Opinions & Interviews

Dodik: Friendship between Republika Srpska, Belarus continues against all odds

MINSK, 19 January (BelTA) – The friendship between Republika Srpska and Belarus continues despite all the challenges, Milorad Dodik, President of Republika Srpska, an entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, said as he met with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko on 19 January, BelTA has learned.

Milorad Dodik warmly greeted the Belarusian head of state and thanked him for the opportunity to meet in person: “I am very happy to have this meeting. I personally view you as a friend of our people, or I would rather say, a brother.” The president of Republika Srpska recalled that he first met Aleksandr Lukashenko in Jerusalem in 2000 during the celebration of the two thousandth anniversary of Christianity.

“Our friendship continues despite all the challenges,” said Milorad Dodik. “I know that your country is also under pressure and under sanctions from the West. We in Republika Srpska did not let Bosnia and Herzegovina vote for these sanctions. Of course, it was not easy for us to hold out against the pressure from both Brussels and Washington. But we remained steadfast. The entire leadership of Republika Srpska is currently under British and American sanctions,” he added.

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