Vladimir Putin held a meeting in the Kremlin with Milorad Dodik and Savo Minić

Meeting with President of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats Milorad Dodik and Prime Minister of Republika Srpska Savo Minić
Photo: Kremlin.ru

Vladimir Putin held a meeting in the Kremlin with President of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats Milorad Dodik and Prime Minister of Republika Srpska Savo Minić, who are in Moscow on a working visit, Kremlin informs.

From the Russian side, taking part in the meeting were Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, Minister of Energy Sergei Tsivilev, and Head of the Federal Agency for Technical Regulating and Metrology, Russian Co-Chair of the Intergovernmental Russia – Bosnia and Herzegovina Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation Anton Shalayev.

Head of the Republika Srpska Representative Office in Russia Duško Perović also attended the meeting.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Friends, good afternoon.

I am delighted to see you.

This year, a high-level delegation from Republika Srpska took part in celebrations held in Moscow to mark the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. We are very grateful to you for your participation.

The partnership between the Russian Federation and Republika Srpska is based on a time-tested friendship. For many years throughout our history, Russia, the Russian people, and the Serbian people have maintained special ties.

We will, of course, continue our efforts to further develop our relations. This includes political dialogue, cooperation within the UN framework, implementation of joint economic projects, and, naturally, our traditionally strong contacts in the cultural and humanitarian spheres.

Together, we strive to establish a more just world order. As I have already mentioned, we consistently support Republika Srpska at multilateral platforms, including the United Nations Security Council.

The date of the general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina is approaching: as I understand it, they are to be held very soon, on October 4. Russian representatives will participate as observers of the voting process. We wish success to the ruling coalition you represent. We trust that no external influence will alter the views of the majority of the population or prevent patriotic forces from securing a mandate to continue pursuing a course that safeguards the inalienable rights and interests of Republika Srpska within Bosnia and Herzegovina and fosters constructive cooperation with Russia.

We realise the complexity of the situation. You are aware of our position on the post-Yugoslavia settlement: since the collapse of Yugoslavia, a fairer attitude towards the Serbs – the Serbian people – has been both necessary and essential for ensuring stability. After all, discrediting even a single participant in this settlement process cannot lead to stability and peace in this challenging region.

I would like to reiterate that we sincerely wish you success.

President of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats Milorad Dodik (retranslated): Thank you, Mr President.

I want to greet you, thank you for your warm welcome, and congratulate you on the success of the recent parliamentary elections. The people have confirmed that they value the course being pursued, and I hope that we will be able to achieve the same. Thank you for your support. It will not be easy, but I am confident that we will succeed. There are ill intentions at work; attempts are being made to foist certain electoral technologies upon us, but we are preparing to respond.

I fully share your view regarding the bond between the Russian and Serbian peoples – a bond borne out by history. We are the very generations that carry this memory, and we are living through difficult times.

I also wish to thank you for your support at the United Nations, and to say that we followed Mr Lavrov's speech closely and fully agree with his assessments regarding the European Union. We, too, wish to state loud and clear that all the trouble stems from the offices in Brussels, and every day we discuss how to fight for ourselves and for our identity.

Our policy remains unchanged, Mr President. We continue to resist any external influences and attempts to force us to impose sanctions on Russia; to date, Bosnia and Herzegovina has not done so.

We continue to uphold our military neutrality. We are currently calling on the Balkan states to treat Russia fairly and decently. We have not consented to these machinations, and the people of Sarajevo do not wish to go along with them. We will continue our policy.

Our cooperation will continue. A meeting of the Russian-Bosnian Intergovernmental Commission took place recently, and positive decisions were reached. We will also continue our cooperation at the inter-institutional level. We are doing everything possible to establish a high-level council comprising the presidents of Republika Srpska and the Federation, as well as the Prime Minister to review our joint activities on an annual basis. It would also be excellent if you agreed to hold a joint government meeting once a year.

We certainly enjoy strong, close cooperation with St Petersburg and Tatarstan, and we have many joint initiatives. It is very important to us that our relationship with the Russian Federation is visible at all levels.

I would like to tell you that the Dayton Agreement has effectively failed. We continue to advocate for peace, and we appreciate everything that is being done to this end. However, these efforts are failing because Western countries are trying to undermine everything. They have effectively destroyed it all, and in recent months and days, they have been trying to impose solutions on us, forcing through decisions made by foreigners who sign various documents. What can we do? They are imposing an opposition on us. Thus, the Dayton Agreement has effectively failed.

Relations within Bosnia and Herzegovina have never been worse. Even immediately after the war, relations between the ethnic groups were better than they are now. I believe it will be very difficult for Bosnia and Herzegovina to endure along this path. Nevertheless, we remain committed to peace and stability, and we will direct all our political actions towards that end.

We are pleased to be here, and not just because we rely on your goodwill. You have consistently shown yourself to be our supporter, as has the entire Russian Federation. We are very grateful for that.

Mr Minić is here with me; he is our candidate for President of Republika Srpska. The results will show whether we have won or not. Later, I will explain how we plan to form our governing bodies. In any case, I want to thank you once again and express our support for the goals of the special military operation. I want to say that you were right all along, that all your warnings were justified, and that the actions of the West are plain for all to see. I absolutely agree with this, and I have stood by you throughout this time. We have always discussed these matters, and I am pleased to see you demonstrating Russia’s strength. I remember the early days very well, how it all began and what trying times it was, but you stood firm.

Vladimir Putin: Friends,

We are well aware that the Serbs are not seeking any special status or exceptions to the rules for themselves. On the contrary, you are committed to fulfilling all arrangements and previously concluded agreements.

You have mentioned Dayton. I repeat: you are not asking for anything special for yourselves, only that the decisions adopted at the international level are implemented. We consider it unacceptable to impose an external will on the Serbs, especially in violation of previously adopted international agreements.

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