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Milorad Dodik, the former president of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Serb-majority entity Republika Srpska, renewed calls for independence following a recent visit to Israel, repeating separatist rhetoric despite strong criticism from state authorities.
Dodik, who was removed from office earlier, said his main goal remains the independence of Republika Srpska and claimed he intended to take advantage of what he described as favorable international timing.
Speaking on the Republika Srpska Radio and Television (RTRS), Dodik, leader of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, said Republika Srpska would be recognized by 15 countries within days if it declared independence.
He rejected what he described as Bosniak dominance in Bosnia and Herzegovina and claimed the Dayton Peace Agreement, which ended the 1992–1995 war, had lost its validity.
Dodik said his visit to Israel had gone well and that he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“One of the best meetings I’ve had in recent years,” Dodik said, adding that Netanyahu told him they were “great and lasting friends” and that their enemies were the same.
Dodik also said Israel’s security could not be questioned and argued that regional developments further highlighted Israel’s right to exist and exercise sovereignty.
Local media, citing Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Foreign Ministry, described Dodik’s statements as “dangerous and irresponsible,” warning that separatist rhetoric poses a direct threat to the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and constitutional order.
Republika Srpska’s interim president, Ana Trisic-Babic, accompanied Dodik on the Israel visit, during which they also met Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
Dodik has frequently made separatist statements and has refused to recognize the Office of the High Representative and High Representative Christian Schmidt, established under the Dayton Peace Agreement.
In June 2023, under Dodik’s leadership, the Republika Srpska National Assembly adopted a decision rejecting the publication of the high representative’s rulings in the official gazette. Schmidt later annulled those decisions.
Dodik was indicted for failing to respect the high representative’s decisions, with prosecutors seeking a prison sentence.
In December 2023, he was sentenced to one year in prison and banned from political activity for six years, with the prison term later converted into a fine.
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Central Election Commission unanimously removed Dodik from his post as president of Republika Srpska following the ruling.
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