Member of Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Milorad Dodik is currently in Russia, where he participated in the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, and on that occasion, he also spoke for the Russian media.
In an interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestia, Dodik spoke about the situation in BiH, the war in Ukraine, and also relations between the West and the Russian Federation, and said that he would meet with the Russian President Vladimir Putin today.
“The planned meeting will be a continuation of our continuous mutual relations. I am very happy because it will take place in such difficult conditions on the international scene. I am interested in President Putin’s position on current events. Of course, we will continue to discuss all issues of our bilateral cooperation. We will discuss the construction of the gas pipeline, as well as Dayton because Russia is still the guarantor of its implementation,” Dodik noted at the beginning of the interview.
The West ignores Russia’s fears
Afterward, he referred to the war in Ukraine as well as the crisis in relations between Russia and the West.
“The world has long ceased to be what it used to be. The West ignores the fears and concerns that Russia has repeatedly talked about, and concerns about the justified fear of bringing military infrastructure closer to its borders. Thus the world came to a conflict in Ukraine. Someone in the West wanted a conflict between Moscow and Kyiv,” Dodik told.
He said that the impression was gained that the West wanted to defeat Russia in this conflict.
“No one is in a hurry with the agreements. It’s as if they expect it to be resolved militarily. Probably the West is trying to find ways to achieve victory over Russia. The West once bombed Serbs, and now weapons are being delivered to Ukraine for alleged humanitarian purposes,” Dodik mentioned.
Among other things, he referred to the recognition of the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk.
“We understand the reasons that led Russia to recognize their status. Once upon a time, there was a Republika Srpska (RS) Krajina on the territory of Croatia, in exactly the same way, under pressure from the West and Croats, this entity ceased to exist. Worst of all, it was ethnically cleansed. We assume that the same is planned for Donetsk and Luhansk. From this point of view, we understand the current situation, “ Dodik said.
He also spoke about BiH citizens allegedly fighting in Ukraine.
“There is a law in BiH that forbids citizens to take part in international military conflicts. They will be imprisoned. Such measures have been taken against those who took part in the war in Syria,” said a member of the BiH presidency.
He is against joining NATO
In the interview, one of the topics Dodik referred to was BiH’s entry into NATO. He also spoke about the refusal to impose sanctions on the Russian Federation.
“I do not regret this decision at all. I consider it absurd that BiH imposes sanctions on Russia, which is the guarantor of Dayton. The Dayton Agreement is the foundation and guarantor of the existence of the whole of BiH. However, the world is full of absurdity. The Croat-Muslim part of BiH is trying to be in solidarity with the West, but the EU is not always right and we should not always be in solidarity with it. Besides, Russia has supported Serbs throughout history,” he said.
Afterward, he referred to BiH’s accession to the European Union (EU) and NATO.
“Our policy is absolutely against joining NATO. The position of RS is strong. As for the EU, the enthusiasm for joining the EU in our region is quite weak. It is absolutely not at the level it was 10 years ago. All that will largely depend on how Europe develops and whether it will be the subject of American policy,” Dodik concluded in an interview with a Russian newspaper, Klix.ba writes.
E.Dz.
