US Removes Sanctions From Former Serb Republic Leader, Officials, Entities
The Office of Foreign Assets Control removed sanctions Oct. 29 from a range of people and entities connected to the Western Balkans, including former Serb Republic President Milorad Dodik and other former or current government officials and entities that had been sanctioned for undermining democracy in the region. The move deleted dozens of entries from OFAC's Specially Designated Nationals List, including people and companies that OFAC previously said had provided major sources of revenue for Dodik and his family, helped Dodik and his circle evade sanctions, threatened the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the Bosnian war, and more.
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A State Department spokesperson said the removals were due to the "constructive actions taken in recent weeks by the Republika Srpska National Assembly," which "should improve stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina and will enable a partnership with the United States based on mutual interests, economic potential, and shared prosperity." The spokesperson said the U.S. will "continue to work closely with political actors and stakeholders from across the political spectrum in Bosnia and Herzegovina to advance shared priorities."
The Serb Republic government hired lawyers and lobbyists with ties to President Donald Trump to push the U.S. to remove the sanctions, The New York Times reported. They were "paid a total of about $300,000 per month or more," the report said.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., opposed the lifting of sanctions on Dodik. “I do not support that,” she said. “We have raised our concerns already with the administration.”
A bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Shaheen, urged the Trump administration earlier this year to increase sanctions on Dodik and his "enablers" (see 2503140019).