During the meeting in Belgrade last week, the Serbian member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik, asked the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for military assistance in the event of an armed conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the near future.
This was published by the Bosnian-Herzegovinian portal Istraga.ba, citing information from security agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Dodik told Radio and Television of the Republika Srpska (RTRS) that the Republika Srpska intends to fight for its goals by political means, but that it is also ready for armed conflicts if necessary, as well as that it will seek the help of "friends".
"If necessary, we will defend ourselves with our forces. If it comes to the point that they say that NATO will intervene, we will ask for the help of our friends who have told us clearly and loudly that they never leave their friends in the lurch," said Dodik. but did not specify who the "friends" were.
Dodik said that the independence of the RS is supported by seven EU members.
"It's true, but I won't say which one," pointed out Dodik.
He stated that NATO interventions on the territory of Republika Srpska would be "aggression" and then, as he said, she would have the right to call her friends to protect them, Beta reported.
"We don't want any escalation of the problem. This is a political issue and a political struggle. Political decisions are made here, not war decisions," said Dodik, speaking of his initiative for the RS to withdraw its agreement on the formation of institutions at the state level, such as the Armed Forces of BiH , the Directorate for Indirect Taxation and the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council.
Those three institutions are the pillars of the common system of security, rule of law and economy in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
At the end of the interview, he said that he also discussed the "things he talked about on RTRS" with the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Istraga portal reported.
"I spoke with Lavrov the night before. We talked about all the issues, including these that you and I discussed," said Dodik.
The Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina cooperate closely with NATO and the armed forces of the Alliance members.
In March, the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Sarajevo threatened Bosnia and Herzegovina that Russia will react if that country takes steps towards NATO membership because Moscow will interpret it as a hostile act.
The ambassadors of the member countries of the Steering Committee (SC) of the Council for the Implementation of Peace in BiH (PIC) indicated today that it is of crucial importance for the citizens of that country that the institutions function at all levels of government, including the Armed Forces of BiH. In the statement after the session of the Board of Directors of the PIC, in which it is stated that Russia did not agree with the text of the joint statement, it is written that all political representatives have the responsibility to participate in the work of institutions at all levels of government in order to serve those who elected them. agency Beta. "Without commitment and cooperation, there are no much-needed reforms, especially those related to the rule of law, which are of key importance so that BiH can move forward on its path to the EU. Without this, the citizens of BiH will not be able to fully exercise their right to peaceful , a democratic and prosperous future," the announcement stated. The ambassadors stated that they expect all leaders to reject rhetoric that leads to destabilization and divisions and to stop all activities in this regard, including threats of secession and challenging the existence of BiH as a single, sovereign state consisting of two entities. "We are persistent in supporting the sovereignty, territorial integrity and constitutional order of BiH. Attempts to undo 26 years of hard-won progress and peace are contrary to what all political leaders have committed to and what BiH should be moving towards," the statement reads. Dodik has been leading measures to obstruct the central government since the former international representative in BiH, Valentin Incko, imposed a law that prohibits the denial of genocide and war crimes.
Last Sunday, Dodik said that several expert groups are working on drafting a new RS constitution and laws on defense, justice and finances of that entity.
He added that those moves will not contradict the constitution because those three institutions were formed based on the decisions of international peace envoys and were not included in the constitution. He also said that the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be preserved.
Critics say that the entity parliament cannot overturn decisions approved by the state parliament.
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