DODIK: SRPSKA HAS NEVER BEEN IN A BETTER POSITION THAN IT IS TODAY

BANJA LUKA, OCTOBER 18 /SRNA/ – Republika Srpska President, Milorad Dodik, has said this evening that he remains the democratically elected president of Republika Srpska and that Republika Srpska’s international contacts are more intense than ever before.

"We were always in a position where we just listened to those who came, primarily to Sarajevo, where they dictated their pre-prepared conditions with the Muslims, leaving us to deal with their devious efforts to come up with the worst possible options for us. Today, things are different," Dodik said. According to him, Republika Srpska is now a welcome guest in important countries such as Russia, Hungary, Serbia, and many others. "He who fails to see this is a change, then he sees nothing. For the first time, we have managed to speak directly with Russians, Hungarians, and political parties in Europe, without any intermediaries. There are still attempts to pretend that BiH exists, which is clearly in a process of disintegration and collapse," Dodik told RTRS. Unfortunately, he has added, our fate is to live in that failed and lost concept. Dodik emphasizes that he is not imposing himself on anyone, pointing out that the opposition never accepted him in the past, just as the Muslims did not accept him. He stated that Ana Trišić Babić has been proposed as acting president as one of his closest associates. "She is someone who supported me in key moments and attended all important meetings with me. Many times, she traveled on my behalf to meet with political representatives around the world, and now she will go on behalf of Republika Srpska," Dodik explained. He says he will continue to do his job and that he is now more visible than ever. "We’ve never had a better position than we do have today, because Republika Srpska is now recognised," Dodik said. He also claimed that the main, long-standing problem for Serbs lies in Sarajevo and in attempts to dominate Serbs. "But even bigger nations haven’t succeeded in undermining the sovereignty of the Serb people. So the powerless Bosniaks can’t either," he emphasized. Dodik says this is about two concepts – one is BiH, and the other is Republika Srpska. "One has to disappear. I’m fighting for Republika Srpska to remain," he declared. Dodik has repeated that there is a historical misunderstanding with the Bosniaks that cannot be resolved, and the only way forward is separation. "Why is that so hard for you? What do you want? Majoritization? You won’t get it," Dodik said. The president of Republika Srpska also says there are biased, pro-Muslim members in the European Parliament who talk about secession, but there are also those who say that Dodik is being unlawfully persecuted and that attempts are being made to politically eliminate him. Speaking about the special session of the National Assembly, Dodik says it is not unusual for parliament to adopt or repeal certain acts. He stressed that a new negotiating position must be secured for Republika Srpska, and that this is the last time a hand is being extended to BiH. "This is the last time a hand is being extended to BiH to reach an individual agreement. Go ahead, agree. Bosnia can work or it can’t. I advocate for it to work based on what the Dayton said," Dodik concluded.