Zell, head of Zell & Associates International Advocates and a Republican Party leader in Israel, registered as a Republika Srpska lobbyist in January this year, according to documents filed under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) cited by the newspaper. Haaretz.

According to the agreement signed by Dodik's chief of staff, the main purpose of the lobbying effort is "to establish and encourage dialogue between the Republika Srpska and the incoming Donald Trump administration, with the goal of improving relations between the RS, its leadership and the United States of America."

The agreement also explicitly states that one of Zell's key tasks will be to ensure the lifting of US sanctions imposed on Dodik, as well as on former RS President Zeljka Cvijanovic, who is now a member of the Bosnian presidency.

The lobbying effort is also aimed at "promoting public review of the Dayton Peace Agreement in the United States after 30 years of practical experience under the agreement, focusing in particular on Annex 10 to the DPA related to the role, recommendations, and decisions of the High Representative," according to the document posted on the US Justice Department website and seen by BGNES.

Entente President Milorad Dodik was sentenced to one year in jail and banned from political office for six years for failing to comply with the decisions of Christian Schmidt, the international community's envoy tasked with monitoring compliance with the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement.

If the lobbying firm succeeds in these efforts, Zell & Associates will receive an additional financial bonus.

For his services, Zell will receive $840,000, with the possibility of additional compensation contingent on the success of his lobbying efforts. The firm's registered address is in Kfar Etzion, an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, but documents also list offices in New York, Washington, Toronto, Moscow and Amman.

Dodik's lobbying is taking place amid ongoing legal challenges, including an international arrest warrant issued by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Nevertheless, Dodik arrived in Moscow on March 31, where he confirmed his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Every time I'm here, I start with a visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior," he wrote on social media, praising Putin's leadership while omitting to mention an official meeting.

Dodik's lobbying efforts resemble a similar strategy used by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

On February 19, in collaboration with fellow journalists from Serbia, the United States, and Western Europe, BGNES revealed that Vucic had spent more than $5.5 million since 2019 on contracts with multiple U.S. firms, with the goal of improving Serbia's image and navigating geopolitical tensions.

These lobbying contracts, often justified as efforts to attract foreign investment, largely function as tools to gain political influence and counter international scrutiny.

In particular, one such treaty was intended to mitigate US sanctions on Serbia's energy sector, which is strongly linked to Russian interests.

Like Vucic, Dodik appears willing to pay high sums to strengthen his position in Washington, especially in the face of a potential Republican administration. | BGNES