Former president of Republika Srpska (RS) and leader of the ruling Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) Milorad Dodik, and the Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Željka Cvijanović, remain under sanctions imposed by the United Kingdom, the UK Foreign Office confirmed to Radio Free Europe.
In the response, it was emphasized that the UK sanctions regime allows for sanctions to be imposed “on those who undermine or threaten the sovereignty, territorial integrity, international personality, or constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
“Milorad Dodik and Željka Cvijanović remain under sanctions for such actions. Sanctions have their purpose. We hope that Milorad Dodik and Željka Cvijanović will change their current course and demonstrate a genuine commitment to respecting the Dayton Peace Agreement and the state institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” the British ministry stated.
This position of the United Kingdom comes a day after the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury removed Dodik, Cvijanović, and 48 members of Dodik’s family, their companies, and close associates from the sanctions list.
The United Kingdom imposed sanctions on Dodik and Cvijanović on April 11, 2022, due to what was described as attempts to undermine the legitimacy and functionality of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The sanctions, which include a travel ban and asset freeze, were the first within the framework of the British sanctions regime for Bosnia and Herzegovina, as stated by the British government at the time, emphasizing that these “are not sanctions against Republika Srpska or its citizens.”
The British sanctions mean that Dodik and Cvijanović cannot travel to the United Kingdom or use or access any property they may own in that country.
At the time the sanctions were imposed, Dodik was a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Cvijanović was the president of Republika Srpska.
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Source: Danas, Foto: SRNA/ BORISLAV ZDRINJA