There is no hidden Russian influence in the cooperation between the Republika Srpska (RS) entity and the Russian Federation, said the RS President Milorad Dodik, at the Forum on Strategic Dialogue on Cooperation between St. Petersburg and the RS.

He noted that it is not good that every form of cooperation between the RS and Russia is presented as malign, with the aim of preventing Russia's influence in the region.

“This is rubbish which needs to be rejected because we mustn’t be Guinea pigs to a political approach that says cooperation in the field of healthcare, culture, and economy can be used for anything but the benefit of the sides taking part in that cooperation,” Dodik stressed, adding that “Russia is Republika Srpska’s undisputed friend.”

This Serb-dominated entity is ready to cooperate with other states in the region and the world who wish to cooperate with them, but Dodik noted the RS does not want to break contact with their “friend” – the Russian Federation, and that they are proud of that cooperation.

During his address at the Forum on Strategic Dialogue on Cooperation between St. Petersburg and the RS, attended by the Governor of that city, Georgy Poltavchenko, Dodik said that Russia's attitude towards Bosnia does not favour any one side, but it has a principle approach in support of the Dayton Peace Agreement which ended the war in Bosnia.

Poltavchenko spoke about the previous and possible future forms of economic cooperation between St. Petersburg the RS.