KOŠARAC: EU INTEGRATION CANNOT COME AT COST OF SRPSKA'S CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS

ISTOČNO SARAJEVO, OCTOBER 12 /SRNA/ - The European path cannot and must not be used as an excuse for stripping Republika Srpska of its powers, weakening its institutions or undermining its constitutional position, Deputy Chairperson of the Council of Ministers Staša Košarac said.

"Today, even the future of the EU itself is uncertain, which is why it is extremely irresponsible and politically damaging to portray European integration as a goal to which everything else should be subordinated," he argued.

Košarac said Republika Srpska's position was clear and principled - it was ready to talk to everyone, be a partner and build relations with the EU, but never at the expense of Republika Srpska or the rights guaranteed to it by the Constitution and the Dayton Agreement.

"We will not accept anyone imposing conditions on us, under the guise of European integration or any other global processes, that would mean giving up our constitutional powers," Košarac wrote on Instagram.

He said political Sarajevo was submissively and blindly accepting all EU demands, often using the European agenda to score political points while subordinating the interests of its own institutions and citizens to the expectations of European officials.

"That is unacceptable to Republika Srpska. Our priority is not to protect the EU's interests, but the interests of the people who live in Republika Srpska," Košarac said.