DODIK: WE HAVE SHOES THAT CARRY 49 PERCENT OF BiH

BANJA LUKA, JUNE 25 /SRNA/ – SNSD President Milorad Dodik said that neither he, nor the Serb people, nor Republika Srpska are enemies of the Bosniak-Muslim people, but warned that if the Dayton Peace Accords continues to be disregarded and efforts to forcibly centralize BiH persist, Republika Srpska will take along its 49 percent share of BiH.

Dodik said that a centralized BiH of the kind advocated by Bosniak political leaders is unacceptable for Republika Srpska. "We Serbs do not want such a BiH, and that is why they are angry. In our conversations, SDA leader Bakir Izetbegović would always say, 'You cannot leave; at most you can take with you a little dirt that sticks to your shoes'. My answer to him and others was always the same - we have shoes that carry 49 percent of BiH", Dodik stressed. He said Sarajevo-based political leaders have always had a problem with the fact that Republika Srpska and the Serb people do not accept their political concepts. "They never offered a single minimal and sustainable solution for Serbs in BiH, although they could have. Their goal has always been a centralized Bosnia in which everything would be decided according to the principle of 'one person, one vote', reducing Serbs to a dramatic minority unable to decide anything. Since Serbs would not tolerate such a situation, most of them would eventually leave BiH, while Bosniaks would bring in migrants from the Arab world, as they have done in Sarajevo's Ilidža municipality", Dodik said. He noted that, despite pressure from Bosniak political circles and foreign actors, the Serb side has consistently insisted on respecting the Constitution of BiH. "At one point, I took it upon myself to lead the Serb people at a time when they were facing severe ethnic and civilizational demonization, degradation and humiliation. I believed I had to endure that and help change the negative narrative about Serbs. Today, we have reached a point where at least those who care no longer need these things explained to them. We are Christians under threat from Sarajevo's political establishment. We are threatened by efforts aimed at stripping the Serb people of their rights and transferring them to the BiH level", Dodik said. He argued that the European agenda promoted by Bosniak political leaders and their foreign allies is harmful to the Serb people. "Bakir tells me today, 'You are blocking BiH's path toward NATO and European integration'. I answered him: what is the truth? Did NATO bomb the Serbs? Do we have dignity and character? We do. Therefore, I will not support joining an alliance that bombed us and used depleted uranium. The Bosniak position does not have to be ours; our interests are not the same. You had the Dayton Agreement - why did you undermine it and its Constitution? We will never accept constitutional changes. The Serb people understood that, supported it, and that is why we are now an indispensable factor", Dodik told Prnjavor-based K3 Television. Dodik said attempts to label Serbs in BiH as "genocidal" would not succeed. "Even today, by respecting the Dayton Agreement, we are preserving peace. On the other hand, Bosniak politicians talk about war. I have never given a single reason for war. My only interest is Republika Srpska, and that is what bothers them. They have done nothing to make Serbs feel even slightly comfortable here; instead, they do everything they can to diminish and abolish Republika Srpska", Dodik stated. According to Dodik, it suits Republika Srpska that political leaders in Sarajevo and some of their foreign mentors have failed to understand global geopolitical changes and the realities within BiH. "They are either unable or unwilling to understand that, when it comes to statehood and politics, Serbs look for meaning and substance, not various reform agendas, calculations and loans. Their agendas, most of which are harmful to Republika Srpska, will never succeed because they are designed to gradually strip Republika Srpska of its remaining competencies. Of course, we are not a perfect society, but if you want to criticize us, you must sometimes try to understand us as well", Dodik says.. He stated that Banja Luka is a Serb city, while Sarajevo has become a Muslim city after all Serbs were forced out. "Regardless, Republika Srpska has never had better indicators or a more stable system in its history. Republika Srpska currently allocates BAM 950 million annually for healthcare workers and BAM 1.1 billion for employees in education and culture. We pay BAM 2.27 billion in pensions every year, regularly and without delays. We are among the least indebted", Dodik said. He added that falling fuel prices should lead to lower prices for groceries and certain services as well. Dodik noted that the previous increase in fuel prices was a consequence of tensions between the United States and Iran, but that Republika Srpska chose not to abolish excise taxes in order to continue building roads. "Everyone rushed to raise prices, food products and everything else. Now that fuel prices are falling, nobody is lowering their prices. We are preparing a plan to address that situation. The correct pricing can be calculated precisely", Dodik said. He emphasized that he highly values the efforts and hard work of domestic agricultural producers.