President of the Republic held a Press Conference

The President of the Republic of Srpska Milorad Dodik held a press conference today in the Palace of the Republic regarding the current situation.

The President of the Republic of Srpska stated that the decision of the Court in Strasbourg in the “Kovačević” case brings additional problems to BiH, because its goal is to deal with the constitution of the people and it rejects the elements of the Dayton Peace Agreement.

The President Dodik pointed out that the said decision is doubtful and speculative.

“The President of the Council of this court / Gabriele Kucsko–Stadlmayer / said that the verdict was not legal. The Court’s decision is more of a recommendation than a binding one”, said the President of the Republic.

The President of Srpska stated that the Court in Strasbourg, with the aforementioned decision, is preventing BiH on its European path.

“That is why the efforts to keep the Dayton Agreement as the basis of BiH are failing. They passed the judgment in a dilettante manner and everything went beyond the prescribed conventions. BiH cannot survive on the civil principle”, it was stated by the President Dodik.

The President of the Republic of Srpska announced that he will initiate the holding of a session of the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska, at which the decision of the European Court of Human Rights in the “Kovačević” case would be rejected.

“That session should confirm that the legal procedure regarding the adoption of this quasi-decision was violated”, said the President of the Republic.

The President of the Republic of Srpska pointed out that the decision and recommendations of the Court in Strasbourg should be rejected, because they are speculative and destructive.

The President Dodik said that he was glad since all the representatives of the political structures in the Republic of Srpska rejected this approach of the European Court of Human Rights, which introduced additional disagreements in BiH and permanently divided it.

The President Milorad Dodik said today in Banja Luka that he will request that the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska suggest to the authorities at the BiH level that they reject as null and void the decision of the European Court of Human Rights in the “Kovačević” case.

“As far as we are concerned, we will do it immediately at the session of the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly as soon as possible”, said the President Dodik at the press conference.

The President of the Republic of Srpska pointed out that the representatives of the Republic of Srpska should reject and stop participating in meetings where anyone tries to interfere with this decision as a basis for talks.

“We will propose that together with the representatives of the Croatian people we work out the possibility of defending the concept of the constitution of the people and that we absolutely stand by the concept of the Dayton Peace Agreement. Now you can see who is destroying and who is defending Dayton. What they have done is definitely collapsing the European path of BiH”, it was emphasized by the President Milorad Dodik.

The President of the Republic of Srpska assessed that the decision of the European Court of Human Rights is idealistic and voluntarist of a certain group of people, and that the representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina in that court allowed himself to destroy the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“It is clear that without domestic political consent BiH cannot move forward”, said the President Milorad Dodik.

The President of the Republic of Srpska added that he will also propose to the National Assembly a return to the initial position that the Republic of Srpska directly elects a Serb as a member of the BiH Presidency.

“If someone thinks that they can really play with our future and make such moves that are unacceptable and unenforceable for us, then it is questionable whether we should be part of any other process. By consensus in the Republic of Srpska, we previously determined another position, I will propose and try to get other partners who participate in the decision-making in the Republic of Srpska to change that position and return the Republic of Srpska to its original state”, said the President Dodik.

The President of the Republic also supported the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska Nenad Stevandić in an effort to explain why SDS and PDP are wrong when they try to hold an extraordinary session on the alleged violation of the conclusions of the National Assembly.

“I have nothing against that session and discussing it. The same people who ran away from conclusions now want to enter the assembly. That is a good thing for democracy in the Republic of Srpska. I believe that they will make constructive proposals”, said the President Milorad Dodik.

The President of the Republic stated that the ruling coalition in the Republic of Srpska takes care and believes that everything that happens should happen in the National Assembly and shall be implemented within the framework of its conclusions.

“What we have been doing lately, and the SDS and PDP did not even want to be informed about it, is that we have created an agenda that implies the implementation of the conclusions of the National Assembly and that we are moving in this regard. We have confidence in our partners at the BiH level and the coalition partners at the Republic of Srpska level that by mid-September the Council of Ministers will propose and accept a law on the Constitutional Court of BiH, which includes two laws – one that regulates foreigners and the other that regulates the work of the entire Constitutional Court”, said the President Dodik.

The President of the Republic of Srpska emphasized that conditions will then be created for the Republic of Srpska to nominate members of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“One day I will nominate members, that is my constitutional responsibility, but that does not mean today and it does not mean yesterday when they /the opposition/ were clamoring on that topic”, it was concluded by the President of the Republic of Srpska Milorad Dodik.

The President of the Republic of Srpska Milorad Dodik expressed his belief today that the Law on the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Law on the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina will proceed in parallel until their adoption.

The President Dodik said that the law on the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina was not harmonised, because it stopped at the fact that it cannot be a law on the courts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but on the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and that the court can only have two levels of decision-making.

“One level of decision-making would be at the level we have now, which is unconstitutional and illegal, but produces certain consequences and that is the reason why we should try to do something. We request that an appellate panel is formed in that court, but that the panel is not chosen by the president of the current court, but that it is formed in accordance with the procedures of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council and that the headquarters of that appellate department is placed in Banja Luka. We are ready to accept that”, said the President Dodik at a press conference held in Banja Luka.

According to the President Dodik, the laws that were adopted at the BiH level were part of an earlier package agreed upon by the representatives of the parties that make up the majority at the BiH level.

The President Dodik reminded that at the meeting of those parties, hosted by the HDZ, it was agreed that the Council of Ministers should form a working group that will prepare a draft law on the Constitutional Court of BiH for September.

Commenting on the draft law on the Constitutional Court proposed by the SDS, the President Dodik stated that it was an attempt to gain attention and that the proposal was identical to the one proposed by the Council of Ministers.

“Bearing in mind that it is identical to our proposal from before, we will support this SDS proposal and I believe that we could work to secure a majority in the House of Peoples / BiH Parliament”, said the President Dodik.

In this context, the President of the Republic of Srpska expressed the expectation that this should be negotiated with the representatives of the Croatian people, as this is a key to securing a majority for the proposed legal solution.

The President of the Republic of Srpska Milorad Dodik assessed that the Committee for the Protection of the Rights of the Serbs in the Federation of BiH /FBiH/ has the right to organise a peaceful rally on Friday, September 1, in front of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH in Sarajevo due to the political indictment against officials of the Republic of Srpska, and he expressed hope that it will be respected at the BiH level.

The President Dodik noted that the gathering was organised by the Association not by the Office of the President of the Republic of Srpska, and expressed his support for that initiative.

“I support their right to organise such gatherings, they have the right to express themselves”, said the President Dodik and pointed out that there was a great interest in coming to that gathering.

The President Dodik said that cantonal and federal authorities should approve the gathering and take measures to guarantee the safety of the participants.

“I do not know if the cantonal authorities will give permission or not, if they do, then they are responsible for the safety of the participants, and if they do not, they send us a message that some can and some cannot protest in front of the institutions”, said the President Milorad Dodik.

The President of the Republic reminded of the fact that Christian Schmidt passed the “law on the prohibition of his actions and misdeeds”, and that the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina started dealing with those who threaten it.

“I am among the first of its kind, I think it is unconstitutional, because the law at the BiH level can only be passed by the Parliamentary Assembly and nowhere does it say that anyone else can do it, especially an unelected foreigner”, it was emphasized by the President Milorad Dodik.

The President of the Republic of Srpska added that it is obvious that some in BiH are ready to accept such a practice, especially if it is directed against Serbs.

The President of the Republic of Srpska Milorad Dodik said today in Banja Luka that the visit to BiH by the US Special Envoy for the Balkans Gabriel Escobar was missed, which shows how much the US has lost its strength.

“Escobar’s visit happened several years later and he probably wanted to support the unconstitutional behavior of the US Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Michael Murphy”, said the President Dodik at the press conference.

The President of the Republic of Srpska pointed out that it would have been better if Escobar had not come and only showed arrogance.

“Escobar has once again spent the money of the US citizens for the failed policy that this country leads in this area”, it was added by the President Milorad Dodik.

According to the President Dodik, Republic of Srpska shows stability despite strong efforts to portray it as a problem in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“In any case, the Republic of Srpska shows vitality and stability and maintains its financial system. I will remind you that there was a rumor that the Republic of Srpska would go bankrupt, but it did not. Now, we see some saying that the bankruptcy will happen in March next year. I say that it will not happen despite the existing challenges”, said the President Milorad Dodik.

The President of the Republic of Srpska Milorad Dodik assessed today that the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Council of Ministers Elmedin Konaković continues to try to attract attention at public regional and other gatherings by unfoundedly calling out the Republic of Srpska and highlighting everything that Bosniak member of the BiH Presidency Denis Bećirović is doing.

“I do not argue with anyone, I try to ensure the authenticity and defense of our views, and I am glad that they do not like it because it means I am right”, said the President Milorad Dodik at a press conference in Banja Luka.

The President Dodik stated that he does not characterize Konaković either personally or politically, although he would have something to say, but that it is obvious that this politician does not miss the opportunity to use his name to graft negativity to the Republic of Srpska, which is not conducive to building a new atmosphere.

“It should be known that without the approach of the representatives of the Republic of Srpska, it is not possible to reach any solution. We demonstrated this in the best possible way”, it was emphasized by the President of the Republic of Srpska Milorad Dodik.

The President of the Republic of Srpska Milorad Dodik said today that the installation of a monument in Sarajevo to King Tvrtko the First Kotromanić is a theft of Serbian historical identity.

“When someone does something at night, it looks like theft. This shows how powerless they are. Tvrtko was a member of the Nemanjić family and was named accordingly, enthroned in the Mileševa Monastery, which still exists today”, said the President Dodik at a press conference in Banja Luka.

The President of the Republic of Srpska recalled that during the time of Tvrtko, there were no Muslims in BiH, but there were Serbs.

“Bosnia was then part of a term that refers to a much smaller territory than Bosnia and Herzegovina today. Tvrtko was the king of the Serbs, and it is indicative that the members of the Commission for the Preservation of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina did not make a decision on the monument, and it is a matter of political provocation”, it was emphasized by the President Milorad Dodik.

The President of the Republic said that Bosnia and Herzegovina has not existed for 1,000 years, but since the Dayton Peace Agreement, with the enormous efforts of the USA and Great Britain to maintain it.