Der Standard: Dodik has been trying for years to destroy the entire state of BiH and annex the RS to a 'Greater Serbia'

(Patria) - Austrian media have sharply commented on the appearance of RS President Milorad Dodik at the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna.

Vienna's Der Standard writes that the Serbian nationalist once again made it clear that he is the one who wants to set the pace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, reports Faktor.ba.

"Dodik is preventing the implementation of the third condition set by the European Union for the start of accession negotiations. It concerns the Law on the Court of BiH, and he insists that the Appellate Division be in Banja Luka, not near Sarajevo," writes this newspaper.

It emphasizes that Dodik continues his usual policy of blackmail - the European Commission and some EU countries, including Austria, have found themselves in a kind of position of begging Dodik.

The nationalist of the Bosnian Serbs has been trying for years to destroy the entire state and annex the RS to a "Greater Serbia."

"What is certain is that Dodik's party SNSD, as well as other parties, have enormous influence over the judiciary in BiH. Corrupt politicians and officials therefore often do not have to fear criminal prosecution," the Der Standard article states.

It is recalled that the event on Thursday was organized by the Embassy of BiH in Austria... In addition to Dodik, his political ally, the leader of the Croatian nationalist party HDZ, Dragan Čović, and the president of the SDP, Nermin Nikšić, also spoke.

All three are members of the coalition at the state level, which was formed with the "support" of the US Embassy in Sarajevo.

The author of the text, journalist Adelheid Wölfl, emphasizes that the possible opening of BiH's EU accession negotiations does not necessarily have to change anything fundamentally.

She adds that Montenegro (since 2012) and Serbia (since 2013) are in the negotiation process with the EU, and during that time Russian influence has increased in both countries.