Bosnian Serb leader supports full integration of Karabakh into Azerbaijan

BELGRADE, Serbia

Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik on Wednesday expressed his support for full integration of Karabakh into Azerbaijan.

“I wish a long and stable peace and prosperity to the Karabakh region and all of Azerbaijan, sincerely hoping that the newly formed situation will open an opportunity for the full integration of this region and its inhabitants, as well as its further development and progress,” said Dodik in a letter to Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev.

Dodik, president of the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska (RS), said that resolving the decades-long conflicts required the courage and wisdom of a strong and wise leader.

Dodik and Zeljka Cvijanovic, the Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, met with Aliyev on Aug. 20 and announced that Azerbaijan was interested in investing in the Republika Srpska.

Last week, in the wake of provocations by Armenian forces in Karabakh, Azerbaijan said it had launched "counterterrorism" activities in the region to uphold a 2020 trilateral peace agreement with Russia and Armenia. After 24 hours, a cease-fire was reached in the region.

Relations between Baku and Yerevan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

In the fall of 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages, and settlements from Armenian occupation during 44 days of clashes. The war ended that November with a Russia-brokered cease-fire.

Tensions between the two nations, however, continue despite ongoing talks aiming for a long-term peace deal.