Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia in Service of Greater Serbian Agenda Against BiH

(Patria) - The Party of Democratic Action of Macedonia strongly condemned the participation of the Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia and Minister for Interethnic Relations Ivan Stoilković in the marking of January 9, the Day of Republika Srpska, which was declared unconstitutional and discriminatory towards Bosniaks and Croats by decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

From SDA Macedonia, they state that the presence of a high official of the Government of North Macedonia at, as they note, an illegal event in Banja Luka is an act of granting political legitimacy to the unconstitutional actions of the authorities of the RS entity and messages that directly threaten the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

They recall that the Office of the High Representative (OHR) clearly stated that the marking of January 9 represents a disregard for the final and binding decisions of the Constitutional Court of BiH, and that a reaction from the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina against the organizers of this event is expected.

SDA Macedonia also points to the fact that Stoilković was in Banja Luka in the company of Milorad Dodik, a politician under sanctions by several Western countries, then Rod Blagojević, a former American governor convicted of corruption, Nikola Špirić, sanctioned by the United States, as well as representatives of the Russian motorcycle group Night Wolves, which is on the European Union sanctions list.

The statement also recalls last year's visit of Milorad Dodik to Skopje, when, as they state, he was received in Macedonian institutions without displaying the flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in the presence of top officials sent anti-NATO and anti-EU messages, along with denying the Srebrenica genocide.

"All this indicates that this is not an incident, but a continuity of policy that goes in the direction of supporting the Greater Serbian agenda in the region," states SDA Macedonia, with the assessment that the silence of Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski and President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova represents tacit support for the actions of the Deputy Prime Minister.

SDA Macedonia called on democratic political entities in North Macedonia, as well as the public in the region, to clearly condemn the behavior of Ivan Stoilković and, as they state, attempts to grant legitimacy to policies that threaten peace and stability in the Western Balkans.