Decorated Wednesday by Russian President Vladimir Putin for his contribution to
“cooperation”
between Russia and Bosnia, the political leader of the Bosnian Serbs Milorad Dodik pledged to prevent Bosnia from joining NATO.
The two leaders met in Kazan, the capital of the Russian republic of Tatarstan, on the sidelines of the
“Games of the Future”
, mixing sports disciplines and video games, organized by Moscow until March 3, reported the public channel of Republika Srpska (RTRS), the Bosnian Serb entity.
Vladimir Putin presented the President of Republika Srpska (RS) with the medal of the Order of Alexander Nevsky, one of the highest Russian decorations, for his
“great contribution to the development of cooperation between the Russian Federation and Bosnia- Herzegovina, and for strengthening the partnership with Republika Srpska
.
“Persistent pressures”
“We refuse without hesitation to move towards NATO despite persistent pressure in this direction
,” declared Milorad Dodik during an interview with the Russian president, according to images broadcast by RTRS.
He mentioned the NATO strikes targeting Bosnian Serb positions in 1995 and those in Serbia in 1999.
“It is (...) neither logical nor normal for us to accept membership in NATO »
from Bosnia, assured Mr. Dodik.
Torn apart by a bloody intercommunal war in the 1990s (100,000 dead), Bosnia is today a country divided into two entities: Serbian, in favor of the country's military neutrality, and Croat-Bosnian, whose leaders want the country joins NATO.
Unanimity of representatives of the three communities is necessary in this type of decision.
The Russian head of state thanked Milorad Dodik – who is targeted by American and British sanctions because of his separatist threats – for
“maintaining regular relations with Russia”
, according to a Kremlin press release.
“We know that the situation in the republic (in RS, editor’s note) is not easy.
We are ready to talk about it too
,” declared Mr. Putin.
Mr. Dodik, who met Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk on Monday, stressed that his policies had prevented Bosnia from formally aligning with Western sanctions targeting Belarus and Russia.
The Bosnian Serb leader, who regularly displays his admiration for Vladimir Putin, is one of the rare European politicians who continued to meet the Russian president after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.