Dodik says he received calls from Vucic, Orban after his sentencing by BiH court

BELGRADE:  The head of Republika Srpska (RS), an entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik, has stated that he received calls from...

BELGRADE:  The head of Republika Srpska (RS), an entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik, has stated that he received calls from Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban following his sentencing to jail by a BiH court for ignoring the decisions of the High Representative of the International Community in the country, Christian Schmidt.

"The first call I received was from Aleksandar Vucic, who expressed his support for us. The second call was from Viktor Orban. I invite Aleksandar Vucic to come to Banja Luka tonight," Dodik was quoted as saying by the Republika Srpska’s Radio and Television.

According to the Serbian newspaper Vecernje Novosti, following the announcement of the verdict, Vucic convened an emergency meeting of the National Security Council, scheduled for 5:00 p.m. Belgrade time (7:00 p.m. Moscow time, 4:00 p.m. GMT). The report also indicates that the Serbian president has accepted Dodik's invitation and will travel to Banja Luka tonight.

Earlier, a court in Bosnia and Herzegovina sentenced the RS head to one year in prison and imposed a six-year ban on political activity for disregarding Schmidt's decisions. This judgment is from the court of first instance and is subject to appeal. The final ruling will be delivered by the second-instance chamber of the Court of BiH by the end of this year.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is effectively governed by a High Representative of the International Community, a position established under the Dayton agreement, appointed by the steering committee of the BiH Peace Implementation Council with the approval of the UN Security Council. However, in May 2021, the ambassadors of the steering committee countries appointed Christian Schmidt as the new High Representative in BiH without following the UNSC approval procedure. The leadership of Republika Srpska does not recognize Schmidt's legitimacy. Dodik has warned of his readiness to declare the entity's independence should Schmidt continue to promote laws that infringe on the rights of Bosnian Serbs.

-News Feed