DODIK: WE SUPPORT THE COMPOSITION OF THE NEW GOVERNMENT, SNSD DEFENDS THE INTERESTS OF SRPSKA

BANJA LUKA, JANUARY 16 /SRNA/ - President of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats /SNSD/ Milorad Dodik stated that the party supports the composition of the new government and the cabinet to be formed by Savo Minić, revealing that one non-party figure will also be among the ministers.

Dodik said that SNSD remains committed to the development of the Republika Srpska, its economy, and the living standard of its citizens. "We will support the appointment of one non-party figure in the new government. We have no problem with that. We have preserved our coalition capacity. Cooperation is good and there is no speculation. We are fighting for the status of the Republika Srpska, and it is important that citizens know this," Dodik said at a press conference at the seat of the Government of the Republika Srpska in Banja Luka, following a meeting between the SNSD delegation and Minić. He congratulated Minić on the new opportunity to form the Government, stating that he supports his work to date. "The parliamentary majority is stable. We have seen a negative approach from Sarajevo and their desire to challenge institutions. This step is aimed at continuity, and I believe that on Sunday we will have a new composition of the Government and its new–old Prime Minister, Minić," Dodik said. He stated that constitutional and any other crises are being generated in Sarajevo, together with what he called the illegal Christian Schmidt, with the aim of destabilizing the Republika Srpska. Dodik pointed out that Sarajevo is once again attempting, through various measures and at the request of Muslim MPs, to adopt decisions to the detriment of the Republika Srpska. "We will endure even those from the opposition who did not respond to the Prime Minister's invitation. They claim that nothing exists unless it suits them. They invent various stories. For them, neither the court nor anything else is illegal - everything is disputed only in the Republika Srpska. We listen to their complaints and lamentations. We will elect a new government, and they can repeat the same story," Dodik said. Dodik added that economic indicators in the Republika Srpska point to stability, despite the difficult global political situation. "Unfortunately, we have been a test subject of Western policies which, through privatization, destroyed the real sector, but we have always managed to recover. Last year we recorded growth of three percent. We also have more people employed. In the past year, the Federation of BiH had 4,000 fewer workers. We preserved jobs and increased wages," Dodik emphasized. He noted that pension increases will take effect from January, while wage increases will follow in April. "Veterans' benefits will also be increased, amounting to a total of 800 million KM to be directed into the budgets of families in the Republika Srpska. We also have investments worth four billion KM. Energy projects are extremely important. Private investment spending is not included here," Dodik said.