RESPECT FOR ORIGINAL DAYTON AGREEMENT PRESERVES PEACE, NOT FORCIBLE REVISIONS

BELGRADE, NOVEMBER 20 /SRNA/ – Serbia, as a signatory and guarantor of the Dayton Peace Agreement, remains committed to the position that peace and stability in BiH can be preserved only by respecting the original principles of this document, and not through its forcible revision, Minister of Defense of Serbia Bratislav Gašić told SRNA.

He emphasized that Serbia will always support Republika Srpska in its efforts to safeguard peace, dignity, and the rights guaranteed to it by the Dayton Agreement. Gašić stated that the Dayton Peace Agreement, signed three decades ago, is the foundation of peace and stability in BiH, as well as the guarantor of equality among the three constituent peoples and the two entities. "Unfortunately, what we are witnessing today shows that the original Dayton has been seriously undermined," the minister stressed. He pointed out that political pressures and attempts to externally influence the will of the people of Republika Srpska do not lead toward stability, but are instead a source of new tensions. "The daily events and conflicts on the international stage teach us that it is necessary to return the Dayton Agreement to its roots – dialogue, mutual respect, and the protection of the rights of each people and entity," Gašić said. Tomorrow marks exactly three decades since the General Framework Agreement for Peace in BiH and its 12 annexes was initialed at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, USA, ending the war in BiH and establishing its constitutional and legal order. The agreement created the state union of BiH, composed of two entities, Republika Srpska and the Federation of BiH, both of which are signatories to all annexes.