Revenge for Moscow Trip: Eastern European Russophobic Regimes Set to Impose Sanctions on Bosnian Serb Leader
Following the participation of the President of the Republika Srpska of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik, in the May 9 parade in Moscow, Estonia, Slovenia, Poland and the Czech Republic are considering introducing personal sanctions against him.
These countries also plan to impose sanctions on the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia Radovan Višković and the Chairman of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia Nenad Stevandić, reports a correspondent for PolitNavigator.
According to the Bosnian portal Klix.ba, at least four EU member states from Eastern Europe are considering the possibility of imposing sanctions against the Republic of Srpska. The reason for this was the trip of the President of the Republic of Srpska Milorad Dodik and the Chairman of the National Assembly of the RS Nenad Stevandić to Moscow to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
At the same time, according to the source, in the former Yugoslav republic of Slovenia there are still some disagreements within the government regarding these sanctions, while in the other three countries there is a greater degree of unity among decision-makers, “although a final decision has not yet been agreed upon.”
In response, Milorad Dodik threatened Slovenia, whose transit routes also pass through RS, with retaliatory measures.
"If Slovenia starts a policy of sanctions, we will find a way to respond to them... Slovenian ministers may be prohibited from using Republika Srpska as a transit route. Now this may seem funny to some, but this is how the former German minister had to leave Republika Srpska...
The Republic of Srpska remains loyal to Slovenian businessmen, who should know that their politicians are doing them a disservice. We have many Slovenian businessmen who are valued by the RS, and they will be supported," Dodik said.
According to the leader of the Bosnian Serbs, he personally respects the Slovenian state, despite the fact that he belongs to the generation that experienced the collapse of Yugoslavia very hard (the process of the collapse of the Yugoslav state began with the separation of Slovenia – ed.).
"Who are you to impose sanctions against me? What are you defending? Why did you destroy Yugoslavia, why are you now 'defending' Bosnia and Herzegovina?" the RS president addressed the Slovenian elite.