DODIK: STABILITY OF REPUBLIKA SRPSKA WILL BE PRESERVED

PALE, OCTOBER 24 /SRNA/ - President Milorad Dodik said today in Pale that Republika Srpska is a permanent category and must remain so, adding that faith in its leadership provides the strength to strengthen the position of the Serb people.

Dodik said that the stability of Republika Srpska would be preserved and that the Serb people had never shown any wavering in their resolve.

He said that Republika Srpska had endured various attacks over the past 35 years but had managed to preserve its right to exist.

Dodik said that, from the day Republika Srpska was established, it had been clear that President Radovan Karadžić, Momčilo Krajišnik, General Ratko Mladić and all the fighters who laid down their lives in the foundations of Republika Srpska must never be abandoned.

"We must remember all the soldiers of the Army of Republika Srpska, all the chiefs of staff, presidents and ministers in every government, and all the people who served in its institutions and, with such love and expertise, built our strength and institutions under impossible circumstances, demonstrating that the first session was no coincidence," Dodik said at a ceremony marking the 35th anniversary of the establishment of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska.

Dodik recalled the events of 35 years ago, saying that they represented a political act of national self-awareness by a people fighting for freedom, who did not want war and established their own republic before the war.

Dodik said that those who remained on the other side were historical, national, and human losers in the process and in the course of time, as were those who are now trying to reach any kind of agreement with the Bosniaks at the level of BiH.

He said that an agreement remains impossible today as well and said that, for this reason, the Serb people and the institutions of Republika Srpska would not accept having what belongs to them taken away.

"We had one thing in mind, at least I did, in all the leadership positions I held: you will not change the Constitution of BiH, and they did not change it. So today, the Constitution states that Republika Srpska has an army and border police. The Constitution of BiH also states today that Republika Srpska is fiscally sovereign," Dodik stressed.

Dodik said that Serbia had been a particular source of strength for Republika Srpska.

"We have spent years building bridges of understanding. We did not always find a helping hand, but the greatest support and a brotherly hand were extended to us by Aleksandar Vučić. Vučić is a man who sees the Serb people, wherever they may be, as one indivisible whole," Dodik said, adding that he would like to continue working with Aleksandar Vučić and his team because that is best for Republika Srpska as well.

He stressed that the notion that there are Bosnian Serbs, Montenegrin Serbs, Croatian Serbs or Serbians must not be accepted; there is only one Serb people.

Dodik expressed satisfaction with the establishment of joint observance of holidays by Serbia and Republika Srpska, stressing that Republika Srpska is not genocidal and that it is painful when someone from Serbia describes Republika Srpska in those terms.

Dodik added that it is important today for the Serb people to be aware of all the attacks Republika Srpska has endured over the past 35 years.

"Not a single day has passed without being historic for us, and October 24 is one such day," Dodik said, adding that he wants the 100th anniversary of the National Assembly to be celebrated as well.

Dodik said that the Serb people had spent 15 years at war during the previous century.

"The Balkan Wars, the First World War, the Second World War, the Defensive-Patriotic War, and 21 years of sanctions, which did not always coincide with the war years. Half a century spent under war or sanctions, yet institutions have been built with dignity.
Serbia is flourishing, and Republika Srpska is strong. And who wants to stop that? Our enemies. That is clear," Dodik stressed.

He said that the Republika Srpska authorities had done nothing but defend the Dayton Peace Agreement all along.

Dodik stressed that the past 35 years had been a historic journey and appealed to everyone in Republika Srpska involved in politics to make unity their goal.

"Long live Republika Srpska, long live Serbia, long live Russia," Dodik said in his address, bringing the ceremony marking the 35th anniversary of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska to a close.