DODIK: I WANT SERBIA TO BE STABLE AND PEACEFUL, AND TO LOVE AND RESPECT REPUBLIKA SRPSKA

BANJA LUKA, OCTOBER 25 /SRNA/ - President Milorad Dodik said in Banja Luka today that he wanted Serbia to be stable and peaceful, committed to development and good relations with Republika Srpska, the one that respected and cherished Republika Srpska and understood its position.

"I want Serbia to be a guarantor not only of the Dayton Agreement, but also of the very survival and development of Republika Srpska," Dodik told reporters after voting in Serbia’s early parliamentary elections. Dodik stressed that today was an important day for Serbia and that cooperation with Serbia was crucial for Republika Srpska. "We have been committed to good relations for years, and we seek to demonstrate through our attitude toward Serbia itself that we care about a strong Serbia. Serbia as its enemies want it to be is weak, feeble, subservient and submissive, while a sovereign Serbia is our strength," Dodik emphasized. According to him, Serbia has made significant progress in recent years and should undoubtedly continue on its path toward further development and stability, as well as strengthening its position internationally. Dodik said it was unacceptable that hysteria was being stirred up in parts of the Serbian public over Republika Srpska citizens voting in the elections. "The fact that there are people like that in Serbia is nothing new. We here respect and love Serbia much more. Of course, many people in Serbia understand what Republika Srpska is and care about Republika Srpska," Dodik said, adding that any form of censorship was unacceptable. Dodik said that the "genocide perpetrators" rhetoric had been borrowed from Sarajevo, which, he said, showed that those using it were aligned with those ideologies and policies. "I call on the people of Republika Srpska to remain calm. The majority of people in Serbia love Republika Srpska, and almost everyone in Republika Srpska loves Serbia. This is something that will endure and will not change, regardless of various proponents of deviant approaches that are unacceptable from any standpoint," Dodik said. Dodik said that Republika Srpska had always stood by its own side and by Serbia. "Citizens of Republika Srpska who hold dual citizenship have the right to make their own political choices. No one conducted polls, and no one exerted pressure. Everyone has the right to vote, and everyone has the right to make their own choice," Dodik said. Dodik reiterated that everyone in Republika Srpska should be entitled to automatic dual citizenship, saying that this was the only right approach. "I believe we will reach an agreement with the new, incumbent authorities to do this as soon as possible," Dodik emphasized.