DODIK: REPUBLIKA SRPSKA IS LOVE, AND IT IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR

BANJA LUKA, JANUARY 8 /SRNA/ – Republika Srpska is an inevitability, it is magnificent, and therefore it is worth continuing to fight for it, SNSD leader Milorad Dodik said this evening at the ceremonial academy marking January 9, the Day of Republika Srpska, and 34 years since its establishment, held in Banja Luka.

Dodik stressed that he loves Republika Srpska and sees no future without it, emphasizing that he has fought selflessly for Srpska. “Republika Srpska is an inevitability, and we do not want to irritate anyone,” Dodik said, adding that when the Serbs leave, they will take 49 percent of BiH with them. Dodik stated that Republika Srpska views Serbia as its homeland and that one people deserves one state, adding that this idea will not be abandoned and that Serbs will remain persistent and win, because they are of strong character. “We are united, as evidenced by the names engraved on the central memorial in Banja Luka. Our only direction is Republika Srpska,” Dodik emphasized. He noted that it was no coincidence that Archdeacon Stephen was chosen as the patron saint of January 9, as he is the first martyr and a symbol of what Republika Srpska represents. Dodik recalled the time when the decision to establish Republika Srpska was made, in which he himself participated, noting that it was done in peace and that the war began later. He pointed out that Serbs paid a high price for unity in the former Yugoslavia, where the identity of the Serbian people was undermined. Dodik also recalled how the war began and stressed that Republika Srpska was resolutely defended during the wartime period. “Hearth is where the family is gathered, where our state and freedom are,” Dodik said, adding that a hearth is often only noticed once it is lost. He pointed out that leaders of the Serbian people and Serbian officers were unjustly convicted by the Hague Tribunal, where, according to him, only Serbs were tried. “Republika Srpska was established on January 9 to be an independent state, not to be part of BiH. It was independent until the signing of the Dayton Agreement, and all of us who fought for that agreement were later declared destroyers,” Dodik said. He added that the past years had not been easy due to attempts to strip Republika Srpska of its leadership, recalling that it was meant to be sidelined during the term of former U.S. President Joseph Biden. “We fought all this time and did not give up because it is love,” Dodik said. He added that Republika Srpska is being threatened and forbidden from marking January 9. “They think we are afraid and that we will give up. History belongs to those who fight,” Dodik emphasized. Dodik stated that BiH is an unwanted place for Serbs, that it is not a state but a territory, possessing international legal personality but lacking internal statehood and internal sovereignty, which he said belongs to the entities. He expressed gratitude to the Serbian Orthodox Church, which, he said, has preserved the identity of the Serbian people throughout history, prayed for peace and remained outside any conflicts. Dodik also thanked Serbia and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, stressing that Republika Srpska must not forget his role in fostering such friendly relations. “Serbia remains our motherland, our country,” Dodik said. He noted that Republika Srpska has managed to gain recognition from friends, including major countries such as Russia, adding that U.S. President Donald Trump had also encouraged them by stating that he does not wish to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. Dodik’s address concluded the ceremonial academy marking the Day of the Republic, held in Banja Luka.