Bosnia’s Serb-dominated part, Republika Srpska (RS), will not allow the country to impose silent sanctions against Russia just so a couple of politicians can ingratiate themselves to some foreign embassies in Sarajevo, the RS President said on Friday, referring to Bosnia’s refusal to let a Russian writer enter the country.

Bosnian border police on Thursday barred Russian writer Zakhar Prilepin, who took part in the Ukrainian war supporting Russian separatist, from entering the country. The move made by the intelligence service angered Dodik who honoured the writer for his contribution to the strengthening of ties between Republika Srpska and the Russian Federation on Friday.

Dodik said his Government will insist on finding out “who created this scandal and why,” adding that it came “just ahead of the visit of Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov to Banja Luka.”

“Our interests are good relations with the Russian Federation and the West, as we are too small to influence politics that are being run on the global level,” he said, adding that Russia has confirmed throughout the years that it is a friend to Republika Srpska.

Dodik also said that it was “unfortunate” that Bosnia has “with this sent a message that it is a dwarf of a country, without a shred of integrity, as the writer it has declared a security threat is freely travelling across western Europe, while that same Europe is banning entry to islamists who are welcome to Bosnia and Herzegovina,” he said.

He accused his Bosnian Serb political opponents who represent Serbs in the central government but challenge him at forthcoming elections of being “part of the scandal.”