The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Elmedin Konakovic assessed that the situation in Republika Srpska (RS), after the decision of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of BiH to call early elections on November 23rd, will unfold in a similar way as in previous political crises, emphasizing that Milorad Dodik will this time as well have to respect the decisions of the institutions of BiH.
“Dodik is a coward and has hinted at various obstructions, blockades, and secessions hundreds of times, and in the end, he always listened to the decisions of the institutions of BiH. The publication of the decision of the High Representative Christian Schmidt in the official gazette of RS, his payment of the prison fine, appearance in court and respect for the decisions of the prosecution and the court, as well as the fact that the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) functions normally on the territory of RS, confirm that it will be the same this time as well,” stated Konakovic.
He added that if the goal of the authorities in Sarajevo was “to push Dodik into the story of secession,” RS would very quickly come into a difficult economic situation.
“Our interest is BiH and approximation to Europe, using the potentials and opportunities that we have,” conveyed Minister Konakovic.
Speaking about possible candidates for president of RS, Konakovic emphasized that he does not want to speculate with names, but stressed that in SNSD, they are not aware of the real situation in society and the economy of that entity.
“To Dodik’s calls for Serbs to leave the institutions of BiH, no one responded. He knows that SNSD is in a bad position. The latest reports show the domination of the Federation of BiH (FBiH) in relation to RS, and Dodik is facing large annuities, problems with Elektroprivreda RS, the pension fund, and the like. He is economically falling apart and knows that he does not have many options,” he assessed.
As possible candidates for president of RS, as he said, Zeljka Cvijanovic and Dodik’s son are mentioned.
“Whatever they decide, that is their right, as long as it happens in accordance with the laws. Whoever is legally elected, we will treat them that way,” concluded Konakovic.
