Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Djuric stated, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, that Serbia will never accept the abolition of Republika Srpska (RS), while at the same time emphasizing readiness for cooperation and joint projects in the region.
In an op-ed published last week, which marked this anniversary as its topic of the week, Djuric said that Serbia is extending a hand of cooperation to all peoples in the region, from infrastructure projects such as the construction of motorways to joint appearances on the global market.
He emphasized that the equality of peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is a shared interest and called for its protection within the framework of the Dayton Agreement. In this context, he called on the international community to abandon what he described as selective justice and selective empathy.
“Peace in the Balkans will not endure if one people constantly feels humiliated. I am not ashamed to say that I am, above all, a Serb and that I will always defend Serbian national interests, but at the same time I am a strong advocate of reconciliation in the Balkans,” Djuric said.
He stressed that, in his words, being a good Serb today means being a good neighbour, and that patriotism implies building bridges, not walls.
Djuric expressed hope that the 30th anniversary of the Dayton Agreement will mark the beginning of a new era in the region, in which the chapter of war will be closed and the chapter of a shared future opened, with equal respect for all victims regardless of national affiliation. He also said that children in Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Mostar, and Belgrade should learn the same lesson – that peace is the greatest shared victory of the peoples of the region.
