Russian President Vladimir Putin said that "Moscow will help improve the situation in the Balkans" during his meeting with the president of the Bosnian entity Republika Srpska /RS/ Milorad Dodik.
Dodik is on his next visit to Russia and participates in the St. Petersburg Economic Forum.
The Russian head of state said his country's position remains unchanged on the Dayton Peace Accords that ended the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s, state media reported.
"You know our position on the Dayton Agreement, it is unchanged: only the powers that are written in these international legal documents are the basis not just to maintain the situation, but also to develop and strengthen it in every way," Putin told Dodik.
The President of Russia stated that he was very pleased with Dodik's participation in the Forum. "Of course, the total volumes of trade and economic activity in the field of economic development are still modest, but this year we see a noticeable recovery compared to last, and this is a good sign," Putin noted, thanking the President of the RS for his actions. in the spiritual sphere and in the sphere of supporting bilateral relations through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs".
Friendship and understanding
For his part, Milorad Dodik emphasized that "Putin is full of friendship and understanding towards Republika Srpska".
"Russia is very disappointed with the agreements with the West, because all the agreements reached by the West so far have been completely devastated, for example, the Minsk agreements," Dodik wrote on the X social network.
"The West abused Russia's good will to preserve stability and peace. At the meeting, we noted that the world community does not support initiatives aimed at abusing the mechanism of the UN General Assembly in relation to Srebrenica (refers to the Resolution condemning the genocide - note line .) Russia is also principled on this issue and says that this abuse will not help, it will not reconcile people, but it will create even greater internal problems. Russia was right, and Germany and other countries were wrong," the president said of Republika Srpska.
Dodik informed Putin that the All-Serbian Assembly will be held on June 8, in which Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will also participate.
"There we will show unity and make an important declaration. Putin sent greetings to the Serbian people. All the agreements we had at the previous meetings are being successfully implemented. I expressed my gratitude that I was invited to the Economic Forum this year as well. Putin informed me that Russia is experiencing growth that is among the highest in the world and that today it is the fourth economy in the world, which shows that the processes in this country are being managed correctly. I will have another meeting with Putin by the end of the year," Dodik noted.
Earlier, he announced that he would ask the Russian president for Republika Srpska to join the BRICS. Milorad Dodik also met with the Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin, called "Putin's Brain".
No sanctions against Russia
The President of the Republika Srpska stated that Moscow has confidently dealt with Western sanctions and is ready to face any challenges.
"At this forum, we can see the progress of the Russian Federation itself, which was faced with very heavy sanctions from the West. The very realization that the economy is getting stronger is a confirmation that Russia is capable and ready to face all challenges," he said.
"The RS will continue to firmly adhere to its position of refusing to join the anti-Russian sanctions and will work to strengthen further cooperation. We remain extremely principled and firm in our refusal to join the sanctions, I will not say how many demands we have daily on this issue, they insist on many things," noted Dodik.
"In any case, our relations are very good and I think we don't have a single open difficult issue and we should continue cooperation on all other issues as before," the Bosnian Serb leader said.
The Russian leader's aide Yuri Ushakov indicated that the contact between Vladimir Putin and Milorad Dodik "is becoming traditional".
Russian investments in Republika Srpska
Director General of Russian Railways Oleg Belozerov and Milorad Dodik agreed on cooperation in the implementation of railway infrastructure projects.
The two countries have noted the demand for the competences of the holding "Russian Railways" to create a modern transport infrastructure in Republika Srpska, "especially taking into account the experience gained by Russian specialists for more than 10 years of fruitful work in neighboring Serbia." | BGNES
