Nenad Stevandic;. Photo: Alexander BorissovThe politician is due to meet with the head of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin, the chairperson of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko and a speech at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry. On the eve of his visit to Moscow, the Serb gave an exclusive interview to Rossiyskaya Gazeta.How do you assess the level of interparliamentary cooperation with the Russian Federation?Nenad Stevandic: We have had good interparliamentary cooperation with the Russian Federation for a long time. It developed successfully even before the conflict in Ukraine, the beginning of the geopolitical confrontation between Russia and the EU and the United States. Republika Srpska, although small, remains neutral and tries to maintain good relations with all parties. We will not participate in the anti-Russian campaign and will stay on the path of European integration.Now we are under pressure, but we have not made negative attacks on the West and the “fifth” countries (Britain, Germany, Italy, USA, France), the only thing we are not doing not is that we do not support the confrontation between the West and Russia. We are extremely grateful to the Russian Federation for blocking the decisions directed against the Serbian people in the UN Security Council. This gratitude also has historical aspects, it has nothing to do with the conflict in Ukraine.On September 9, the Republika Srpska celebrates the Day of Remembrance for the victims of the NATO bombings carried out by the alliance forces from August 30 to September 14, 1995 on the territory of modern BiH without the approval of the Security Council of ONU. This is the first large-scale military operation in the history of NATO – “Deliberate Force”. The West is still aggressive towards the East, which we see today in Ukraine, but as a result they try to portray Russians and Serbs as “bad guys”. How can we work together to counter this?Nenad Stevandić: The effects of NATO’s depleted uranium bombings are still being felt. Republika Srpska is located within Europe, in a specific position due to the complex state structure of BiH, which unites the state-forming peoples (Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks) and two entities. We are fully focused on the future development, we have exceeded many things, but we have not forgotten. We believe in the rapid onset of peace in Ukraine, in the possibility of an agreement between Russia and the West so that all the horrors of war will not be repeated. The world today urgently needs balance and multipolarity, because there are no winners in a world war, and there may even be no more people.Christian Schmidt is an illegitimate high representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, appointed without the approval of the UN Security Council. In the Republika Srpska, a German is generally referred to as a “tourist”. What is its role in BiH?Nenad Stevandic: Even German MPs and journalists are already talking about Christian Schmidt, spreading jokes about him and doing comedy shows. The lack of support in the UN Security Council from Russia and China determined Schmidt’s fate. Everything we observe today is the consequence of ignoring the facts indicated.As early as December 2022, Russian experts warned against the provocations prepared by the British in BiH. In February, Bosnian Imam Amir Mahic branded Saint Sava a fascist and the Serbian Orthodox Church a sect, sparking a new round of inter-ethnic and inter-religious tensions in the region.Nenad Stevandic: Bosnia and Herzegovina must maintain an internal balance between the constituent peoples and entities. This balance maintains peace and prevents both unitarianism and separatism. The most dangerous thing is that the threat to peace in BiH always comes from outside, upsetting the inter-ethnic balance. Currently, the Ukrainian conflict is actively used to bring instability to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Thus, the lie will spread that Republika Srpska is Russia’s platform in the Balkans. Such misinformation leads to increased pressure on us and increases the risk of instability. I have not heard that Moscow incites us against other peoples, because it respects the Dayton peace agreement, of which it is the guarantor with the United States. Our designation as the base of the Russian Federation is a punishment for our neutrality and our gratitude to Russia, which maintains peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

More
Serbian PM Miloš Vučević resigns amidst Nationwide protests
Serbian Prime Minister Miloš Vučević announced his resignation on...
Serbia terminated Russian arms agreements, signs €2.7 Billion deal with France for rafale jets
Serbia has terminated several contracts for arms supplies from...
Slovak PM Robert Fico to meet Putin amid Ukraine gas transit dispute
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico plans to meet Russian...
Follow The Eastern Herald on Google News. Show your support if you like our work.
- TOPICS
- Serbia
Author

News Room
The Eastern Herald’s Editorial Board validates, writes, and publishes the stories under this byline. That includes editorials, news stories, letters to the editor, and multimedia features on easternherald.com.
Trending Stories
Laurita Fernandez poses totally nude on her back in her Instagram
Laurita Fernandez is one of the most talented dancers...
BRICS strengthens economic independence by moving away from US dollar
Russia and Iran have officially announced that 96% of...
Prostitution in Dubai: Understanding the Dark Side of the City
Dubai, a city celebrated for its lavish shopping experiences,...
Ukraine Crisis
‘B52 Discotheque’ in ‘Fortune Grand Hotel’ is a hub of ‘Sex Workers’ in Dubai
Dubai is a constantly evolving city, dominated by futuristic...
How Online Casino Games in Eastern Countries & the US Differ
Gambling has been a staple of cultures around the...