DODIK: TIES BETWEEN SRPSKA AND SERBIA STRONGER THAN EVER, DECLARATION IS THE OWNERSHIP OF EVERY SERB

VIŠEGRAD, JUNE 7 /SRNA/ - Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik stated today in Višegrad that the ties between Republika Srpska and Serbia have never been as strong as they are now.

“We used to get pats on the back and messages of brotherhood, that we are brothers and one people, but just ten years ago, all Serbia's politicians had to first go to Sarajevo before appearing in Republika Srpska, and only if they dared to do so,” Dodik said. At the event "Encounters on the Drina – Bridges of Serbian Unity," Dodik emphasized that today this is no longer a narrative, and that people come freely both to Republika Srpska and Serbia. Dodik emphasized that the Declaration on the Protection of the National and Political Rights and the Shared Future of the Serbian People has been successful and belongs to every individual and every Serb, wherever they may be. "Don’t forget that everything is written in it. Whatever is needed will be added to it, and only what serves our interest and the interest of our people is needed," Dodik stated. He thanked Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić for all the years of cooperation, emphasizing that it is essential to continue moving forward. “It would be a tragedy for us in Republika Srpska if further destabilization of Serbia occurs. Only a Serbia whose government understands Republika Srpska is a desirable destination for us,” Dodik emphasized. According to him, a Serbia that does not understand Republika Srpska is found on the streets and in academic corridors. “That Serbia invents things about us from Republika Srpska in a very unpleasant way, trying to portray us as something separate, not allowing us to be one people. And we don’t need anyone from outside; those among us who divide us are enough, thinking that this is the pinnacle of their intellectual, political, or NGO work,” Dodik said. Dodik noted that such people must not be allowed to harm their people in these parts. “We must reject them, we must unite. Republika Srpska and Serbia today are successful societies; we have overcome many problems we faced just about ten years ago,” Dodik emphasized. For that reason, he added, some are trying to stop Republika Srpska, but they will not succeed. "They will not stop Serbia either, and cannot stop it. For us, the true and only real Serbia is the one chosen by the people, the one united around Aleksandar Vučić,” Dodik said.