DASH: Dodik's meeting with Putin, a short-sighted action

2023-05-24 09:47:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The US Department of State, commenting on the meeting between the president of the entity of the Republika Srpska of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik, and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, stated that "no government, at any level, at this moment should expand cooperation with Russia, meanwhile that country is committing aggression against Ukraine".

A State Department spokesman told VOA that Dodik's decision to meet with Putin, "at a time when Russia is flagrantly violating the foundations and laws of the international order, as well as Dodik's earlier decision to decorate Putin, are moves short-sighted that do not serve the interests of the citizens of Republika Srpska".

"The road that leads to a democratic, prosperous and secure future, which all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina want, goes through Brussels, not through Moscow. Therefore, we consider Dodik's path counterproductive and above all harmful," said the State Department spokesman.

Dodik said in Moscow on Tuesday that Republika Srpska continues to remain pro-Russian, anti-Western and anti-American.

While the Russian aggression against Ukraine continues, Dodik emphasized during the meeting with Putin that the Republic of Serbia has been exposed to numerous pressures from the West due to its support for Russia.

"We have not allowed an official decision to be made regarding sanctions against the Russian Federation and because of this we have been exposed to various forms of pressure from our Western partners, in the form of sanctions and suspensions from certain projects and programs. But we have chosen not to be part of the hysteria that is being created", said Dodik.

After the meeting with Putin, Dodik called the countries that impose sanctions on Russia "hostile". Along with the accusations and harsh rhetoric against the US Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he called Ambassador Michael Murphy "anti-Serb".

Dodik claimed that the US ambassador's goal is to "destroy Republika Srpska by the end of his term", while Ambassador Murphy has made it clear that the United States never wanted to abolish Republika Srpska, but corruption.

Murphy previously warned that Dodik, brazenly, is increasingly attacking the stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina with nationalist rhetoric./ Rel