Русский
Vladimir Putin has met with Milorad Dodik, the President of Republika Srpska, following the 2024 BRICS Summit in Kazan.
This is what they had to say:
Putin:
“Mr President, welcome to Kazan.
The last time we met was not so long ago, but time flies quickly. We met in St Petersburg in June, and before that, in February, at the Games of the Future. Now we are meeting in Kazan.
It is important that Russia’s cooperation with Republika Srpska is very hands-on and is progressing in the spirit of mutual respect, as it should be between fraternal nations.
Our political contacts are expanding. Our colleagues on both sides maintain constant contact in political and economic affairs alike. We are aware of the challenges you are facing and the trials you have to go through. However, we are confident that with your moral fibre and the resolve to defend your national interests that the people living in Republika Srpska are showing, you will be able to overcome all difficulties.
You know, attempts to demonise Russia are quite evident. Today at a news conference, someone asked if we are behind the unrest in certain Western capitals. That is utterly ridiculous. We simply lack the means to orchestrate any marches or unrest there. Such claims are absurd. This narrative is merely a tactic to further their own agenda and to avoid responsibility for the fundamental mistakes the West is making in relation to other countries, all in a desperate bid to maintain its dominance at any cost.
The global landscape is evolving, and so is the role of BRICS. I want to emphasise once more, as you may have seen and heard, that we are not engaged in conflict with anyone, nor do we seek confrontation. We are simply charting our own course, developing new tools and mechanisms for cooperation based on equality and mutual respect for each other’s interests. This is how we will continue to operate now and in the future.
I am delighted to see you and I would like to thank you for visiting Kazan to take part in the BRICS Summit. I hope it has been useful, at least in terms of being updated on what was happening at the BRICS Summit. I am sure that you had useful business contacts during this event.”
Dodik:
“Mr President, I would like to greet you and express my gratitude for the warm welcome we received and for the invitation to Kazan to attend the high-profile meeting that you have organised here. This summit is evidence of the free world seeking to unite and cooperate to counter those who wish to influence other countries’ internal affairs.
You personally deserve all the credit for shaping BRICS into a group that is guided by these principles. We are grateful to you for the opportunity to see this firsthand, and we would also like to be involved in this activity as Republika Srpska, in a format that would allow for this possibility. I know we have opportunities to participate as Bosnia and Herzegovina. We will try this as well. It is not entirely up to us, but we will try to provide some support at the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina, too.
I agree with you that our cooperation is indeed guided by mutual trust and respect. We are living through times that are full of challenges, both for you and for Republika Srpska.
Your economic progress is highly encouraging, and I am impressed that you are officially the fourth largest economy in the world according to the IMF. This suggests that the sanctions that have been imposed on you have not achieved the effects intended by the West.
Unfortunately, sanctions have been imposed against us – against me personally, my family, the Speaker of the Parliament, our Assembly, the Prime Minister, and members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. There is an attempt to sway our position to align with their persistent goals regarding sanctions against your country.
We categorically reject this and refuse to impose sanctions against you. Just two days ago, we declined the demand for Bosnia and Herzegovina to introduce visa requirements for Russian citizens, which exemplifies our commitment to resisting such pressure.
All decisions are made at the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The European Union is effectively linking further progress on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European path to the adoption of specific decisions, with new demands emerging every day.
Yesterday, the American embassy claimed that there are camps in the Republika Srpska that we supposedly set up together with you to destabilise Moldova. This is a complete falsehood. Such accusations are a clear attempt to exert pressure and poison the atmosphere. I have noticed that they are actively pursuing this narrative. However, the current situation does not seem to encourage them towards any potential intervention.
BRICS has shown that their efforts to isolate both you and Russia have failed, despite their attempts to do so by any means available. This is something I find encouraging.
Thank you very much for allowing us to be here during these significant days, important not only for Russia but, I believe, for the entire world as well. The expansion of BRICS also inspires us with hope.”
Analysis & Implications
The Republika Srpska is a new European country in the making, although diplomatically Russia is treating it as if it already exists as a sovereign nation. This may only be a matter of time.
Republika Srpska, is currently part of the Federation of Bosnia & Herzegovina (BiH), yet may shortly declare independence. Part of the former Yugoslavia, Republika Srpska is one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in the north and east of the country. Its largest city and administrative centre is Banja Luka, lying on the Vrbas river, and has a population of about 1.2 million people.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a complex entity that consists of two main parts, the Croatian-Muslim based Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Orthodox Republika Srpska, which is far closer in ethnicity to Serbia. In addition, while the BiH uses the Roman language, Republika Srpska uses the Cyrillic alphabet. Each entity already has its own constitution, legislative, executive and judicial authorities.
BiH also leans politically more towards the European Union, although Brussels appears not especially keen to absorb a Muslim member state. Republika Srpska meanwhile is pro-Moscow. The complete BiH is currently governed from Sarajevo, which is part of the BiH territory. Consequently, Republika Srpska feels that the decision-making process is not always representative of their wishes.
Republika Srpska intends to issue a draft agreement on the peaceful separation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which would introduce a subsequently reduced Bosnia & Herzegovina, and produce Republika Srpska as an independent state, thus creating a new European country. This move has been rejected by both Sarajevo and Brussels, with the EU sanctioning Dodik.
Dodik has previously said that “We are talking about an absolutely real answer, caused by the circumstances that are taking shape now. They absolutely do not comply with either the BiH law, the constitution, or the Dayton Peace Agreement and therefore secession is the only answer to current threats and existing challenges. It will create completely new conditions of existence and a new reality. So, this is the real way out. But let’s see if the other side agrees. They will probably say no, but in any case, the development of the situation will be clearly in favor of this initiative, we will prepare it and conclude it in the form of a document that will be put on the table.
For 15 years, the Bosnian side has been causing great harm to Republika Srpska and hindering its development. Today we just see that if we were able to implement this project earlier and maintain the price of gas, then we would be one of the most promising regions in terms of investment. In this sense, Sarajevo really destroyed this prospect and caused us enormous material harm, and this is one of the reasons why I am talking about secession.”
The European Union has opened negotiations with Bosnia & Herzegovina over joining the EU, while Sarajevo has banned the importation of Russian gas into the entire region following pressure from Brussels. Banking services connected with Russia have also been sanctioned.
Dodik meanwhile has turned to Russia for support and is providing some incentives. He said that Republika Srpska is interested in adopting the Russian MIR payment system and wants to accelerate the construction of an additional gas pipeline from Serbia in order to purchase more Russian gas without having to listen to Sarajevo. He also wants to modernize the regional railway infrastructure through cooperation with Russia and wants Moscow to support a peaceful Republika Srpska withdrawal from Bosnia and Herzegovina. He noted that Banja Luka, which would become the new capital city, counts on Russia’s support in this matter.
Dodik also noted the current pressure the European Union is placing on Sarajevo to seize Russian assets, stating that most of these are actually in Republika Srpska. He stated that “On the territory of Republika Srpska there are almost 90% of all BiH Russian assets and only a small part in the rest of the BiH. Republika Srpska definitely does not plan to freeze Russian assets and will never support such an initiative. This is completely inconsistent with how we see the development of our relations with the Russian Federation.”
In terms of interacting with President Putin, Dodik has previously stated “Yes, no doubt, we support each other. Our peoples and both our countries states have exactly the same understanding of everything that has happened. We see imperialist manners from outside, and we see how the identity of the Russian and Serbian peoples is threatened. And our mutual understanding creates the basis for mutual support. In my opinion, the Republika Srpska and Russia are currently very intensively interacting. We assist each other in economics, and investment, as well as at the spiritual level. So, yes, together we are going in the same direction.”
Clearly, there is alarming potential for violence erupting across Bosnia & Herzegovina should Republika Srpska declare independence as it has stated it intends to do – in the form of releasing a road map to independence. That in itself is not an immediate succession, but it has the power to inflame tensions. Neither Brussels nor Moscow would especially welcome a descent into what would be a de facto BiH civil war. However, it would introduce high-level diplomatic negotiations to work out a solution. That may have unexpected spin-offs – getting European Union and Russian negotiators to work together to solve the Bosnia & Herzegovina/Republika Srpska differences could well act as a catalyst to build some trust and commonalities that may be put to later use when it comes to negotiations concerning the future of Ukraine.
Further Reading
