DODIK: DOBOJ - BRČKO MOTORWAY SECTION SHOULD BE NAMED “JANUARY 9 – CORRIDOR OF LIFE”

DUGA NJIVA, JUNE 21 /SRNA/ – President Milorad Dodik said that the Doboj - Brčko motorway section should be named “January 9 – Corridor of Life”, because without the Corridor Breakthrough there would be no present-day corridors.

“Srpska will not survive, unless Republika Srpska and the Serb people strengthen their power. That is why today’s struggle for Republika Srpska is equal to the one we fought here when we opened the corridor,” Dodik said at a ceremony marking the 34th anniversary of the Corridor Breakthrough. He described the operation as a major historical event and recalled the political circumstances that preceded it during the breakup of Yugoslavia. Serbs in BiH, who were called “Bosnian”, were not given the opportunity to remain with Serbia but were instead pressured to accept BiH where they would be outvoted. He stated that this had been the concept of Alija Izetbegović, while Serbs’ resistance was characterized as aggression. “This people knows that the concept and aspirations of the Muslims have not changed and that even today they want a BiH in which the Serb people would be a minority,” Dodik said. BiH is an obstacle to the freedom of the Serb people, emphasizing the importance of preserving unity of Serbs. “Muslims do not have good intentions toward Republika Srpska. Historically and politically, Muslims are opponents, and we should not deceive ourselves into believing they have no ambition to subordinate us. That is why it is necessary to build the strength that will allow us to live here,” Dodik said. He noted that, for the first time, Serbs had not lost everything at the negotiating table, adding that Republika Srpska had originally been expected to survive for only five years. “We have endured all these years thanks to the soldiers and the Serb people, who built the conviction that we have the right to live here,” Dodik said. He added that the memory of fallen soldiers had always brought him back to the idea of Republika Srpska as a free state being built by its leadership and people. Dodik recalled that Republika Srpska today has strength, knows what it wants, has a stable economy, freedom, institutions, and a responsible approach toward its veterans. He also said that Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić cares about Republika Srpska and represents an important guarantor that it can remain secure and strong alongside its leadership.