9 January 2021

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Nikola Selakovic stated that Serbia and the Republic of Srpska have been and will remain inextricably linked in the coming years, and that he expects them to cooperate intensively and dedicatedly in building a more stable and more prosperous region.

On the occasion of marking the Day of the Republic of Srpska, Selakovic said for Srna news agency that preserving peace and stability is the greatest interest of the Serbian people, both in Serbia and any of the countries in the neighbourhood where the Serbian people live.

The Serbian Foreign Minister pointed out that Serbs, as the largest nation in the Western Balkans, want to develop and share their success with everyone in the region, which, as he explained, needs to finally stop being labelled as a turbulent and unstable area and become a zone of sustainable and predictable development.

"The Serbian people has its legitimate national interests, but the top interest, which is common to Serbs wherever they live, is peace, stability and development, in order to be able to make up as efficiently as possible for the years spent regressing and stagnating and catch up with the richest and most advanced European societies", Selakovic said in a statement for RTRS.

According to the Minister, no one should be afraid of Serbian success, because this generation also wants to, just as their ancestors did, achieve success for the benefit of the entire region and everyone in the area.

"We hope that the other two constituent peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina will show readiness to cooperate with Serbia and the entire Serbian people in achieving that goal, because Serbia, as the center of stability in the region, sincerely wishes that its economic and social success benefits all peoples in the region", Selakovic said.

The Minister stated that Serbia respects all its neighbors and the territorial integrity of all neighboring countries.

"But for the Republic of Srpska and the Serbian people we feel love, and we will always help them and be with them", Selakovic said.

Congratulating the citizens of the Republic of Srpska their holiday, Selakovic pointed out that Serbia, when it comes to its special parallel ties with Srpska, is bound by the Dayton Accords, but also by the sentiment and brotherly love of the vast majority of its citizens towards compatriots on the other side of the Drina.
"I would like to wish the citizens of the Republic of Srpska a peaceful, stable and prosperous future, and on that path, they will have the brotherly support and help of Serbia, like they did so far", Minister Selakovic pointed out.

Source: Tanjug