ABSOLUTE PROTECTION OF SRPSKA’S INTERESTS - PREREQUISITE FOR FORMING THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS

BANJA LUKA, NOVEMBER 9 /SRNA/ – Ensuring the absolute protection of Republika Srpska’s interests is a prerequisite for forming the new composition of the Council of Ministers, SNSD spokesperson Radovan Kovačević said.

Kovačević noted that the Serb and Croat peoples had unequivocally chosen the SNSD and HDZ, respectively, as the parties they wanted to form the government, while the SDA had received the greatest support from the Bosniak people, although not as convincingly as the SNSD and HDZ.

“We always say that there are no coalition partners at the level of BiH, because that is simply not how things work. Coalition partners exist in Republika Srpska, perhaps in the FBiH, although I do not wish to interfere in the internal affairs of the FBiH. At the level of BiH, however, there is the choice of the Serb, Croat and Bosniak peoples. That is what we need to recognise,” Kovačević said.

He stated that the SNSD wanted the government at the level of BiH to be functional and beneficial to Republika Srpska, rather than being constantly engaged in disputes over who would harm Srpska and how.

“During this term, we were constantly faced with such a situation. They violated the Constitution, its constitutional structure and order, continuously seeking ways to harm the Serb constituent people, even the Croat people, particularly in matters of foreign policy and defence. I hope we can avoid this in the next term,” Kovačević stressed.

He added that this was why it had been proposed that every minister in the Council of Ministers should have two deputies, representing the other two constituent peoples, as was the case when the Council of Ministers was first established.

Kovačević said that this arrangement would prevent ministers from acting in the interests of only one people, as had been the case with Foreign Affairs Minister Elmedin Konaković.

“However, we found ways to oppose such actions and protect the interests of Republika Srpska. We achieved better results in the diplomatic field than Konaković, who did nothing useful for the Bosniak people,” Kovačević told ATV.

He said that Bosniak politicians had believed that harming the Serb people would automatically benefit them, whereas the SNSD's approach was to bring benefits to everyone, while giving priority to Republika Srpska, where the party had been elected.

“After 30 years, they must finally accept what the Dayton-based BiH is - a community of two entities, three constituent peoples and Others. Once they accept this, they will find it easier to cooperate with us, and BiH will be able to look forward to better days,” Kovačević said.

He recalled that the opposition from Republika Srpska had also been ready during the previous term to assist political forces at the BiH level in taking actions to the detriment of Srpska, which had been prevented thanks to the constitutional powers exercised through the House of Peoples, a position recognised by voters in Srpska, who rewarded the SNSD with another electoral victory.

Kovačević said that the BiH Presidency would finally have someone who was a legitimate representative of the Croat people, which alone should improve the political atmosphere, given the previous practice of outvoting.

He stressed that a BiH shaped according to the wishes of the Bosniaks had no chance of succeeding and could only fall apart, while only a BiH in which all three peoples enjoyed equality could survive.

“We have demonstrated that we know how to protect Republika Srpska and make it stronger. The circus they staged, this attack on Srpska through the proceedings against a democratically elected president of the Republic, ensured that there is now hardly a place in the world where people do not know who Milorad Dodik is and what Republika Srpska is,” Kovačević said.

He noted that Dodik had recently also visited the USA, where he attended a congress at US President Donald Trump's estate and held talks with important political figures.

Regarding the OHR, Kovačević said that the recently held general elections had been the first since 1995 to take place without a High Representative.

“That was a victory for Milorad Dodik, Željka Cvijanović, Savo Minić and our team. The citizens of Republika Srpska recognised this. Furthermore, we made a significant contribution to Christian Schmidt leaving the country and to the leaders of the world's most powerful countries and the UN Security Council reaching a consensus that responsibility in BiH must be assumed by representatives of local political forces,” Kovačević stressed.

He added that the positions Republika Srpska's representatives had been expressing for 20 years were now also being voiced by the world's most powerful countries.

Kovačević said that Republika Srpska would continue its efforts to ensure that there were no foreign judges in the Constitutional Court of BiH, describing this as another priority issue, since it was unacceptable for the Court to serve as an instrument for attacking the Constitution and constitutional order.

“If we have understood, and if the world has understood, that there is no way forward with a High Representative and this kind of foreign interference, then we must also understand that we cannot move forward with international judges,” Kovačević stressed.

Speaking about Republika Srpska, he said that, according to statistical indicators, citizens were living better, unemployment was at its lowest level, and wages and pensions were higher than in previous years.

He added that efforts were under way to further improve living standards and that the investment cycle in Republika Srpska had reached nearly BAM 7 billion.