WESTERN BALKANS NEEDS STABILITY, NOT NEW SECURITY PACTS

BANJA LUKA, FEBRUARY 15 /SRNA/ – SNSD President Milorad Dodik said that the Western Balkans needs stability, development, investment, and open borders for goods and people, but not new military alliances such as the one formed by Croatia, Albania, and so-called Kosovo.

"A simple question arises: What is the purpose of that alliance, what is its real objective, and whom is it meant to protect? Or is it perhaps intended to threaten Serbs and send us a political message?" Dodik stated. He stressed that the region needs bridges, not blocs. "Promoting and pandering to a revived Ustasha ideology and launching initiatives that introduce further divisions take us back to a time when hostility toward Serbs was being sought," Dodik said. He emphasized that Republika Srpska remains committed to stability and cooperation, but will not turn a blind eye to moves that could disrupt the fragile balance in the Balkans. "For BiH, such an alliance is particularly dangerous, as it leads to further destabilization and divisions, given that each constituent people would be forced to choose sides," Dodik stated on "X".