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Republika Srpska head says NATO’s eastward expansion sparks instability in global security

Milorad Dodik pointed out that the culmination of NATO expansion took place "in 2008, when Georgia and Ukraine were invited to join [the alliance]"

MOSCOW, May 24. /TASS/. The increase in NATO member states in Eastern Europe is the greatest factor sparking instability in the area of international security, President Milorad Dodik of Republika Srpska (one of the two constituent entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina), said.

"After the aggression [unleashed] against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1999, [we saw] NATO’s first major eastward expansion take place, [in which the North Atlantic Alliance took in] Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic," Dodik said at the XI International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues taking place in the Moscow Region. "This eastward expansion by NATO is the greatest factor [sparking] instability in the international security system since the Cold War."

The Republika Srpska president pointed out that the culmination of NATO expansion took place "in 2008, when Georgia and Ukraine were invited to join [the alliance]."

"Today, the geopolitical and geostrategic position of Republika Srpska is very difficult. There is a lot of pressure to integrate Bosnia and Herzegovina into NATO. However, Republika Srpska opposes it as the entity pursues a policy of military neutrality, which in our view is the only sustainable policy in a post-conflict society such as Bosnia and Herzegovina. NATO sees the military neutrality of Republika Srpska and Serbia through the principle of 'those who are not with us are against us,'" Dodik stressed.

The XI International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues has gathered the secretaries of national security councils, security aides and advisers to heads of state, deputy prime ministers, and heads of security agencies and special services from a range of countries. It is attended by representatives from over 100 countries and six international organizations. The meeting is being held in the Moscow Region on May 23-25. Russia’s delegation is headed by Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev.

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