Milorad Dodik, the President of Bosnia's Republika Srpska entity, said in Belgrade on Tuesday that Kosovo is the most important territorial and Republika Srpska most important national matter for Serbia.

“We in Republika Srpska have no intention to interfere with Serbia's political life, but we do have an intention to impose a narrative on Serbia,” said Dodik speaking at a conference titled ‘Srpska is defended in Serbia’.

He dismissed and comparison between Bosnia's Serb-majority entity and the Community of the Serb Municipalities in Kosovo, stressing that the Albanians are using this to improve their negotiating positions and that they got “infected with that virus in Sarajevo.”

According to him, the Community of the Serb Municipalities in Kosovo would make sense only if it had executive authority otherwise it is only the “West's bluffing.”

He stressed that Republika Srpska has clear political stances and immediately responds to challenges it faces.

“I admit that we reject some solutions in advance even before they are discussed, because those who impose those matters take it as a done deal the moment when talks start. The West no longer respects international law,” said Dodik.

He also noted that “it is not good to make final solutions,” and that it is necessary to see development of situation globally and then reconsider national interests.

Commenting on the recent initiatives to adopt laws that would enable free movement between Bosnia and Kosovo, Dodik stressed that Republika Srpska representatives rejected it and that nothing will change about that.

Speaking about the international peace envoy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, High Representative Christian Schmidt, whom Dodik does not recognise as such, he said it is “also Serbia's interest to treat him as illegal high representative.”

He reiterated the stance on Schmidt's latest decision to suspend a law in Republika Srpska, noting that the entity will not apply it.

“Let's see what is the power supporting him, let's see how is he going to implement his decision,” Dodik said.

According to him, the US and the European Union are “trying to push Republika Srpska to negative side.” He threatened that Republika Srpska's bodies will pass a decision on “withdrawing from Bosnia and Herzegovina's European path” if the stalemate in payout of EU funds for Republika
Srpska continues.

Dodik compared the situation with that of Serbia, which “skillfully imposed that topic” by making it clear that if the EU won't invest in Serbia there are countries, like China, that would do so.

He assessed his relationship with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic as “fair,” adding that Serbia needs to support Republika Srpska and “not to create political stances for Republika Srpska.”