The President of the Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik – who is sanctioned by the United States and the United Kingdom – visited Montenegro on February 27, where hundreds of protesters awaited him in front of the Parliament building.
Dodik, who met with the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, on February 21 in the city of Kazan in the Republic of Tatarstan, which is part of Russia, arrived in Podgorica for a meeting with the Parliament Speaker, Andrija Mandić.
Dodik’s meeting with Putin was the fourth since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.
At a meeting in May 2023, Dodik said, “Republika Srpska remains pro-Russian, anti-Western, and anti-American”.
The cabinet of the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, and the government of Milojko Spajić told Radio Free Europe (RFE) that they had no official information about Dodik’s visit or notifications of meetings with officials.
Protesters gathered at the Parliament building criticized Mandić’s meeting with Dodik, holding banners that read: “We must say no to Mandić and Dodik!” and a banner stating: “Putin’s envoys are not welcome”.
Entering the parliament building, Dodik greeted the crowd with three fingers.
Protesters responded by shouting “fascist”.
Dodik told Putin that Republika Srpska refuses to join sanctions against Russia despite pressure from Western governments and said he does not want to see Bosnia join NATO.
Two days before his meeting with Putin, Dodik met with Belarusian authoritarian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko, who has been under EU sanctions since 2020 due to irregularities in the presidential elections of that year, which he claimed to have won.
Mandić, as one of the leaders of the pro-Russian Democratic Front coalition, with two other parties, said it was a great honor to host Dodik.
Mandić said he would discuss with Dodik a proposed cooperation agreement in the fields of business, sports, education, and culture in line with the Dayton Agreement.
He said at a press conference that the previous government had rejected the agreement.
Opposition parties reacted strongly to Dodik’s visit.
The pro-European Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) said he came with “the task of conveying Putin’s messages to his allies in Montenegro”.
Abaz Dizdarević, a DPS deputy, said Dodik’s visit to Montenegro after his trips to Russia, Belarus, and Serbia confirms that Montenegro’s officials are deceiving international partners with their European agenda.
The Bosniak Party said Dodik’s visit was a clear sign that Montenegro “is becoming a haven for politicians and policies that represent Russian politics in the Balkans”.
