Milorad Dodik, the president of Bosnia's Serb-majority Republika Srpska entity, addressed criticism towards head of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina Husein Kavazovic for his latest statements, saying that they “deserve a political response.”

“I understand that Kavazovic is interested in life and progress of Muslims but he is demonstrating his concerns in a completely inappropriate way, in the time we live in and in the system that is in force,” said Dodik.

According to him, all this would not be odd if Kavazovic had a political party and spoke from that position.

“But, carrying the religious insignia and actively dealing with politics deserves a political response,” said Dodik.

Dodik's response comes a day after media carried an interview with Kavazovic, in which he touched upon several issues, including the status of Bosniaks, the role of the international community in Bosnia and interference of its neighbours with Bosnia's internal affairs.

He told Voice of America that “the general impression” was that the Bosniaks were aggrieved thanks to “western neighbours,” alluding to the accusations by the predominantly Bosniak Party of Democratic Action (SDA), which was relegated to opposition.

He also described as harmful the fact that the United States had left the initiative in Bosnia and Herzegovina to the European Union, which he said led to obstruction and stagnation.

Commenting on Kavazovic's words, Dodik said there are also Orthodox and Catholic Christians living in Bosnia with their priests, but that “it did not cross any of their minds to deal with internal and now foreign policy of BiH.”