President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik visited Hungary on Tuesday, where he met with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó. The meetings took place shortly after a Bosnian appeal court upheld Dodik’s one-year prison sentence and confirmed a six-year ban from holding political office, following his February 2025 conviction for defying rulings by the international High Representative and Bosnia’s Constitutional Court.
‘The Hungarian government respects the sovereignty of Western Balkan countries and consistently stands by democratically elected leaders,’ Minister Szijjártó stated following the meeting.
After the court decision on 1 August, both Szijjártó and Prime Minister Orbán expressed their support for Dodik on X. ‘It’s time for everyone to respect the decision of the PEOPLE of Republika Srpska, who elected @MiloradDodik as their President. There is no place for legal witch-hunts in a democracy,’ Orbán wrote.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Szijjártó emphasized that Europe is currently living through an era marked by security risks, with numerous crisis hotspots threatening the continent’s stability. While most of the international discourse focuses on Ukraine and the ongoing war there, the peace and calm of the Western Balkans are just as crucial for Hungary. As he put it: ‘We Hungarians know very well how much Europe’s security depends on whether order or tension prevails in the Western Balkans.’
Szijjártó underlined that Hungary has a vested interest in the region’s stability—something that requires full respect for the sovereignty of Western Balkan countries and the will of their voters. In his view, the stability of the region has always been undermined by external interference, which, he added, ‘has never led to anything good.’ He specifically referred to the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where a foreign-appointed, unelected individual holds decision-making powers that can override democratic processes. According to Szijjártó, this arrangement in no way contributes to the country’s stability.
‘External interference that overrides democratic decisions in the Western Balkans is always dangerous and always harmful’
The minister made it clear that the Hungarian government shows equal respect towards both entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina—the Bosniak–Croat Federation and Republika Srpska. ‘Everyone must respect the decision of the Serbs living in Bosnia and Herzegovina when it comes to choosing their own leader. External interference that overrides democratic decisions in the Western Balkans is always dangerous and always harmful,’ he stated.
In conclusion, Szijjártó reaffirmed that Hungary stands by Milorad Dodik, whom he described as a ‘good friend and ally’. Bilateral relations are based on mutual respect and serve the interests of both sides. Hungary, he said, remains ready to deepen cooperation with Republika Srpska and firmly supports the right of the peoples of the Western Balkans to decide their own leadership and future.
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