Bosnia’s Serb-majority Republika Srpska (RS) entity must define its stance and fight against the closing of the border between Bosnia and Serbia, the Serb member of the tripartite Presidency, Milorad Dodik, said on Wednesday.

Dodik made the statement in light of discussions on how to respond to the dramatic increase in coronavirus infections in the region. He said he spoke to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic about it.

“The RS must define its position that borders must not be closed. I spoke with Vucic an hour ago and we agreed that the border will not be closed. No speculations should be spread regarding this issue,” Dodik said.

He argued that the measures introduced to prevent the spread of the virus should be stricter and respected more.

“It's time to return the practice of appealing to the population, to tell them that all this applies to them. The fight for every life is important to us,” he said.