Dodik's lobbyists "finished their job"

The President of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, Milorad Dodik, thanked United States President Donald Trump and his associates yesterday for the decision of the US Treasury Department to lift sanctions against him and 48 other individuals and legal entities that were previously sanctioned under the Western Balkans Sanctions Program.

"I am grateful to President Donald Trump and his associates for righting the great injustice inflicted on Republika Srpska, its representatives, and their families - an injustice created by the Obama and Biden administrations," X Dodik, who has been under US sanctions since 2017 for violating the Dayton Peace Agreement, posted online.

He emphasized that the decision to lift sanctions represents not only a legal, but also a "moral rehabilitation of the truth about the Republika Srpska and all those who serve it honorably."

"Once again, it has been shown that everything that was said against us was a lie and propaganda, on which the great mess created by Kristijan Šmit was built - a mess that must now be cleaned up," Dodik said. He added that "those who have gloated and believed in other people's lies over the years can be forgiven for everything, except for the years that were lost because they believed that the Republika Srpska would fall." "Today it is clear - it will never fall," Dodik concluded.

"The Trump administration's decision to lift sanctions on Milorad Dodik is irresponsible and premature. Dodik undermined the Dayton Peace Agreement, courted Putin, and profited from corruption - this can never be a basis for easing sanctions. The American people deserve an explanation," Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen said in a statement.

The lifting of sanctions was also commented on by BiH Presidency member Željka Cvijanović, who was also removed from the sanctions list. Cvijanović is on an official visit to France with two other members of the BiH Presidency. “Upon landing in Paris, I was greeted by good news - that American sanctions against 30 individuals and several legal entities from Republika Srpska, including its highest officials, have been lifted,” said Cvijanović.

Republika Srpska Prime Minister Savo Minić stressed that, following the lifting of US sanctions on the RS leadership, there will be more good news. “We have only just begun!” Minić wrote in a post on Iks.

The move by the US administration was welcomed by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, who said it was an excellent decision and added that Dodik had done a lot for relations between Srpska and Hungary. "I hope that all European colleagues will understand the message of this decision," Szijjártó said on the X network.

In addition to Dodik and Cvijanović, the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has also removed members of Dodik's family, their companies and close associates, including Nenad Stevandić, the Speaker of the RS National Assembly, from the list of persons subject to sanctions.

OFAC has not explained why it removed dozens of Dodik's closest associates, including cabinet ministers, his son and daughter, and companies linked to them, from the list. However, Serbian officials have indicated that they are secretly working to establish a new kind of relationship with the United States, Reuters reports.

The decision was made after Republika Srpska invested significant funds in lobbying in the US. Radio Free Europe reported that in December last year, the RS authorities signed a contract with the American law firm “Zell & Associates International Advocates” to lobby in the US to lift sanctions against Dodik and Cvijanović, promote dialogue between RS and the Donald Trump administration, and review the Dayton Agreement and the role of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

According to the registration document that RFE/RL has access to, the law firm will achieve these goals in the US through communication with representatives of the local executive and legislative branches, as well as the non-governmental sector.

The founder of the law firm “Zell & Associates International Advocates” is American-Israeli lawyer Mark Zell, who is registered in the US as a foreign lobbyist for Republika Srpska, according to the Israeli newspaper “Haaretz”. Zell is the president of an organization that brings together American Republicans in Israel, and his firm has offices in New York, Washington, Toronto, Moscow and Amman. Zell, according to registration documents, lives in the Jewish settlement of Kfar Etzion in the West Bank.

Under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), any US citizen or firm representing a foreign entity must report such activity in advance.

Until now, RS's contracts with lobbying and law firms in the US have mainly related to investment promotion and legal advice, and these services have cost several tens of thousands of dollars per month.

Citing unofficial sources, Klix.ba announced that the lifting of sanctions against Dodik and his associates was the result of an agreement between the US and Dodik that Dodik, after the final verdict, must leave the office of President of the RS and appoint an acting president.

Following a court ruling in August banning him from engaging in politics, Dodik resigned as President of the Republika Srpska, and the National Assembly appointed Ana Trišić Babić as Acting President of the Republika Srpska, and also annulled a set of laws and decisions that the Constitutional Court of BiH had previously deemed anti-Dayton and unconstitutional.

The US State Department welcomed these moves, stating that they are the result of US-led efforts “to defuse the crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina”.

“Dodik’s respect for the Sarajevo court’s ruling shows that he wants to remain on good terms with the Trump administration,” Jay Truesdale, a former US diplomat with experience in the region, told Reuters.

“He has dropped his most significant challenges to the Dayton Accords to appease the White House, although he still retains the ability to launch a new, destabilizing campaign for secession.”

Despite the appointment of an interim president, Dodik continued to perform duties and travel abroad in his capacity as president.

Trišić Babić, Dodik's ally, will hold the position until the early presidential elections scheduled for November 23rd.

The lifting of US sanctions against Dodik was commented on by US Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who described the move as "irresponsible and premature".

"The Trump administration's decision to lift sanctions on Milorad Dodik is irresponsible and premature. Dodik undermined the Dayton Peace Agreement, flattered Putin, and profited from corruption - this can in no way be a basis for easing sanctions. The American people deserve an explanation," Şahin posted on X.