Austrian Nobel laureate writer Peter Handke, known for genocide denial and his support for the regime of late Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, met on Friday with the representatives of Bosnia's Serb-majority region, Republika Srpska, where he was awarded the highest decoration, the Order of Republika Srpska.

The controversial writer, who was declared persona non-grata in Sarajevo Canton in December 2019, over his stances about the war of the 1990s, was welcomed in Banja Luka, Bosnia's second-largest city and administrative centre of Republika Srpska.

Addressing the media, Handke said there were “strong winds” against his visit but that he nevertheless came.

RS authorities decorated him on this occasion with the Order of Republika Srpska, which was previously given to convicted war criminals including Radovan Karadzic, Biljana Plavsic, and late Momcilo Krajisnik.

“This is a big thing but also a big disgrace for all those who tried to discourage him and called him various names, trying to stop him, carrying out some logistic activities to prevent this,” said RS President Zeljka Cvijanovic without naming any of those she referred to.

Peter Handke is a dear guest in Republika Srpska, she stressed.

“The fact that he was given the greatest decoration speaks about our relationship with him, his work, and finally his understanding,” said Cvijanovic.

Handke will also go to Andricgrad where he will be presented the ‘The Grand Prize Ivo Andric’.

The decision by the Swedish Academy to award Handke the 2019 Nobel Prize in Literature “for an influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has explored the periphery and the specificity of human experience” caused an uproar in Bosnia, but also throughout Europe.

It also sparked protests in Stockholm during the award ceremony, when several hundred mostly Bosnians gathered to raise their voice against the decision.