SLOVENIAN NATIONAL PARTY SEEKS END TO SANCTIONS AGAINST DODIK

LJUBLJANA, DECEMBER 17 /SRNA/ – The Slovenian National Party, led by its president Zmago Jelinčič Plemeniti, has submitted an initiative to the Government of Slovenia calling for the lifting of sanctions imposed on SNSD leader Milorad Dodik, following the example set by the United States.

The initiative calls on the Slovenian government to reassess and comprehensively review the sanctions and restrictive measures that the Republic of Slovenia imposed on Republika Srpska and its then-president Milorad Dodik. "There have been significant changes in approaches to the situation in BiH in the international environment, particularly developments in Republika Srpska. Some key international actors have assessed that continued insistence on sanctions does not contribute to stability, and may even deepen political tensions under certain circumstances," the initiative emphasizes. Such a shift in thinking, it adds, is based on the assessment that certain steps have been taken in Republika Srpska that reduce the risk of further deterioration of the situation and allow for a different, more constructive approach. "The purpose of this approach is not to reward individuals or policies, but to create conditions in which tensions are eased, political processes are normalized, and space is opened at the same time for economic and institutional cooperation," the explanation of the Slovenian National Party’s initiative underlines. The Government of Slovenia imposed sanctions on then-President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik on September 11. The decision includes a ban on entry into Slovenia.