DODIK: SRPSKA HAS RIGHT TO CELEBRATE ITS STATEHOOD

BANJA LUKA, FEBRUARY 13 /SRNA/ - Republika Srpska has the right to celebrate its statehood because it has its own territory, people, Constitution, and government, said SNSD leader Milorad Dodik at the ceremonial academy marking Sretenje/Candlemass, Statehood Day of Republika Srpska, and Statehood Day of Serbia.

In his address, Dodik emphasized the importance of preserving a unified space for the Serbian people in Republika Srpska and Serbia, and highlighted the need for the wise minds of the Serbian people to come together, regardless of ideology, to try to reach agreements on the key paths for the nation’s future. “Sretenje is the best opportunity to come together and to say that these are our states, our people; we want nothing else and that we be allowed to determine our own processes,” Dodik said. He emphasized that a common thread throughout history has been that the Serbs have always been the target of others’ bargaining and that outsiders sought to rule over these lands. “It is no coincidence that those coming from Germany consider this territory theirs,” Dodik said, reflecting on events from past wars. Dodik noted that all leading world leaders say the world is no longer the same, that even those who shape it do not know in which direction it will move, and that the Serbs must understand that they will not build a common future without a unified response. “We must fight for ourselves because just as there is no freedom, there can be no state, and there will be no future,” Dodik said. He noted that Serbia has made the greatest progress over the past 15 years, while Republika Srpska has fought against those who for centuries sought to oppress the Serbian people, pointing out that it is no coincidence that most High Representatives have come from Austria and Germany. “We believe it is natural for us to work together with Serbia,” Dodik said. He also reiterated that Republika Srpska must regain its competencies, that it does not want to be part of what the Germanic circle dictates, and that it does not share the Bosniaks' illusions about BiH. “We are calling for a dialogue that can only take place based on restoring the Dayton rights we once had. We do not want to be subjects, which is why it is important for the Serbian people to be united under the idea of freedom and statehood. We want the same rights as others, to have our own free state,” Dodik said. He also emphasized that the Serbs must not act separately, but should be guided by their history, destiny, and future.