Austria's FM: We are considering sanctions against Dodik, the Balkans is an area of our interest

(Patria) - Austria is considering sanctions against Milorad Dodik, says the country's Foreign Minister in an interview for Kurier.

Beate Meinl-Reisinger, president of the liberal party Neos, gave an extensive interview to this newspaper.

In it, she particularly highlighted the situation in our region and Vienna's activities concerning Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"The Western Balkans is a central issue for us. In BiH, regarding Republika Srpska and President Dodik, we see clear violations of the constitutional law and are considering sanctions against those responsible. In Serbia, in a conversation with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, I emphasized the importance of the right to demonstrate. Recent events in Turkey are equally problematic," she said.

She did not elaborate further on the considerations and activities being undertaken at the European Union level regarding the sanctioning of Dodik and his associates, as well as the entity of Republika Srpska.

Germany is leading the Europeans in activities to punish Dodik and others for the de facto coup.

In a longer interview, Meinl-Reisinger stated that Austrian neutrality does not mean "sleeping". She announced that defense spending will be doubled by 2032 and strongly advocated for a "unified European response to Trump".

"Donald Trump only understands force. That is why it is important that we act as one. Punitive tariffs would be harmful to both sides, which is why dialogue is crucial. But we must not allow ourselves to be blackmailed either."