From Banja Luka to "Time"
The Statehood Day of Serbia and the "Statehood" Day of the Republic of Srpska were celebrated in Banja Luka. Although Republika Srpska is not a state according to the Dayton Peace Agreement, its president Milorad Dodik welcomed the president of Serbia to the "state of the Serbian people, Republika Srpska", complaining about the "constant collapse of Dayton by political Sarajevo and certain Western countries".
NO ONE LIKE ME
Vučić wished the hosts to "stop legally persecuting them". He told "those in Sarajevo" that "we won't do anything against Bosniaks, but we won't allow their politicians to humiliate us either." They won't be able to beat us like a jackass without us ever saying anything back. We will respond to any political provocation without fear". Also that "they are asking God not to register in Čipuljići, because he would have won in Sarajevo as well".
The Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the coalition partner of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) of Milorad Dodik, complained about the "Kabadahic" behavior of the President of Serbia in Banja Luka, his pressure on the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, before which Dodik is being tried for "violation of the Dayton Agreement" and contempt for the decisions of the Constitutional Court.
"After in the middle of Banja Luka, together with Milorad Dodik, together with Milorad Dodik, he brazenly and politically impermissibly disparaged the decision of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to which it is forbidden to display flags and coats of arms, and to perform the national anthem of another country in the institutions and in the protocol of the Bosnia and Herzegovina entity RS, Aleksandar Vučić, the president of neighboring Serbia, dared to teach political lessons to the authorities in Sarajevo," the reaction of this party states.
In response to Vučić's remark that he has been in power "longer than those in the Council of Ministers, who will certainly leave soon", the Social Democrats "in good faith" recommended that he devote himself to the problems in his country.
By the way, a few months ago, some of the members of the Presidency of this party, such as the current Minister of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zukan Helez, warned about the perniciousness of a coalition with Dodik's party.
Since 2006, for Milorad Dodik, the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been a "necessary evil, a monstrous creation of the international community, a dungeon for the Serbian people," says Helez. To this day, nothing has changed in his attitude towards her; at the meeting celebration, he "conciliarly and proudly" emphasized that "BIH is a failed state, how the Serbs are imprisoned and captured in it, how Vojvodina is Serbia and the RS is less and less Bosnia and Herzegovina, and how the position of the RS in BiH is becoming unsustainable".
Through Sarajevo, completely different messages went to Europe at the same time. On the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, the member of the BiH Presidency, Denis Bećirović, warned the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, that the situation in the country is "serious" and that escalation is imminent. Bećirović accused Aleksandar Vučić of wanting to transfer riots from Serbia to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"Vučić's political concept of 'one people, one parliament, one leader' reminds us of the darkest parts of the European past." At the beginning of the 1990s, Europe underestimated the danger of Slobodan Milošević, and now it must not underestimate the greater danger," Bećirović pointed out. He further warned NATO Secretary General Mark Rute that "the leadership of the Republic of Serbia is aggressively interfering in the internal affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as other countries in the region."
By the way, Vučić asked himself in Banja Luka and I answered as usual: "And when did we interfere in your political relations in Sarajevo?" Never. And what do you do every holy day?"
DODIK'S LOGIC
Aleksandar Vučić did not attend the Republika Srpska Day celebration on January 9 after the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina made a decision on the unconstitutionality of this holiday in 2019. Why did he come now? Dodik explains: "Today is the first time that RS celebrates its statehood day, it is so normal and so logical".
At the beginning of February, Dodik supported student protests in Banja Luka, which were an expression of support for colleagues in Serbia: "Republika Srpska is a free society and any bans on expression of opinion and freedom of movement are inadmissible. This is guaranteed by the Constitution to all citizens of Srpska, and as the President of the Republic, I will always be on the side of those whose right is threatened".
At the same time, he threatened the representatives of the non-governmental sector that he would forever legally brand them as agents of foreign influence and forbid them to think politically. Finally, the President of Serbia stated that "we could believe how much money was given from outside to change the government in Serbia" and thanked Dodik for "not turning his back on Serbia".
Vučić and Dodik say in unison that the Declaration of the All-Serbian Parliament is "a joint celebration of the unity of the people and a vision of a better future" and that their common goal is "preserving peace and stability, strengthening economic growth and defending the national interests of Serbia and Srpska". For Denis Bećirović, "the Declaration on the so-called All-Serbian Parliament is particularly dangerous because it is completely contrary to the values and standards of the European Union."
For the executive director of the Helsinki Committee in the Republic of Srpska, Branko Todorović, it is about "Sretenjski marketing", and for the professor of the Faculty of Political Sciences in Banja Luka, Aleksandar Savanović, "the production of non-existent events that the Vučić regime constantly uses to mislead the public".
"Usually, it is done when some serious and important things happen, which are then produced fake "They want to hide 'historical' events from the public's view", explains Savanović for "Vreme". "Let's remember the circus with the Resolution on Srebrenica, with which Vučić tried to divert public attention from the issue of lithium. Or last year's "All-Serbian Assembly" and the accompanying declarations, which were bombastically announced, even though they basically represent the usual thrashing of empty straw. This circus with Sretenji is such a two-step trick: in a situation where students raised the people to demonstrations against an alienated and twisted regime, they are trying to dilute the energies of resistance to such fake historical meetings. Basically, it's empty talk and typical populist political technology. If you can't get the real support of your people for the real policies you're running, then you have to bluff."
Savanović also criticizes "the regime in Banja Luka, which participates, in a very improper way, in that dishonorable business: Dodik supports Vučić out of his personal interests, but he does so in a way that creates long-term problems and divisions between the Serbs from BiH and those in Serbia, who are quite rightly angry about such behavior of the authorities in the RS. I hope that the citizens of Serbia are aware that they are a minority and that the vast majority of citizens of Republika Srpska support their demands. Despite the fact that here we are exposed to greater media darkness than in Serbia, the people still feel the justice of student and civil demands and support them. I don't know a single person in Banja Luka who does not stand behind what the students are doing. Let's hope that the wrong actions of the RS authorities will not create a bigger gap between our people and that in the future it will be possible to remedy the consequences of these regime mistakes".
Branko Todorović tells "Vreme" that he welcomes the cooperation between Serbia and Republika Srpska given the numerous possibilities and real needs, but that "unfortunately, instead of open and concrete cooperation, there is a simulation of cooperation, designed for the daily political needs of the two presidents." It is really difficult to find logic in declaring the Meeting for the Statehood Day of Republika Srpska, but the absence of common sense logic is a constant of the Serbian government on both sides of the Drina. That model of government is recognized by the complete ignoring of the real interests and needs of the people, by the brutal manipulation of citizens and terrifying corruption, by the inexhaustible imagination in inventing enemies of the Serbian people, then by the autocracy that collapses institutions and the demographic disaster, especially in the Republika Srpska. By the way, Vučić sent a message from Banja Luka to the public in Serbia that student protests not only weaken his government, but also threaten the survival of the RS and Vojvodina. He did not miss the opportunity to send a 'warning to political Sarajevo' but also to 'threaten' the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina to watch what they are doing. I guess they should only do what the President tells them, like in Serbia".
"DON'T ANSWER., BOLAN"
The happy days in Banja Luka were "days of feasting and rejoicing". Milorad Dodik was glad that Aleksandar Vučić could "feel how much people in Republika Srpska support him". In return, Aleksandar Vučić, and neither Serbia "will turn its back on you, nor on the RS, nor on the state leadership of the RS. Whatever their decision is".
It refers to the court decision in the proceedings against the entity president. In anticipation of it, the National Assembly of the RS is in permanent session. This is the decision of Dodik's associates, which he announced himself and who, if we believe him, are "more radical than him".
During the press conference, someone's phone rang while Aleksandar Vučić was speaking. Vučić's nonchalance came to the fore, so he interrupted the presentation and told the person to "feel free to contact him, he will wait", later emphasizing that this could not happen in Belgrade. Relaxation was rounded off by Milorad Dodik, who said to the unfortunate man who did not turn off the bell: "Oh, don't answer, you're in pain." Put that phone down”. The President of Serbia showed exceptional powers of observation during the opening of the Clinic for Orthopedic Surgery in Slatina near Laktaš, noting that Goran Talić, the director of the Institute "Dr. Miroslav Zotović" does not like to wear suits, and that in the last 10 years he has seen him for the second time, in fact in the same jacket and the same tie". Sam laughed at this "joke".
And while there was eating and drinking in Banja Luka and its surroundings, a feast was organized for 200 guests, neither the kids, nor the piglets, nor the lambs could measure up to the "young cheese pie" under the basket that the president of the Republika Srpska prepared especially for the president of Serbia, and he did not let anyone get close to it.
Peace and pride in Banja Luka are rounded off by Vučić's message that he loves Serbia more than life! He sent the same message to Republika Srpska. On her behalf, Milorad Dodik retaliated by telling everyone "not to touch Vučić, even if they take him too".
