.

“We are not and we won’t be a disrupting factor, but an equal partner in the talks with the representatives of the other entity and constitutive peoples, but also with the representatives of the international community with whom we want to build partner relations,” the RS president explained.

He also said that the RS wanted a good cooperation with Serbia, the countries of the region, as well as with the EU, Russia, the U.S. and other countries that respected the RS.

Dodik stressed that the EU membership was an important goal, but “not at all costs”, adding that Bosnia-Herzegovina’s EU accession process could not be used as a tool for making radical changes to the constitutional order and centralization of the country.

“We can achieve everything with the RS, but very little or almost nothing without it,” he concluded.