Salkić: Milorad Dodik's policy will not succeed regardless of the international community's stance

Ramiz Salkić, Vice-President of the BiH entity RS, called on the Peace Implementation Council in Bosnia and Herzegovina (PIC) to prevent the destruction of BiH, warning that there is an open violation of the Dayton Peace Agreement that threatens the most serious consequences, permanently questioning the hard-won peace. Vice-President Salkić made a statement to the media during his visit to Podrinje, where he met with citizens who expressed concern over extensive police exercises on the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina, involving police units from RS and Serbia. The operation is being conducted without the presence and involvement of state bodies, as well as police services and security agencies at the BiH state level, which has caused great unease among citizens, reminding them of the spring of 1992.

- The Peace Implementation Council in BiH (PIC) undertook the obligation in Dayton in 1995 to prevent any violation of the peace agreement that ended the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. That obligation has not ceased to this day, when we are witnessing open attacks on the country's constitutional order, threats of secession, and the increasingly frequent presence of hate speech, by which the population is incited from Serbian political circles to violate peace and deny the state of BiH. Respecting the Dayton Peace Agreement, Bosniaks accepted that the international community would monitor, control, and preserve peace. Allowing retrograde forces to weaken the country, violate its constitution, and disrupt peace is a betrayal of our expectations. We were convinced that we would receive help from the international community in 1992 to defend ourselves from aggression, and then in 1995 when the Srebrenica Genocide was committed, but in both cases, help was absent.

Bosniaks do not want any action outside the system's institutions; our policy has never been against the Constitution and the Dayton Agreement, but we clearly state that the international community's policy, which allows destructive forces to steer BiH towards the country's disintegration, is unacceptable. We will not allow history to repeat itself. The international community is allowing the political destabilization of the Balkans, which could have unforeseen consequences, with enormous implications for peace in Europe.

These days, we are witnessing alarming saber-rattling on the Drina, within police exercises, which could lead to a crisis in the good-neighborly relations between BiH and Serbia. If the PIC does not react to stop the destructive actions of Serbian policy, we will consider this body responsible for all possible consequences. We remind you that the policy pursued by Milorad Dodik's regime is systematically radicalizing society with the aim of the final destruction of BiH. The Office of the High Representative faces its biggest challenge to date: to stop the disastrous destruction of BiH by preventing the referendum. If this does not happen, open destruction will continue. Milorad Dodik has already announced obstruction of judicial institutions at the state level, and it is becoming completely clear that his policy is solely aimed at the division of BiH and the disruption of peace.

I call on all citizens of BiH of Serbian nationality to distance themselves from the warmongering policy of Milorad Dodik, his open hatred, and his desire to destroy Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnia and Herzegovina is also your homeland, where you have guaranteed constitutionality, freedom, and peace at every step; you have your properties and the tradition of living together. Wars bring no good to anyone, and the experiences we all have in the Balkans with the wars initiated by Slobodan Milošević tell us about this – it is stated in the statement by Vice-President Ramiz Salkić.