Dodik: "If NATO intervenes, we'll ask our friends for help; We will defend ourselves"

Dodik: "If NATO intervenes, we'll ask our friends for help; We will defend ourselves"

He stated that he did not know on what individuals from the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina based their claims about the impossibility of a peaceful separation.

"I think there is no reason for the military presence of foreigners or the use of force here. When you eliminate that, the Republika Srpska with its police and what it has from the armed forces does not intend to touch a single inch of the Federation of BiH (FBiH) or do anything there, but it intends to respect its entity line and its borders", Dodik told RTRS.

"We do not want any escalation of the problem. This is a political issue and a political struggle. Political, not war decisions are being made here," Serbian member of the BiH Presidency emphasized.

Dodik says that Republika Srpska will make a decision to withdraw the consent on the formation of the Armed Forces of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which means that the Law on the Armed Forces on the territory of Republika Srpska will not be respected and it will be said that every Serb who wants to leave will be able to regulate the legal-labor status in the institutions of the Republika Srpska.

"A reasonable deadline will be given for other members of the Armed Forces to leave the Republika Srpska in that capacity. They can stay to reside there if they are citizens of Republika Srpska, but they can no longer be in the service of the Armed Forces," said Dodik.

He pointed out that the Republika Srpska will defend itself by passing regulations. "If necessary, we will defend ourselves with our forces. If they come to say that NATO will intervene, we will ask for the help of our friends who told us clearly and loudly that they never let their friends down," he said.

Asked whether his actions represent a path to the independence of Republika Srpska, Dodik said that it does not depend on Srpska, but that "nothing else remains" if the constitutional right of Republika Srpska is not respected.