TRIŠIĆ BABIĆ: SRPSKA DEFENDS THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE

BANJA LUKA, JANUARY 8 /SRNA/ - The Acting President of Republika Srpska, Ana Trišić Babić, emphasized that Republika Srpska has survived because it was founded on the will of the people, which it has learned to defend peacefully, reasonably, and responsibly, and in years of growing pressure, it chose neither retreat nor conflict.

“Republika Srpska chose the harder but correct path - the path of political maturity and sound judgment, and that is precisely why today its voice is heard,” Trišić Babić said in her address at the ceremonial academy on the occasion of Republic Day, January 9. She stated that, had God’s and earthly laws and the will of the people been respected, the legally elected President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, should have addressed the audience from that platform, but he was forced to step down from his rightful position illegitimately, unlawfully, and undemocratically due to the actions of external enemies of the Serb people. Trišić Babić noted that the enemies of Republika Srpska were unable to achieve this through elections in a democratic process, which is why they resorted to other methods. She emphasized that on the international stage, Republika Srpska has shown that the size of one's territory does not determine the strength of politics, but rather consistency, perseverance, and a clear message, and that today, Republika Srpska is not an object of international relations, but an active and recognizable voice within them. According to her, Republika Srpska today maintains excellent relations on the European continent with rising political forces that will largely shape Europe’s political future, and which understand that democracy is not imposed, but agreed upon, and that stability does not come from decrees, but from respecting the will of the people. “The East or the West is a false dilemma for small countries like ours. Aware of our own size, but also of the size of the powers on the global stage, we can only say that we want to be wise, brave, and open, but always and above all looking out for our own interests,” she said. Trišić Babić emphasized that this strength does not come solely from institutions, but from the people, from the family, and from the hearth, which, as she noted, is the place where memory is preserved, values are passed on, and families and the nation are brought together. As long as that hearth exists, Republika Srpska will exist,” Trišić Babić said. She noted that for this reason, Republika Srpska has survived even in the most difficult times; this is why it moves forward today, and it will endure. “Not out of spite or force, but because it knows who it is, what it defends, and to whom it belongs,” she said.