Republika Srpska president says entity may join Serbia in future - TASS

Republika Srpska may join Serbia after its future secession from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the entity's President Milorad Dodik told TASS.

"Yes, most probably it would be natural, absolutely historically justified, that the countries where the majority of the population is represented by the Serbian people would unite in a single structure and community, but this is the task of future generations and political decisions of both countries," he said in an interview with TASS on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

Dodik cited the example of the unification of East and West Germany, in both of which "the German people lived freely" and formed the majority. "Then, of course, they united in an absolutely historically justified way," the leader added.

He said that now relations among Serbs "indicate that they want to live freely and form the majority in Republika Srpska". "In Republika Srpska, the majority of Serbs live among the nations that also live freely [on its territory]. Likewise, in Serbia today, Serbs make up the majority of the country's population," Dodik said.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) will be held on June 5-8. This year’s theme will be "The Formation of New Areas of Growth as the Cornerstone of a Multipolar World." Scheduled events include meetings for small and medium-sized businesses, creative industries, the SPIEF Youth Day, as well as the Drug Security, SPIEF Academy and SPIEF Junior forums. SPIEF is organized by the Roscongress Foundation. TASS is the information partner of the event.