GERMAN-FRENCH NON-PAPER SUGGESTS AN INTENT TO FURTHER ESCALATE TENSIONS IN THE REGION

BELGRADE, MAY 23 /SRNA/ - Arnaud Gouillon, the Director of the Office for Public and Cultural Diplomacy of Serbia, told SRNA that the German-French non-paper regarding Republika Srpska, unfortunately, signals an intention to escalate tensions in the region rather than to promote de-escalation. He emphasized that Serbia remains a guarantor of the Dayton Peace Agreement and is fully committed to preserving Republika Srpska.

He says that he has not had the opportunity to see the exact contents of the German-French non-paper, but according to media reports, the document allegedly calls on EU member states to individually impose sanctions on the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, and the ruling party, the SNSD. Gouillon emphasized that Serbia, led by President Aleksandar Vučić, remains a strong guarantor of the original Dayton Peace Agreement. "In what I can freely say the greatest crisis since the war, Serbia remains committed to preserving Republika Srpska," Gouillon emphasized. According to him, the imperative is to preserve Republika Srpska while maintaining peace, which promotes progress and improves the quality of life of the citizens of Serbia and Srpska. "The dark days of Serbian history will not be repeated when the Drina River divided the Serbian people, and official Belgrade imposed sanctions on its people," Gouillon emphasized. President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić yesterday briefed members of the National Security Council on the non-paper prepared by France and Germany concerning BiH, which also pertains to Republika Srpska. According to Večernje Novosti, the document indicates that Western powers and Brussels are preparing a brutal attack against the top leadership of Republika Srpska - President Milorad Dodik, Prime Minister Radovan Višković, and National Assembly Speaker Nenad Stevandić, to remove them from power. This is being framed under the pretext that they are working to dismantle BiH and are obstructing its path toward NATO and the EU.