Ankara: Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic traveled to Bosnia and Herzegovina to support Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik after his sentencing to a one-year prison term on Wednesday. The Bosnian court's ruling also barred Dodik from politics for six years due to his defiance of the authority of the top international official responsible for implementing the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement.

According to Anadolu Agency, Dodik, the president of Republika Srpska, has been a vocal advocate for the entity's potential separation from Bosnia and integration with neighboring Serbia. In response to the court's decision, Vucic called an emergency meeting of Serbia's National Security Council before visiting Banja Luka, Bosnia, where he expressed his support for Dodik, labeling the court's decision as "shameful," "unlawful," and "undemocratic." Vucic emphasized that this ruling undermines Republika Srpska.

Following discussions with Vucic, Dodik reiterated a commitment to maintaining peace and dismissed any intentions of war. He also declared plans to prevent state judicial and security institutions from operating within Republika Srpska. Dodik criticized the ruling as a "huge mistake" and proclaimed that the existing framework of Bosnia and Herzegovina was no longer tenable, urging a swift acceptance of a constitutional Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Luigi Soreca, the EU's special representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina, reacted to the court decision by stressing the importance of maintaining constitutional order and the country's territorial integrity. He urged political actors to pursue the EU integration process and find common ground for the benefit of the nation's citizens. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban expressed support for Dodik, describing the ruling against the elected leader as "regrettable" and called for stability in the Balkans. Meanwhile, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic suggested awaiting the finality of Dodik's sentence, noting that the ruling does not pose an immediate threat to the country's operation.

The charges against Dodik are linked to his conflict with Christian Schmidt, the top international envoy overseeing Bosnian peace. The US-sponsored peace agreement, which concluded the Bosnian War, grants Schmidt authority to impose decisions and amend laws in the country. However, in June 2023, Republika Srpska's legislative body ruled against publishing Schmidt's decisions in the entity's Official Gazette, a move later nullified by Schmidt. Despite this, the decision was implemented, leading to a lawsuit against Dodik and Republika Srpska Official Gazette Director Milos Lukic for disregarding the high representative's directives.