KOVAČEVIĆ: BETTER AND FAIRER DAYS AHEAD FOR SRPSKA!

BANJA LUKA, OCTOBER 30 /SRNA/ – The lifting of US sanctions against officials of Republika Srpska shows that better and more just days are ahead for Srpska, SNSD Spokesman Radovan Kovačević has stressed.

Kovačević assessed this as a great message to all people who have patriotic feelings toward Republika Srpska, expressing his belief that such sentiment is shared both in Srpska and in Serbia. "We can say that the lifting of sanctions is a signal that the fight for Republika Srpska has been legitimized - that it is permitted to fight for Srpska - and that is big news," he emphasized. According to him, it was a great achievement and a major patriotic act that the leadership of Srpska, led by Milorad Dodik, had the courage to endure every personal sacrifice so that Srpska itself would not become a victim. "In doing so, they bought time to preserve Srpska. Now better days are coming, days of justice," Kovačević said. He pointed out that Republika Srpska had long been in a disadvantaged position and treated unfairly. "We have constantly demanded a fair stance toward Republika Srpska - we never asked for favoritism. But the opposite happened - only one side was heard, the side that wanted to dismantle the Dayton Peace Accords, to centralize BiH, and to strip Serbs and Croats in BiH of their rights. Srpska was punished simply for defending the rights guaranteed to it under Dayton. We believe that this disadvantaged treatment has now been seriously corrected and that we are moving toward a much more balanced position," Kovačević told Russia Today Balkan. He noted that officials of Republika Srpska, led by Milorad Dodik, had been sanctioned during the administrations of US Presidents Joseph Biden and Barack Obama solely because they dared to defend Srpska, to resist the dismantling of Dayton, the push for centralization in BiH, and the erosion of the rights of Srpska, the Serb people, and all its residents. Kovačević expressed confidence that other injustices in BiH would also be addressed in the period ahead. "Take the case of Christian Schmidt, for example. It's not enough for Schmidt to simply leave BiH - it's crucial that everything he caused through his illegal and anti-Dayton actions leaves with him. That's the only way to move toward stability in BiH," Kovačević pointed out. He added that there are many things in BiH that, to put it mildly, are not normal, such as the Office of the High Representative, the so-called "Bonn Powers", and the presence of foreign judges in the BiH Constitutional Court. "Everyone at the key international addresses understands perfectly well that such arrangements are abnormal for a country that's supposed to be sovereign. These are issues that must be discussed and resolved. We need to enter a period of mutual respect. Once we get to that point, we will also achieve results. We from Republika Srpska will certainly not give up the fight for Srpska. Our first homeland is Srpska, and that will never change. Srpska and Serbia are in our hearts, everything else can be discussed," Kovačević said. He underscored that Republika Srpska has proven itself to be a credible partner in recent years. "The time has come when major international actors have recognized Srpska as a credible partner. This has silenced those who claimed that one cannot talk with Srpska, only about Srpska, always in a negative context. That narrative is now over. The message from the highest international levels is that Srpska is a partner, and that has been clearly demonstrated," added Kovačević, noting that these are very important messages. As far as the comments coming from the opposition in Republika Srpska regarding the lifting of sanctions, Kovačević said, unfortunately, they echo the narratives coming from Sarajevo — that in order to gain something, one must give something away. "Such notion has been invalidated. Srpska has proven to be a credible partner and will continue working to remove all injustices within BiH and to seek sustainable solutions. We are extending our hand even now, to find those solutions together, based on what the Constitution actually provides," Kovačević concluded.