Bosnia-Herzegovina's Serbian entity, Republika Srpska, on January 9 celebrated a holiday deemed unconstitutional as the United States called for an investigation into the event amid international warnings about the secessionist policies of the entity's leader, Milorad Dodik.
January 9 marks the date in 1992 when Bosnian Serbs, who opposed an independent Bosnia after the breakup of Yugoslavia, declared their separate state, triggering an interethnic war that claimed more than 100,000 lives and was finally stopped by the U.S.-brokered Dayton accords in late 1995.
Under the Dayton accords, Bosnia has been administered by a central government under a Bosniak and Croat federation and a mostly Serb-populated entity known as Republika Srpska.
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Bosnian Serbs Mark 'National Day,' Defying Warnings From Sarajevo And The West
The leadership of Republika Srpska persists with celebrations on January 9 despite the Constitutional Court of Bosnia twice having declared the holiday unconstitutional.
Among the participants in a parade held in Banja Luka were members of the Republika Srpska police force, members of the entity's public services, army veterans, and members of the local branch of the Night Wolves motorcycle club, which has close ties with the Kremlin.
Spectators waved Serbian and Russian flags and flags bearing the face of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russian Ambassador to Bosnia Igor Kalabuhov was among the attendees along with Dodik. The delegation from Serbia was led by the president of the National Assembly, Vladimir Orlic. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was absent, but his son, Danilo, attended the events in Banja Luka, capital of the Serbian entity.
In the evening, Belgrade marked January 9 with fireworks and the message "Happy Birthday Republika Srpska!" written on the side of Belgrade Tower and fireworks. Dodik and Vucic agreed to synchronize their fireworks shows at 8:00 p.m. in all cities of Republika Srpska and in Belgrade, Republika Srpska media reported.
The U.S. Embassy in Bosnia strongly objected to the celebrations, warning in a statement on January 9 that the event violated both Bosnia's constitution and the Dayton peace agreement and urged Bosnia's authorities to open an investigation.
"The United States' expectation is that the relevant law enforcement and judicial authorities will investigate any violations of law that occur related to the celebration of the Day of the Republika Srpska on January 9," the statement said.
To reinforce Washington's backing for Bosnia's territorial integrity, two U.S. F-16 warplanes and a tanker aircraft flew over the country on January 8.
SEE ALSO: U.S. Warplanes Conduct Training Exercise Over Bosnia On Eve Of Banned Bosnian Serb DayThe Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) warned in a statement last week that the January 9 celebration "directly contravenes the constitutions of both Bosnia-Herzegovina and of Republika Srpska."
The OSCE also said that the celebration amounted to "an act of discrimination."
Opening the celebration, Dodik announced he was awarding Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban with the highest decoration of the Serbian entity.
Dodik said Orban has accepted the highest award of the Republika Srpska.
"It is the pride of Republika Srpska to show its gratitude to the man who is willing to consider and respect us as a political reality," he said. "We have a friend like never before."
Over the past two years, Dodik, who has close relations with Putin, has repeatedly attempted to erode the central Bosnian government's authority and establish parallel institutions to further his longtime threats to divide the country permanently.
Orban has also been a close friend of Putin's and has been at odds with the rest of the EU, voicing his opposition to sanctions against Moscow due to its invasion of Ukraine.