The Republika Srpska took the measure in response to Slovenian sanctions against the dismissed president of the aforementioned entity, Milorad Dodik.

The dismissed President of the Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, has been banned from entering Slovenia as of today. In response to the aforementioned sanctions, the Government of the Republika Srpska has banned the entry into the Republika Srpska of the Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar and Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon.

The government of the Republika Srpska decided at today's session to ban Slovenian President Pirc Musar and Slovenian Foreign Minister Fajon from entering the entity and ordered the Ministry of the Interior to prevent them from entering the territory of the Republika Srpska, reports the website of Television of the Republika Srpska (RTRS).

This is a response to today's decision by the Slovenian government, which unanimously adopted a ban on entry into Slovenia for the dismissed President of the Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik, with the Deputy Prime Minister of Slovenia Matej Arčon explaining that the reasoning for the decision is secret.

The government of Republika Srpska assessed that the ban on Dodik's entry into Slovenia was"issued without a clear legal basis and reason". They added that it was"direct interference in internal affairs and a violation of international conventions", and that Slovenia's move"represents a step backwards in relations and the European perspective of the region". They also characterized it as"politically motivated".

Is the measure even legal?

This raises numerous questions about the feasibility and legality of the measure taken by the Republika Srpska government, according to the Slovenian portal of the N1 media network. The area of foreign policy is the responsibility of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while border control is the task of the BiH border police. In addition, there are concerns about the legitimacy of the Republika Srpska government, according to N1.

The State Election Commission in Bosnia and Herzegovina stripped Dodik of his presidential mandate in August due to a final conviction, which bars him from holding political office for six years.

Dodik and his colleagues in Republika Srpska ignored the decision and continue to treat Dodik as president. At the end of August, Prime Minister Radovan Višković resigned and the formation of a new Republika Srpska government began, which took office this week. The mandate for its formation was given to it by Dodik, who after his dismissal no longer has the authority to grant mandates, which is why the decisions of the new government are also illegal and illegitimate, according to several lawyers.