PAVIĆ: CONTINUATION OF CVIJANOVIĆ AND DODIK'S BRILLIANT DIPLOMACY, NO BETTER IN EUROPE

BELGRADE, SEPTEMBER 23 /SRNA/ – Political scientist Aleksandar Pavić says Serb BiH Presidency member Željka Cvijanović's meetings in the United States, along with President Milorad Dodik’s visits to Israel and, soon, Moscow, represent a continuation of Republika Srpska’s brilliant foreign policy, which currently has no equal anywhere in Europe.

Pavić told SRNA that Republika Srpska has pursued such a policy particularly since Donald Trump returned to the White House. He said it would be a major achievement for any country to be able to maintain relations with Russia, the United States, and Israel in this way, adding that practically no European country has managed to do so. "Republika Srpska is doing this without full sovereignty and without its own diplomatic service. So this is simply an achievement that did not happen overnight, but is the result of a great deal of work over a long period," Pavić added. He said this would not have been possible without consistency in the policy pursued by the SNSD, headed by Milorad Dodik, i.e. the policy of building new friendships without abandoning old ones. Pavić pointed out that Dodik is a welcome guest in the Kremlin, while Republika Srpska officials are welcomed at Trump's White House, because they have never tried to turn their backs on their friends, to turn their backs on Russia for the sake of Trump, or vice versa. "No, but rather with both. It is respected. It is respected in the Kremlin, it is respected in the White House," Pavić said. He said that this firm position remained the same even during difficult times, noting that Dodik supported Trump even during the four years when he was not in the White House, as well as ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election. "At the same time, this was not held against him at all in Moscow. Now, we have a situation in which Republika Srpska is in a much better position both in the Kremlin and in Washington than Sarajevo. As for Israel, there is even less need to discuss it," Pavić said. He noted that Republika Srpska has maintained long-standing relations with Israel in a completely rational and realistic manner.