Balkans | Helles: ‘If Dodek does what he says, it will be the end of RS’

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Defense Minister Zokan Helez said that if Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik deployed police on the entity’s borders, this step would be the end of the Serbian entity.

Serbian leader Dodik’s statement that he would deploy police on the administrative border between Republika Srpska and entities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina caused a reaction.

Advocating that such a move would target the foundations of BiH and mean the end of Republika Srpska, Helles said, “In that case, we will quickly establish constitutional order.”

Dodik’s statement regarding the creation of a unit within the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Entity of Republika Srpska to protect the borders of the Entity was also described as a declaration of war by several political parties in Sarajevo.

Exit “unity with Serbia”

Dodik’s remarks on “unity with Serbia” on Sunday along with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who is accused of escalating separatist rhetoric at a time when the Republika Srpska entity is facing a major financial crisis, sparked violent reactions.

A member of the Presidency Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denis Bešerović, warned Dodik about the phrase “playing with fire”, and called on Serbian President Vucic to distance himself from Dodik’s remarks.

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