The President of Bosnia’s Republika Srpska (RS) entity, Milorad Dodik, made a scandalous comment Friday to BiH Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic’s remarks regarding the award to Russian President Vladimir Putin, by saying that a local saying about who deserves to be slapped fits her perfectly.
“Make no mistake: Dodik's highest award to Putin is an affront to human decency, showing a growing Russian malignant influence in the region. Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine like Dodik's actions cannot go unanswered. He is a menace to European security and is a threat to the rules-based international order,” Turkovic tweeted.
Make no mistake: Dodiks highest award to Putin is an affront to human decency, showing a growing Russian malign influence in the region. 🇷🇺unprovoked invasion of 🇺🇦like Dodiks actions cannot go unanswered. He is a menace to 🇪🇺security and is a threat to the rules-based intl order
— Bisera Turković (@BiseraTurkovic) January 9, 2023
Dodik tried to respond in the same manner, however, he sent her a very shameful and scandalous statement by saying that “there is a saying that fits her perfectly”.
“Her every statement deserves a slap in the face,” Dodik said, the RS entity public broadcaster “RTRS” reported.
Turkovic condemned Dodik's statement and called out other national and interactional actors for remaining silent to these insults and, as she understood them – threats.
“Is this the Dodik who has changed and is correct? This question should be answered by those who encourage him, who indulge him and who strengthen him while he actively works to destroy the state, steal state property, announces secession and rewards Vladimir Putin! Arrogance and threats of physical violence will not scare me, and neither did the stronger enemies of Bosnia and Herzegovina, against whom I fought and who have long been in the dustbin of history. But the silence of those who are obviously ready to remain silent and allow the humiliation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is shameful,” Turkovic responded.
Da li je ovo Dodik koji se promijenio i koji je korektan?
Na ovo pitanje trebaju odgovoriti oni koji ga ohrabruju, koji mu popuštaju i koji ga jačaju dok aktivno radi na rušenju države, otima državnu imovinu, najavljuje secesiju i nagrađuje Vladimira Putina! 1/2 pic.twitter.com/QKlGFEBiBO
— Bisera Turković (@BiseraTurkovic) January 13, 2023
As part of the unconstitutional celebration of the “Day of Republika Srpska” that was formally held on January 9, Dodik honoured the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, with the Order of Republika Srpska.
The marking of January 9 as the Day of Bosnia’s Republika Srpska (RS) entity, which was declared unconstitutional by the state Constitutional Court, already began Sunday in Banja Luka, and on Monday a parade will be held on the streets of East Sarajevo for the first time.
On January 9, 1992, Bosnian Serbs issued the Declaration of the proclamation of the Republic of Serbian people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which Bosniaks see as a prelude into the 1992-95 war that took over 100,000 lives, devastated the country and saw the return of genocide back on European soil.
The war ended with a peace agreement brokered in Dayton, Ohio, in 1995, which divided the country into two semi-autonomous regions – Republika Srpska with a majority Serb population and the Federation of mainly Bosniaks and Croats.
The holiday was declared unconstitutional by the country’s Constitutional Court in November 2018 but authorities in Republika Srpska continue to ignore the ruling, despite criticism from the country’s Bosniaks and the international community.
Bosnia’s Constitutional Court ruled that the holiday was discriminatory against non-Serbs in Republika Srpska because January 9 is also a Serbian Orthodox religious holiday – the day of St Stephen, the patron saint of the entity.
Bosnian Serbs vehemently rejected the ruling and organised a referendum in September 2016, where the majority of the entity’s citizens voted in favour of the holiday.
The Constitutional Court then declared the referendum itself as illegal but the Republika Srpska Parliament passed the Law on the Day of Republika Srpska, which named January 9 as a secular holiday.
That Law was ruled unconstitutional in March 2019.
Bosnian Serb leaders view the country’s Constitutional Court as an anti-Serb biased political tribunal and ignore many of its rulings.
