DODIK: 20-YEAR-LONG PEOPLE’S SUPPORT DEMONSTRATED SNSD POLICY’S VALUE

BELGRADE, OCTOBER 11 /SRNA/ – President Milorad Dodik has stated today that the major SNSD’s victory in the general elections reflected the will of the people, adding that the people had made the decision in Republika Srpska.

Dodik stressed that it was difficult to deceive and manipulate the people, noting that those who relied on manipulation did not last long and often failed to complete their terms in office. "Those who rely on spin, who rely on appearances, and so on, disappear just as quickly. But to stand before the people for 20 years, once again offer the policies we have pursued, and receive this kind of support, that simply cannot be done unless you have merit," Dodik told RTS. Dodik stressed that as long as the people had the final say, Republika Srpska would continue to exist. "If politicians had been the ones making the decisions under international pressure, Republika Srpska would certainly have ceased to exist by now. But we did not do this way. We have followed the same path as the people of Republika Srpska," Dodik said. Dodik stressed that BiH remained an equally unsuccessful project even after these elections. "Nothing can fix it. Everything has been tried here, from international intervention to bringing in Christian Schmidt, even organising a trial against me because I do not recognise him. But if you recognise him, you are signing Republika Srpska’s death warrant. I would rather face a court verdict myself than see Republika Srpska sentenced to death. That was my approach to fighting such efforts," Dodik recalled. He added that the mindset among Bosniaks in Sarajevo, considering BiH their own, had never allowed the country to become a community of three constituent peoples. "They have not allowed a position to be developed and presented to the world," Dodik said, adding that Bosniak officials abused their positions by travelling to international forums and presenting only their own views. Dodik said that it was precisely this approach that was undermining BiH. "We are not the ones undermining BiH when we try to say, ‘We want to be part of a common position, but you do not allow us to be.’ So what choice do we have? We have our own policies," he said. According to him, no one could address the United Nations General Assembly to attack Serbia, its officials, the Serb people in general and Republika Srpska, and then expect to enjoy the support of any Serb. "The ruling Serb political structures in Republika Srpska will never endorse those lies. Therefore, they are dismantling BiH. It cannot succeed because of them. We have directed our policies towards building Republika Srpska, and we have demonstrated that," Dodik stressed. He said that Republika Srpska was now in a considerably better position than it had been in the past. "We have broken the deadlock over international sanctions. We cooperate with the new US administration, we cooperate with Russia, and we have brotherly ties with Serbia. Thanks to President Aleksandar Vučić, we have built the best relations we have ever had," Dodik said. Dodik added that Republika Srpska had received understanding and support from Serbia, headed by Vučić, for all development projects and for assistance to every local community in Srpska.