tovaris
January 8th, 2016, 06:17 AM
Serbia’s premier will attend the annual commemoration of the founding of Bosnia’s Serb-dominated entity Republika Srpska, defying a ruling by the country’s state-level Constitutional Court.
Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday that he will participate in the Republika Srpska Day commemoration but insisted that his decision will not endanger relations between Belgrade and Sarajevo.
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/file/show//Images/Images.New/Places/Bosnia/vucic%20320.jpg
Vucic denied that his decision to ignore Bosnia and Herzegovina’s state-level Constitutional Court ruling could imply any attack on the territorial integrity and stability of the country.
“Serbia respects Bosnia and Herzegovina and wants to have the best possible relation with it,” he told Radio Free Europe’s Balkans service.
“We have not thought, not even for a second, about endangering the territorial integrity of Bosnia. If we really wanted, we could have done it,” he added.
Republika Srpska Day commemorates the foundation of the entity by Bosnia’s Serbs on January 9, 1992.
But the annual holiday was declared unconstitutional in November by the state-level Constitutional Court, which said that it discriminates against non-Serb residents of Republika Srpska. The ruling is being ignored by Bosnian Serb leaders, however.
Bosniak politicians in Sarajevo have argued that Vucic’s participation in Republika Srpska Day would imply that Belgrade is encouraging the government of the Serb-led entity to challenge the authority of the Constitutional Court, which was established as part of the Dayton peace agreement that ended the 1992-95 war.
During a recent visit to Belgrade, Bosnian Prime Minister Denis Zvizdic had expressed hope that “the Serbian government won't take part in the celebration”.
“We are talking about an event which is exclusive to only one of the three constitutive peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina [Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs], an event on which the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has already given its judgment,” Zvizdic said.
“We all know what kind of signal disrespect for such a verdict could send,” he added.
Vucic argued however that “our policy aims at protecting the Dayton peace agreement, the integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the integrity of RS [Republika Srpska] inside the country”.
The Serbian premier is to participate in the commemoration in Banja Luka on Saturday, although it is still not clear if he will bring his entire government or just a delegation of ministers.
The commemoration will also be attended by the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Irinej, and the Russian ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Petar Ivancov.
Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik said on Wednesday that the Constitutional Court decision provided Bosniak leaders with more ammunition to attack the Serb-led entity.
“[The decision] only gave Bosniak politicians a new opportunity to attack RS on all levels, even on the international level,” Dodik told a press conference.
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/aleksandar-vucic-confirms-his-presence-in-contested-day-of-rs--01-07-2016
Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday that he will participate in the Republika Srpska Day commemoration but insisted that his decision will not endanger relations between Belgrade and Sarajevo.
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/file/show//Images/Images.New/Places/Bosnia/vucic%20320.jpg
Vucic denied that his decision to ignore Bosnia and Herzegovina’s state-level Constitutional Court ruling could imply any attack on the territorial integrity and stability of the country.
“Serbia respects Bosnia and Herzegovina and wants to have the best possible relation with it,” he told Radio Free Europe’s Balkans service.
“We have not thought, not even for a second, about endangering the territorial integrity of Bosnia. If we really wanted, we could have done it,” he added.
Republika Srpska Day commemorates the foundation of the entity by Bosnia’s Serbs on January 9, 1992.
But the annual holiday was declared unconstitutional in November by the state-level Constitutional Court, which said that it discriminates against non-Serb residents of Republika Srpska. The ruling is being ignored by Bosnian Serb leaders, however.
Bosniak politicians in Sarajevo have argued that Vucic’s participation in Republika Srpska Day would imply that Belgrade is encouraging the government of the Serb-led entity to challenge the authority of the Constitutional Court, which was established as part of the Dayton peace agreement that ended the 1992-95 war.
During a recent visit to Belgrade, Bosnian Prime Minister Denis Zvizdic had expressed hope that “the Serbian government won't take part in the celebration”.
“We are talking about an event which is exclusive to only one of the three constitutive peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina [Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs], an event on which the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has already given its judgment,” Zvizdic said.
“We all know what kind of signal disrespect for such a verdict could send,” he added.
Vucic argued however that “our policy aims at protecting the Dayton peace agreement, the integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the integrity of RS [Republika Srpska] inside the country”.
The Serbian premier is to participate in the commemoration in Banja Luka on Saturday, although it is still not clear if he will bring his entire government or just a delegation of ministers.
The commemoration will also be attended by the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Irinej, and the Russian ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Petar Ivancov.
Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik said on Wednesday that the Constitutional Court decision provided Bosniak leaders with more ammunition to attack the Serb-led entity.
“[The decision] only gave Bosniak politicians a new opportunity to attack RS on all levels, even on the international level,” Dodik told a press conference.
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/aleksandar-vucic-confirms-his-presence-in-contested-day-of-rs--01-07-2016