7 December 2021

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Nikola Selakovic met today with Minister of European Integration and International Cooperation of the Republic of Srpska Zlatan Klokic and stated that Serbia respected and supported the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), but that it also supported the Republic of Srpska in its efforts to develop and make progress as an equal entity within BiH.

After the meeting with Minister Klokic, Minister Selakovic said that Serbia wanted to build the best good-neighbourly relations with BiH in the future, but also reminded that Serbia had an Agreement on special and parallel ties with the Republic of Srpska.

"Serbia is working diligently and dedicatedly on its implementation. The Republic of Serbia loves the Republic of Srpska and supports it in its efforts to develop and make progress as an equal entity within BiH", said the Head of Serbian diplomacy.

According to the Minister, the contribution to such development and progress was visible at every step in the activities of Serbian state authorities, from Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, to the Serbian Government and all line ministries, through a large number of projects with which Serbia was present in the Republic of Srpska.

Minister Selakovic said that there was no local self-government unit in the Republic of Srpska that had not received a kind of assistance from Serbia, aimed at contributing to raising the quality of life in Srpska.

The Minister stated that Serbia was committed to cooperating with the Republic of Srpska in various areas, in the first place in infrastructural connectivity, and noted in that context the joint work being done on the realization of a large project of building a highway from Belgrade to Sarajevo.

After the meeting, the two Ministers signed a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Government of the Republic of Srpska in the field of diplomatic education, and the Serbian Foreign Minister said that the memorandum was the legal basis for a number of young, talented people from the Republic of Srpska to attend training during their higher education at the Diplomatic Academy of the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the future, the implementation of which should begin in the next academic year.

Minister Selakovic announced that he would visit Bosanski Petrovac with the Director of the Office for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region, Arnaud Gouillon, on Friday and Saturday, where he would hand over valuable assistance to compatriots engaged in agriculture.

Minister Klokic expressed gratitude for the support that the Republic of Srpska was receiving from Serbia and stated that it had never been more concrete than in the last seven years, through various projects, while expressing gratitude to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Serb member of the BiH Presidency Milorad Dodik.

"There is not a single municipality or city in the Republic of Srpska where Serbia has not implemented a project that meant a better life for its citizens", said Klokic and thanked Minister Selakovic for his most sincere and open support.