Republika Srpska respects sovereignty, territorial integrity and constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said Serb member of Bosnia's tripartite Presidency, addressing media after the Presidency's meeting with US Department of State Counselor Derek Chollet on Tuesday. He added that the Serb-majority region has no plan for seceding from Bosnia either.

“We expect the international community to implement the Dayton Peace Agreement and the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Republika Srpska consistently respects the constitutional order, laws and obligations signed and stipulated by the Dayton Peace Agreement, and is behaving that way,” stressed Dodik.

“I said Republika Srpska has no single plan for secession but this is something that is discussed in Republika Srpska. But, there is no single plan to carry out the secession policy,” he added.

Republika Srpska (#Bosnia's Serb-majority entity) respects sovereignty, territorial integrity and constitutional order of #BiH, Serb Presidency member Milorad Dodik said following the meeting with @CounselorDOS Chollet: "Republika Srpska has no single plan for secession." https://t.co/MF0WrYvJ1S

— N1english (@N1info) November 16, 2021

The meeting with the US senior official comes amidst political tensions in the country that emerged after Dodik announced a vote in the Republika Srpska entity parliament on withdrawal from the state-level institutions, primarily the Armed Forces, and forming the entity army.

Christian Schmidt, the international peace envoy, assessed in his report to the UN that what Dodik is announcing is “tantamount to secession without proclaiming it.”

Dodik's steps followed after now former international envoy imposed law on banning the genocide denial and glorification of war criminals.

“The High Representative never had a formal right to pass any laws,” said Dodik, addressing the media after the Tuesday's meeting.

He said this was an opportunity for him to say what is Republika Srpska doing to protect its rights.

Dodik insisted on the idea that the Republika Srpska entity parliament will discuss the total of four documents, one of them proposing the withdrawal of the entity's consent to 140 laws that were imposed by the High Representative and three others referring to the withdrawal of the entity's consent for the central army, indirect taxation authority and top judicial body.

“We propose the withdrawal of the decisions we had previously given and entering normative arrangement of those sectors,” said Dodik.