MORE AND MORE RUSSIANS KNOW ABOUT SRPSKA AND SERBIA, THE ONLY ONES IN EUROPE THAT DID NOT IMPOSE SANCTIONS

MOSCOW, May 10 /SRNA/ – Relations between Russia and Republika Srpska are steadily deepening, and today far more Russians are aware of both Srpska and Serbia— the only European states that, despite Western pressure, have not imposed sanctions on the Russian Federation, Marija Davidović, a student from Banja Luka at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, told SRNA.

Davidović explained that these improving ties are due in large part to the efforts of Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik, who has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin multiple times, helping to strengthen bilateral relations. “Many more people now know about small Serbia and Republika Srpska as the only European territories that refused to sanction Russia despite Western pressure,” she said. She added that she hopes the relationship will continue to develop in a positive direction, noting the many shared bonds between the peoples. As someone about to graduate from a Russian university and planning to return home, she said she will strive to further enhance cooperation. Marija is a fourth-year student at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations under the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is expected to graduate in about a month. “It’s been wonderful to study international relations at an institution attended by some of the world’s top diplomats—like Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova—who have greatly contributed to Russian and global diplomacy,” she remarked. She also praised the objectivity of her coursework, noting that her Russian textbooks describe NATO’s 1999 bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as “an unprovoked act of aggression against a sovereign state,” do not label events in Srebrenica as genocide, and do not recognize Kosovo’s independence. “Serbs and Russians learn the same objective history, based on verified facts and respect for international law,” Davidović concluded.