Milorad Dodik, the Serbian member of Bosnia and Herzegovina's tripartite presidency, said on Friday that Russian diplomacy had always played an important role in the country and praised the contribution made to it by the late Vitaly Churkin, former Russian ambassador to the United Nations
BELGRAD (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th February, 2023) Milorad Dodik, the Serbian member of Bosnia and Herzegovina's tripartite presidency, said on Friday that Russian diplomacy had always played an important role in the country and praised the contribution made to it by the late Vitaly Churkin, former Russian ambassador to the United Nations.
"The Russian Federation has always been and remains committed to the Dayton Peace Agreement (that ended Bosnia's 1992-1995 war), maintaining peace in BiH and respecting the basic principles on which it is based - the equality of two entities (parts of the country) and three constitutional peoples. At the same time, not a single Russian diplomat in BiH has ever taken on the role of a judge or mentor," Dodik said in statement released on Friday, to mark Russia's Diplomatic Workers' Day.
He also underlined Russia's position in the UN Security Council on issues related to BiH and the Dayton Agreement.
"Russia, its leadership and diplomats have always worked to improve and deepen the range of bilateral political, economic, educational, cultural, sports and humanitarian cooperation... The Serbian people cannot but remember the great man and diplomat, Vitaly Churkin... who defended truth, justice and freedom," Dodik said.
The leader pointed out that a monument to Churkin was erected in gratitude in Eastern Sarajevo in 2017. As Russian envoy to the UN, he blocked in 2015 a UK draft resolution that would have termed the Serbian people genocidal, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre. Russia was the only Security Council member that voted against the resolution. The inscription on the monument to Churkin reads "Thank you for the Russian 'No.'"
Churkin served as Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations from 2006 until his death in 2017.
