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Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's opening remarks at a meeting with President of Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Milorad Dodik, Moscow, September 9, 2025

9 September 2025 13:22
1439-09-09-2025

Mr President,

I am delighted to meet with you again. I consider our meeting to be timely from the viewpoint of our understanding of the complex processes that are underway in Bosnia and Herzegovina and concern Republika Srpska.

These processes are the result of flagrant Western interference in the internal affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is an open violation of the Dayton Accords and the principles set out in them, including the principle of equality of the three constituent peoples and two entities.

Christian Schmidt, who has illegally been appointed High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina without the mandate of the UN Security Council, is trying to usurp power in the republic on Western orders. We are strongly concerned about this aggressive violation of the legally binding decisions of the UN Security Council and its prerogatives.

I believe this meeting is important for shaping a deeper understanding of the situation ahead of the next UN Security Council meeting on the developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Our stance has not changed. President of Russia Vladimir Putin has put it forth during his numerous meetings with you. It boils down to a demand for strict compliance with the principles of the Dayton Accords and relevant Security Council decisions by all sides.

We will gladly discuss our trade, economic, investment, cultural, humanitarian and educational cooperation with Republika Srpska. The strategic avenues of our relations have been outlined during your meetings with President Vladimir Putin.

This meeting offers an opportunity to discuss the implementation of these agreements and whether something more should be done to ensure their full implementation.

I am always delighted to see you and your close-knit team, including Head of the Representative Office of the Republic of Srpska in Russia Dusko Perovic.

***

I would like to note that the fact that our Western "colleagues" violate many principles of the UN Charter all the time, with and without any reason, does not mean that we should abandon these principles. We firmly believe that the Dayton Accords were designed to treat all sides fairly. They have been approved by the three constituent peoples and two entities, and unanimously approved by the UN Security Council.

Our strength lies in the fact that the international legal truth is on our side. It is another matter that it is unacceptable to silently and tacitly look on while the West is trampling on these universal principles.

I hope that today we will be able to draft and coordinate the joint actions we can take with other countries interested in justice in the Balkans, as well as implement them.