"If I receive an invitation to the BRICS summit, I will gladly accept it"

Republika Srpska would like to see representatives of Russia as part of the mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the president of the entity, Milorad Dodik, said in an interview with Izvestia. According to him, the BiH prosecutor's office is associated with criminal groups whose goal is to remove him from the elections. Enthusiasm for EU membership in Bosnia and Herzegovina has significantly decreased. At the same time, Banja Luka intends to strengthen relations with Russia, despite Western sanctions. About the results of negotiations with Vladimir Putin, new visits to the Russian Federation and participation in the BRICS — in an exclusive interview with Milorad Dodik "Izvestia".

"Constitutional Bosnia and Herzegovina could be established as a state"

— What caused your decision to ask Russia to block the continuation of the European Althea mission to the United Nations? Will Republika Srpska propose a different mission format with the involvement of other countries?

— It would be good, and we would like to see representatives of the Russian state in any mission, and that would be fair. That would be fair to all of us in Bosnia and Herzegovina. But these are big associations. For our part, we can only talk about what we see and what suits us and what doesn't. We have no fundamental objections to the Althea mission — it proved to be stable and was not something that would pose a security threat.

This request, which you asked about, is related to the fact that some wanted to impose an obligation on Althea to interfere in the internal affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina. For her to be the one who harasses, arrests, detains, and so on, which, of course, is not her mission. If Althea does this, then its mandate should indeed be terminated.

— Earlier, you stated that Bosnia and Herzegovina never took place as a state. Is Republika Srpska planning to take actions aimed at seceding from Bosnia and Herzegovina? Is it possible to hold a referendum on this issue in 2025?

— There is nothing new when I say that Bosnia and Herzegovina is not functioning. I believe that it can function on the basis of the constitution, and not on the basis of its violation. I believe that constitutional Bosnia and Herzegovina could have been established as a state, but they have never even tried to make it one. We express our constant dissatisfaction with the fact that unconstitutional decisions were imposed on us by international interference, and these decisions also turned out to be unviable and unfair. Not to mention that they are not equally honest towards everyone and clearly prefer one side — Bosnian Muslims, whose policies are motivated by political Islam.

Thus, we see the way in which the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina is developing. But I believe that one day everything will end with some kind of democratic processes. I also believe that the UN Charter was written for a reason, not because someone had nothing to do, but because it is a basic act of international relations all over the world. It enshrines the right of peoples to self-determination, and this right should never be excluded. And best of all, it is confirmed when the people themselves go to a referendum and determine their right.

"Russia's power in maintaining its approach to honoring the Victory over fascism is respected"

— What was the reason for your visit to Moscow? What are the results of your talks with Vladimir Putin?

— These are our regular consultations, and I am glad that President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin pays attention to us, small but undoubted friends of Russia. And in this regard, it is a continuation of our communication and discussion of many issues. We can all see that just five months ago the situation in the world was completely different, but today we have some progress that gives us the right to think that we can move towards stable relations. Therefore, it was important for me to meet with President Putin and note how this situation as a whole will develop on a global level. I am interested in every victory for Russia, including in Ukraine, and, of course, in the world that Russia needs to ensure its economic development and in all other areas.

For me, this meeting was an opportunity to introduce President Putin to the situation in our country. I was very impressed by the fact that President Putin knows the details. I informed him that in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Biden administration had imposed a foreigner who had not been appointed by the UN Security Council, and that he was making decisions. And the courts, which were again imposed by his predecessors, the high representatives, judge us and persecute the legitimately elected representatives of the people. In this regard, we discussed some of our possible economic and other contacts that were interrupted due to the relations that had developed earlier at the global level. But gradually the world is opening up, and Russia is also opening up. That's why we're here at the right time. We thanked President Putin for the invitation to come here again on May 9th, and I definitely won't miss this opportunity.

— Are there any plans to hold events in Republika Srpska dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in World War II?

— Yes, I will be here on May 9th. And in Republika Srpska, various commemorative events are held throughout the year. On April 27, we celebrate the day when 80 years ago prisoners made a breakthrough from the Jasenovac concentration camp, where for four years systematic murders were committed by the Croatian Ustasha fascists. 500,000 Serbs, 35,000 Jews, about the same number of Gypsies and more than 100,000 representatives of the anti-fascist movement of other nations were killed. After the most affected — the Russian and Jewish peoples — the Serbs became the third nation in terms of the number of victims in the Second World War. We consistently celebrate all these events and will not allow the revisionists of history to impose their truths. And those who are trying to rewrite history are the descendants of those who committed crimes.

Therefore, Russia's power in maintaining its approach to honoring the Victory over fascism is respected. We are also organizing processions of the descendants of the victims of the Second World War — we are showing solidarity, this is a movement that has already swept many countries around the world. And that's fine. Of course, we must not forget our ancestors. And it is important to state that there are descendants who continue the cause of anti-fascism as the greatest value.

— How has trade between Russia and Republika Srpska changed over the past year? Is the turnover expected to grow?

— It is clear to everyone that opportunities for cooperation have become difficult, since the Western world, through the imposition of sanctions, prevents any kind of interaction. But, of course, we continued to cooperate. Despite the fact that we had a lot of problems, including financially. We have never lost the desire and will to cooperate with Russia and will continue to do so, and I am very happy about the moment when we will be able to restore the previous level of relations. We are closely monitoring the situation and supporting the preservation of economic and trade relations with the Russian Federation.

"How can I respect the decisions of a court that doesn't exist?"

— Do you feel your life is in danger after the decision of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina to sentence you to a year in prison and ban your political activities for six years?

— Yes, of course. Now my life has changed in a way. It was changed by the feeling that you live in a country where the law is not respected, where political opponents are sentenced for political reasons, which, it would seem, has long passed and almost nowhere else in the world does this anymore. But now it's back. On the other hand, it creates a lot of problems.

The final and main goal is to remove me from the elections. And in order to do that, they had to condemn me. So the ban on political activity for six years is an absolutely politically motivated decision that can be nothing more than a blow to democracy and even to the achievements of civilization.

— In your opinion, what is the reason for such a court decision? Whose interests does this body protect?

— What can I think about it? This court is not provided for by the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It doesn't exist. It was imposed earlier by the Austrian high representative, Wolfgang Petrich. And then it was constantly supplemented, until it turned into a kind of evil incarnation. The prosecutor's office has real criminals who are associated with various criminal structures — not only in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also in the region, and even with international groups. And now, because they've played too much and are defending their criminal records, they are, of course, cracking down on us, politicians, trying to show that they are allegedly doing something.

So how can I respect the decisions of a court that does not exist? It is not in the constitution. It was imposed by the decisions of those high representatives who had no right to do so. And then it all developed into the current form of a monster that contributes to political and even institutional instability in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On the other hand, the court convicted me on the basis of an indictment in which the prosecutor's office says: "I am guilty because, as President of Republika Srpska, I signed a decree on the adoption of the law in accordance with the constitution." Do I need to explain something to someone? I don't think so. And the decision in this case was made by a German foreigner.

You know, the Germans have done us a lot of harm. They destroyed a significant part of my people, both in the First and Second World Wars. And now, when a German appears again to decide for us, it undoubtedly evokes certain associations. And now the German Christian Schmidt comes to me and dictates to me how I should live. It's impossible to accept.

"Imposed on the court and the prosecutor's office, which do not comply with the constitution, we said no

— What legislative measures is Republika Srpska taking to protect its sovereignty?

— We act in accordance with the constitution. What is not within the competence of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we do not recognize on the territory of Republika Srpska. We have said "no" to the courts and prosecutor's offices imposed on us, which do not comply with the Constitution, and they will no longer operate on the territory of Republika Srpska. There is also no political structure that Bosnia and Herzegovina has no authority over. Moreover, she has no authority for either the court or the prosecutor's office. Our police, our court and our prosecutor's office operate on our territory, not these imposed inquisitorial courts.

They are part of voluntarism, political, part of this Western, international... you can't even say "international community," because it's not a community at all, but a destroyer of communities. But in any case, we are doing this and will continue to do so in the future — that is, we will not touch what is stipulated as belonging to the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina according to the constitution. We will return everything that is not provided for to Republika Srpska.

— In February, Italy proposed to accelerate the accession of the countries of the Western Balkans, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, to the EU. Has the Republika Srpska's position on joining the European Union changed?

— These are all empty phrases and a story told thousands of times. They say it needs to be done, and it's been going on for over 30 years. Along the way, they also tightened the criteria so that now 16-17 countries out of 27 would not meet these requirements if they had to do what they require of us. This indicates their intentions. That is, whenever they need something - for local or some other global purposes — they rush these invitations to the European Union, but in fact no one seriously considers it.

And I think nothing will happen in this regard. In any case, we want to be visible on the European path. But I must say that the enthusiasm that we had ten years ago, which was very high, is incomparable to today. Now it's more for show than a sincere belief that we really should be there. And as for the new BRICS summit: if I receive an invitation, I will gladly accept it.