Ukraine's MFA says that president of Republika Srpska does not have authority to declare Ukrainian ambassador persona non grata

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has commented on the statement that Milorad Dodik, the leader of the Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, had declared the Ukrainian ambassador a persona non grata, noting that he does not have the authority to make such a decision.

Source: Oleh Nikolenko, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, reports European Pravda

Oleh Nikolenko has noted that Milorad Dodik's decision is null and void because this issue is not within his competence. He also recalled that Ukraine does not have an ambassador to Republika Srpska: Vasyl Krylych is an accredited ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina with a residence in Zagreb.

"According to the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, powers in the field of foreign policy are the exclusive competence of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Milorad Dodik does not have the authority to make such decisions, and his statement should be considered only as a short-lived attempt to justify his populist decisions in favour of the Kremlin," Oleh Nikolenko said.

Background: On 9 January, as part of the celebration of anti-constitutional "Republic Day", Milorad Dodik, the President of the RS (which is an autonomous entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina), awarded Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, in absentia with the highest honour of the Republic of Srpska, the Order of the Republika Srpska on a necklace for "the development and strengthening of friendly relations between Russia and the RS."

Vasyl Kyrylych, the ambassador of Ukraine to Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, called this act "a reward from a terrorist to a terrorist". The European Union harshly criticised Dodik's decision, saying that there is no place in the EU to reward politicians who order to exterminate a neighbouring country and kill its people.

After that, Milorad Dodik said that Vasyl Kyrylych, the ambassador of Ukraine to Croatia, had been declared a persona non grata in the RS.

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