KAZAN, February 21. /TASS/. Western countries are trying to persuade Republika Srpska to introduce sanctions against Russia on a daily basis, President Milorad Dodik of Republika Srpska (one of the two constituent entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina) said at a meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
"We are fighting any possibility of introducing sanctions against Russia. They [the West] are working hard every day to persuade us," he said. Dodik added that the republic is also resisting attempts to make it a NATO member state, which is fraught with even greater pressure from Western countries.
Earlier, the president of Republika Srpska emphasized that Western countries are intensifying their negative activities towards it precisely because of its friendship with Russia. He also noted that the entity will not introduce sanctions against Russia, but will continue to cooperate with Russia, China, and the US, as well as continue on its EU path without joining NATO. Such a politician's position, as well as his blocking of Bosnia and Herzegovina's accession to NATO, irritates the West. He has already been sanctioned by the UK and the US.
In accordance with a constitution proposed in the Dayton Agreement, Bosnia and Herzegovina is made up of two primary entities: the Muslim-Croatian Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (51% of the territory) and Republika Srpska (49% of the territory), as well as of the Brcko District. Three main peoples - the Bosniaks (Slavs converted to Islam), the Serbs (Orthodox) and the Croatians (Catholics) - are represented proportionally in the government. The country is essentially governed through the UN High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. The functions of the head of state are performed by a collective body, Presidium of Bosnia and Herzegovina.