Dodik calls for dialogue on potential withdrawal from Dayton Agreement

"I call for a dialogue within Republika Srpska for us to withdraw from that agreement, from that Constitution. The future of BiH can be discussed, but Republika Srpska must, above all, affirm its right to self-determination granted to it by the BiH Constitution and the UN Charter," Dodik said.

Challenges to international oversight

Dodik noted that the "current rulers of Europe" do not permit discussion on the matter, but he maintains that Republika Srpska holds a right to self-determination, an option he believes should be considered and exercised. He accused the Biden administration and "liberal Brussels" of destroying the peace agreement through their activities.

The SNSD leader specifically addressed the Constitutional Court’s recent move to contest the Republika Srpska Government's decisions regarding appointments. Dodik argued the court has no jurisdiction over the election of the entity’s government, describing the ruling as an abuse of law intended to impose burdens on Republika Srpska.

"We must interpret this time correctly and have Republika Srpska determine whether it will stay in the Dayton Agreement or withdraw its consent from it," Dodik reiterated.

Claims of so called independence and sovereignty

During his address, Dodik asserted that Republika Srpska brought its own independence into the Dayton-era Bosnia.

"Republika Srpska was formed on January 9 as an independent state outside of BiH. We did not recognize that BiH then, and we never will. We accepted the Dayton BiH, but it has been destroyed by insidious operations aimed at crushing our subjectivity," he stated.

Dodik concluded by claiming a continuity of attacks against Republika Srpska through the Constitutional Court, where he alleges that decisions made by foreign and Bosniak judges result in new impositions.

"That is not the Dayton Agreement, that is not the essence of Dayton, nor the essence of the BiH Constitution, and Republika Srpska cannot accept it," Dodik falsely concluded.