Dejan Anastasijević: Dodik is the biggest obstacle to good relations between Belgrade and Sarajevo

Journalist and political analyst from Belgrade Dejan Anastasijević told TV 1 that Milorad Dodik represents the biggest obstacle to establishing good relations between Belgrade and Sarajevo, writes the Patria agency. 

- The President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, is currently the biggest obstacle to establishing good relations between official Belgrade and Sarajevo. The President of Serbia himself is in a kind of trouble, because it is difficult to expect relations between Sarajevo and Belgrade to normalize as long as Dodik does what he is doing. Just as President Vučić balances between Russia and the West on a global level, he is currently balancing between Sarajevo and Banja Luka on a regional level - Anastasijević believes.

Anastasijević added that Serbia cannot control Dodik's behavior. 

- Vučić is in a problem because it is difficult to expect relations between Sarajevo and Belgrade to normalize as long as Dodik does what he is doing, and he announces referendums every now and then, and Serbia is not in a position to completely control Dodik, because unlike Karadžić, he was not installed by Belgrade, but by the international community, from which he has broken away. 

Anastasijević also recalled the fact that Dodik strongly supported Vučić's opponents in Serbia in the past. 

- We should not forget that Dodik strongly supported Boris Tadić in previous elections, although he generally supports every government in Belgrade and vice versa, because it is hard to imagine them giving each other up - Anastasijević said.

He also emphasized that it is difficult to expect things to move forward as long as Dodik does what he is doing today. 

- We will see if things can get moving, but I fear that as long as Dodik announces referendums, finances films about Karadžić, and boasts about his ties with Russia, it will be very difficult to normalize relations - concluded Dejan Anastasijević.