Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik said on Saturday that Republika Srpska (RS), the Serb-dominated entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has the resources and strength to defend itself from potential attacks by the country’s other entity, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Speaking at a ceremony marking the 33rd anniversary of the breakthrough of the Posavina Corridor to Serbia, Dodik said RS would avoid global conflicts but was “secure” and prepared to defend itself domestically.
“What we must avoid are global conflicts, but RS has the means to defend itself from any attacks by the Federation,” Dodik said.
Dodik also criticized the West’s perception of the region, claiming that Serbs continue to be labeled as a destabilizing factor.
“How do you expect Serbs to recognize Kosovo?” he asked, adding that he does not accept the framework of Bosnia and Herzegovina beyond what is defined in its Constitution.
He said RS’s constitutional position must be reinstated, after which a shared status of Bosnia and Herzegovina could be negotiated.
“We are against an unconstitutional Bosnia and Herzegovina, and that is exactly what we have today,” Dodik stated. “If we agree on that, we can agree on everything else.”
He reiterated his long-standing call for greater autonomy, claiming that Republika Srpska will become “increasingly independent” and ultimately “an independent country.”
Dodik argued the world is no longer unipolar but multipolar and that RS must understand its place in such a global order.
“It is important that we have strong friends. The future of our small nation depends on that,” he added.
His comments come amid a deepening political crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina, triggered in February when the State Court sentenced Dodik to one year in prison and barred him from holding public office for six years.
In response, the ruling coalition in the RS assembly passed legislation banning the operation of state-level judicial and security institutions. The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina suspended the laws with temporary measures.
The Bosnian state prosecutor’s office launched an investigation into Dodik and other RS leaders for allegedly attempting to undermine the constitutional order. The State Court ordered pre-trial detention for Dodik, RS Prime Minister Radovan Višković, and parliament speaker Nenad Stevandić, and later issued arrest warrants.
Despite the court’s decisions, Dodik has continued to travel abroad. Efforts by the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) to detain him in East Sarajevo were blocked by RS police. Interpol has declined to issue a red notice for his arrest.