Dodik: Due to the war in Ukraine, we postponed plans to secede from BiH
The war in Ukraine and its negative effects have forced Bosnian Serb leaders to postpone plans to withdraw their region from BiH national institutions, said Serb member of the BiH collective presidency Milorad Dodik.
The Republika Srpska parliament voted in December to sever ties with the Bosnian armed forces, the judiciary and the tax system, in a non-binding proposal that would pave the way for secession.
Dodik - the driving force behind the plan that sparked BiH's worst political crisis since the end of the 1990s war and sparked sanctions against him from London and Washington and warnings from the European Union - said it would be implemented by the end of the year. this week.
"However, the changing political conditions caused by the war in Ukraine have led to delays," said Dodik, whose plans are backed by Moscow.
The secessionist plan has not been canceled, it has only been postponed, Dodik said during a parliamentary session he convened to gain support for imposing sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
"That is why we have suspended the realization of our conclusions regarding the withdrawal of Bosnian Serbs from… state bodies," Dodik said.
He added that Republika Srpska wants to "maintain neutrality" when it comes to Russia and Ukraine and opposes sanctions against Russia, reiterating the position of its patron, Serbia, the only European country that has refused to impose sanctions.