Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was decorated with a state award on Friday by Milorad Dodik, the leader of the Western-sanctioned Republika Srpska, during his controversial visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Dodik presented the “Order of the Serbian Republic” award to Orbani in a ceremony in Banja Llukë.
Orban’s meeting has been closely watched by officials of the European Union, whose presidency Orban will lead from July.
Dodik, a nationalist who gave the same award to Russian President Vladimir Putin last year, is sanctioned by the United States and Great Britain for his efforts to undermine the Dayton peace accord, which ended the Bosnian war in the 1990s.
Explaining the decoration for Orban, Dodik said that this award is given to “great and true friends” and that Orban was awarded with it for his contribution to the good cooperation between Republika Srpska and Hungary.
Serbs and Hungarians must cooperate at the highest possible level and this is never directed against a third party”, said Dodiku.
Meanwhile, Viktor Orban has warned of “more frequent visits” to Bosnia and Herzegovina, after Hungary takes over the presidency of the European Union, at the beginning of July.
“I have always supported the Serbs in international politics, because I have gained the conviction that international politics is unfair, it is not a fair policy. In Europe they do not accept that Europe needs the Serbs. Without the Serbs, there is no European security,” said Orbani.
He emphasized that he has a “special team that will deal with the Western Balkans, even a team within it that will deal with Bosnia and Herzegovina”.
The Hungarian populist leader is one of Dodik’s main allies and one of the few NATO and EU politicians willing to meet with him.
Hungary has promised Republika Srpska 100 million euros in aid.
The day before, Orbani met with Borjana Kristos, the president of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia, as well as with the officials of the Presidency of Bosnia during his visit to Sarajevo.
After the meeting with Kristos, the Council of Ministers said that both sides agreed that there is a need to increase trade between the two countries.
The presidency said that Orbani and her officials talked about bilateral cooperation in education, culture, agriculture, energy, telecommunications and other fields. She added that the European Union’s decision to open talks with Bosnia is an incentive for the country to continue its reforms.
EU leaders agreed on March 21 to open membership talks with Bosnia, but said it faces a “huge job” to be accepted into the bloc. /REL
