Scotland and Catalonia similar to RS - Dodik

Scotland and Catalonia similar to RS - Dodik

BANJA LUKA -- The Serb Republic, RS, should separate from Bosnia-Herzegovina as it cannot get "anything useful" from it, Milorad Dodik has told Newsweek.

The president of the Serb Republic entity cited the secession processes in Scotland and Catalonia as "similar examples."

During the interview he gave to the magazine last week in Banja Luka, Dodik was asked when he expected a referendum in the RS "like that held in Crimea."

“It will happen all of a sudden,” he replied.

"What is not clear is whether Dodik is serious about further Balkanizing the historically war-fraught region or is merely playing politics, and whether fellow Slavs in Moscow, who are now in a confrontational mood, will back him," the article said, and noted that he "sure sounded sincere."

According to Newsweek, "the federation that uneasily wedded Bosnia-Herzegovina to the Serb Republic was created in the Dayton negotiations, which ended Europe’s bloodiest war since the 1940s."

The article quotes Dodik as saying that the union was artificially created by outsiders, is frustrating to the Serbs and is doomed to fail.

“We don’t have anything useful that we can get from Bosnia-Herzegovina,” he said, adding that the RS can do better financially and even integrate with Europe faster on its own.

But Dodik is also described as being "well aware of Western concerns" and is thus "yet to set a date for his referendum":

“We will wait. We don’t want any destabilization or chaos.”

According to Dodik, the West is being selective about the right for self-determination by referendum, said the article, and quoted the RS leader...