DODIK’S RHETORIC UNCHANGED, FOR DECADES HE HAS SHOWN THAT HE IS MAN OF PEACE ADVOCATING RESPECT FOR LETTER OF DAYTON AGREEMENT

BANJA LUKA, AUGUST 22 /SRNA/ - Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik has consistently emphasized in his statements that he is a man of peace and that secession has never been his policy. This is not a new stance taken after the visit of CIA Director William Burns to Sarajevo, as some media outlets in the Federation of BiH and Serbia have claimed.

After Dodik posted on "X" yesterday that Republika Srpska has never challenged the sovereignty and territorial integrity of BiH under the Dayton Agreement, and that secession has never been the policy of Srpska, various spins followed, suggesting that he made this statement following Burns' visit. However, in all his statements, whether as Prime Minister, President of the Republic, or the Serb member of the BiH Presidency, Dodik has consistently emphasized that his policy is not secession, that Republika Srpska does not plan it, and that he will not allow anyone to jeopardize the peace and stability of BiH. "I have reiterated many times, and I will say it again: I am a man of peace, and I will never allow the security of the people to be jeopardized. All this talk shows the lengths to which the most incompetent administration in America's history will go in its final days in power," Dodik stated on March 12 of this year. In a post from June 10, 2022, he highlighted that Serbs are not seeking secession but believe that it would be best to peacefully separate, as BiH is a failed state. "The international community needs scapegoats to justify their long-standing failure here, which is why they promote this narrative about secession," Dodik wrote on "X" at the time. In September 2020, in an interview with RTL, he emphasized his commitment to peace and stability. "Political Sarajevo treats us as aggressors. How can I, born in Banja Luka, be an aggressor? My policy is not secession," Dodik said at the time. He has repeatedly pointed out that BiH is being turned into an unsuccessful hybrid, built by international actors, noting that foreigners have been imposing laws and changing constitutions, thereby violating the Dayton Agreement, which he advocates. Dodik has frequently emphasized the interference of foreigners in BiH's internal affairs. He has advocated BiH's European path, emphasizing that one of the conditions on this path is that the country must be led and decisions made exclusively by domestic politicians, without foreign interference. Dodik has consistently warned about the actions of High Representatives, including Christian Schmidt, who did not receive approval from the UN Security Council for his position, which has made him a frequent target of attacks from Schmidt and the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo. The notion that Republika Srpska is not advocating secession has often been a part of Dodik's rhetoric, clarifying that this is not just a message for foreign actors and political Sarajevo. He has spoken about the possibility of a peaceful separation. In a statement from November 15 of last year, Dodik mentioned that the ruling coalition in Republika Srpska demonstrated that, even under challenging circumstances, they were not willing to compromise even slightly in defending Republika Srpska and its rights, but the issue of secession was not on the agenda. "Our focus is on peaceful separation. It is gradually happening, whether someone wants to acknowledge it or not. BiH has never been more divided than it is today. One day, this will simply be formalized. We just need to be patient. No to secession — because that could mean war, and we neither want nor seek that," Dodik stated. A few years earlier, on January 25, 2017, during a discussion in Banja Luka with the Swedish Ambassador to BiH, Anders Hagelberg, Dodik emphasized that secession was not the primary issue for Republika Srpska and that it was a narrative imposed by certain circles. "We have no intention of pursuing secession, but we are also not willing to remain silent in the face of numerous abuses against Republika Srpska," Dodik said. Dodik reiterated to the Swedish ambassador that Republika Srpska is not against the European Union and that it is moving in that direction. He also emphasized on March 17, 2017, in an interview with Sarajevo's "Face" TV, that the secession of Republika Srpska is not on the agenda. "Referendums or any activities related to the secession of Srpska are not on the agenda, and everyone who attacks me and Republika Srpska knows this perfectly well," Dodik stated. Additionally, on September 10, 2016, in Belgrade, Dodik stated that Republika Srpska defends the original Dayton Agreement, which granted it rights. "We are not adventurers. We are people united in a fundamental effort to preserve our right to freedom," emphasized Dodik. On January 21, 2022, as the Serb member of the BiH Presidency, Dodik emphasized that Republika Srpska has no plans leading to secession but remains committed to the policy of respecting the Constitution of BiH to secure what is constitutionally guaranteed to it. He emphasized that previous reforms conducted under constant pressure and coercion cannot be accepted. As the Serb member of the BiH Presidency, on July 6, 2022, Dodik pointed out that it is the European Parliament and Westerners who talk about secession that contribute most to secession in BiH, not Republika Srpska. Regarding the resolution on BiH adopted by the European Parliament, which, among other things, calls on international actors to respond to the "secessionist moves by the Republika Srpska leadership," Dodik told SRNA that European parliamentarians and others deliberately claim that secession exists to make it easier to explain it to their people. According to him, it is not about secession at all, but about returning BiH to the order prescribed by the Constitution, because without that, there is no BiH. On June 17 of last year, the President also emphasized that Republika Srpska does not engage in secessionist activities but is determined to defend its autonomy against anyone who undermines the Dayton Agreement, whether they are from BiH or abroad. In one of his statements from this year, on April 27, Dodik emphasized that Republika Srpska is not pursuing a policy of secession and that some find it important to talk about it because of its negative connotations. "We are not for secession but for clarifying the boundaries of jurisdictions and understanding where each one ends. If that is not possible, then a peaceful separation is an option," said Dodik. Dodik has repeatedly emphasized peaceful separation because the Serbian people can no longer live in such BiH, which stance followed the passage of the resolution on Srebrenica by the UN General Assembly, noting that the Bosniaks acted unlawfully and did not take the Serbs into account. In a statement on July 23, he explained that BiH offers nothing but problems to the Serbs, which is why separation was proposed, and pointed out attempts by U.S. Ambassador Michael Murphy to settle accounts with him by imposing sanctions. He emphasized that the intention is to defend the interests and jurisdictions of Republika Srpska, but that he does not advocate secession. Similarly, on December 17, 2009, when he was the Prime Minister of Republika Srpska, he stated that the goal of Republika Srpska was not secession, but a high degree of sovereignty within BiH and the preservation of the Dayton position and jurisdictions.