US warns Dodik they will react if he sparks conflict or initiates secession

“There is no right under Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Constitution for an entity or any other sub-state unit to secede, and the United States will not remain idle if Milorad Dodik acts to spark another conflict in BiH. The United States, as it has for almost 30 years, will act to protect Bosnia and Herzegovina’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and multi-ethnic character,” the Embassy said.

They added that Dodik’s rhetoric and threats are an attempt to distract from the real problems facing RS residents, such as the government’s ongoing campaign to take away fundamental freedoms; failure to address rising prices for food, housing, and transportation; and continued efforts to mortgage Republika Srpska’s future through irresponsible government borrowing.

“As for Milorad Dodik’s threat that he will cease cooperation with NATO, we would remind him that the 2005 Law on Defense obligates state-level authorities to conduct required activities for the accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina to NATO. This includes sustaining a robust partnership and cooperation with NATO. Milorad Dodik has no authority to unilaterally suspend or amend this or any other law,” the Embassy concluded.

Dodik recently called Bosnia a failed state, saying that an "anti-colonial struggle" is being waged in the RS. The entity President also stated that he is trying to convince "the Croats to leave the BiH institutions together with the Serbs, once and for all" noting that all the laws, regulations and by-laws have been prepared and placed in the RS vault allowing for the entity to become an independent state after a single 90-minute parliament session.