MOSCOW. March 1 (Interfax) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has met with Milorad Dodik, president of the Republic of Srpska (part of Bosnia and Herzegovina), on the sidelines of the Antakya Diplomacy Forum, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"In the context of the role of Russia as a guarantor state of the 1995 General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Dayton Peace Agreement), the situation in this country was substantively discussed. The ill-intentioned and illegitimate interference in the internal affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the West, which is pursuing neo-colonial policies aimed at undermining the Dayton principles and encroaching on the constitutional rights of its constituent peoples was stated as a key factor in aggravating the political situation," according to a statement published on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website.
Russia's general policy in support of the peace agreement as the only foundation of stability, security and development in the country and the region in general was reaffirmed, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
In addition, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry's information, the sides had a substantive exchange of opinions on implementing the agreements reached following the discussion between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Dodik in Kazan on February 21, with an emphasis on intensifying bilateral cooperation projects.
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