The president of the Bosnian entity Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, has sparked fierce reactions on Tuesday after making a series of controversial and offensive claims during a public address following a meeting of the ruling coalition in Republika Srpska.
In his speech, Dodik said that the solution to the political crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina would be for Bosniaks to “return to the Orthodox faith”, suggesting that only then would Bosnia and Herzegovina be a “majority Serb” state that could function.
“The solution for Bosnia and Herzegovina is for Muslims to return to their old Orthodox faith. We are trying to make constructive proposals. There is evidence that our ancestors converted to Islam under Ottoman coercion. That is why this is the right solution for me,” Dodik said.
He continued his speech by saying that Bosnia and Herzegovina is “falling apart” and that its legacy “smells of inhumanity”, repeating his challenge to the legitimacy of High Representative Christian Schmidt, whom he again called “illegal”. He also accused Bosniaks of, as he said, accepting Schmidt’s decisions and hoping for a second half.
Speaking about the status of the Brčko District, Dodik proposed that “50 percent be returned to the Federation” and that a “new demarcation line be drawn”, claiming that Serbs are the majority in Brčko and that “there is no question of taking away that area”.
“Stop talking about Brčko. The status of Brčko has been resolved by a final arbitration decision and for us that story is over”, said Dodik.
He also announced that he would ask Serbia to consider the position of Republika Srpska in the National Assembly, claiming that RS is “under attack from within” and that behind the member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Denis Bećirović “what remains is a disintegrated Bosnia and Herzegovina”.
“BiH is not what it claims to be. It will disintegrate. I am also glad about that”, said Dodik.
He reiterated once again that “Serbia should stand behind Republika Srpska”, emphasizing that “the defense of Serbs, wherever they live, is the state interest of Serbia”.
Dodik’s statements, which are interpreted as an open undermining of the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina and incitement of religious and national intolerance, have provoked harsh reactions both within our country and in the wider region, BHRT writes.
