Court Conviction of Republika Srpska President Could Destabilise the Balkans: Peskov
Milorad Dodik. X/ @Vuk02577707
February 27, 2025 Hour: 8:34 am
The judicial prosecution of Milorad Dodik is directed against all Serbian patriotic forces, the Kremlin spokesperson stressed.
On Thursday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned that the conviction handed down by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina against the president of Republika Srpska (RS), Milorad Dodik, could have negative international implications.
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“We reject such actions because they are capable of provoking very negative consequences for the situation both in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the Balkans,” he said.
“We consider that the judicial prosecution of Dodik is entirely political in nature and is directed not only against him personally but also against all Serbian patriotic forces. And this is also unacceptable,” Peskov stressed.
The Kremlin spokesperson added that Moscow highly values the trust-based and cooperative relationship that has been established between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Serb-Bosnian leader.
Previously, Dodik was sentenced to one year in prison and disqualified from holding public office for six years for defying the decisions of Christian Schmidt, the German politician and High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Known as a political figure with a clear pro-Serbian nationalist stance, Dodik is the president of Republika Srpska, one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He has maintained close ties with Russia and has frequently challenged Bosnia and Herzegovina’s sovereignty.
Since Dodik advocates for Republika Srpska’s secession from Bosnia and Herzegovina, he has defied the authority of the High Representative and the international community. On multiple occasions, this politician has faced sanctions from the U.S. and UK for undermining Bosnia’s stability.
On Wednesday, Dodik announced that the Parliament of Republika Srpska would prohibit the actions of Bosnia’s central state judicial and police bodies within its territory.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE