DODIK: REPUBLIKA SRPSKA WILL NOT BE JUST A CONSUMER OF DECISIONS ABOUT MIGRANTS

BANJA LUKA, JULY 1 /SRNA/ – The President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, has stated today that the plans of the Government of the United Kingdom, the EU, and its member states to establish migrant centers on the territory of BiH are humiliating and bypass domestic institutions, and that it is unacceptable for Srpska to be just a consumer of such a decision, which can affect the security and every other aspect of citizens' lives.

"These are good solutions, but only for them. For us, these are humiliating plans that bypass our institutions. I believe that our institutions should be included in this," Dodik said at the session of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, explaining the Proposal of the Declaration rejecting the initiative of the UK Government and the EU to establish migrant centers in BiH.

He emphasized that there can be no solution without the institutions of Republika Srpska.

"Our response is definitely no. They would like to establish some kind of dialogue, but as soon as you enter into dialogue, you will be forced to be drawn into the problem," Dodik said.

He also pointed out that the fact that the Council of Ministers previously made a secret decision to establish three migrant camps in Srpska and five in the Federation of BiH shows how much the stance of Republika Srpska was disregarded at that time.

Dodik reminded that this decision foresaw that the camps in Republika Srpska would be in the areas of Bijeljina, Banja Luka, and East Sarajevo.

"We reacted fiercely when we found out about that decision and managed to have it annulled, which was an excellent move by us, because the presence of a large number of migrants could significantly affect the security and every other aspect of citizens' lives," Dodik said.

He noted that at that time Republika Srpska entered into a silent process of sanctions imposed by some EU countries.

"It is clear that the large influx of migrants did not produce the results that the West wanted, which was, among other things, to gain a new labor force," Dodik said.