The president of Bosnia's autonomous Serb Republic defied rulings by the international envoy to Bosnia, whose role is to prevent the multi-ethnic Balkan state slipping back into conflict.

The recent Bosnian Serb moves are seen as part of escalating efforts to break the territory away from Bosnia and have been condemned by the United States and the European Union. Dodik, who has faced U.S. and Bristish sanctions, is backed by Moscow.

Bosnian Serbs passed the disputed laws after a Bosnian court convicted Milorad Dodik, the pro-Russia president of the Serb-run entity in Bosnia called Republika Srpska. Dodik was sentenced last month in absentia to a year in prison and a six-year ban from public office for his separatist moves.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Prosecutor ordered the summon of Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik and two of his close associates for allegedly attacking the country’s constitutional order, deepening tensions in the fragile Balkan state.

The parliament of the autonomous Serb Republic was discussing on Thursday the draft of a new constitution that would equip the region with sovereign authority. It also provides fo