TRIŠIĆ BABIĆ: REPUBLIKA SRPSKA HAS THE RIGHT TO SPEAK WITH ITS OWN VOICE

BANJA LUKA, SEPTEMBER 12 /SRNA/ – The role of the Republika Srpska Office for International Cooperation is for Republika Srpska to speak, Acting Director Ana Trišić Babić has stressed.

"If the younger generation does not continue this, if it is not passed from one generation to the next, then that is a huge problem. I remember the beginnings, in 2001, when Richard Holbrooke mentioned Republika Srpska. Today, wherever decisions are being made, people ask: 'What did Republika Srpska say?' That is the success I want to see - for more and more people to ask: 'And what does Republika Srpska say?'" Trišić Babić stressed. She stated that the establishment of the Office was the result of a very difficult period through which Republika Srpska had gone over the previous three to four years. "We were forced to open many doors and finally understand that we, here in Republika Srpska, need to speak about Republika Srpska, rather than have someone from Sarajevo explain what Republika Srpska is, whether it is a threat or a problem," Trišić Babić told "Srpskainfo". She stressed that the President and Government of Republika Srpska, as well as Republika Srpska's representative offices established in several locations around the world, had done an enormous amount of work and that everyone had a strategic approach, for keeping track of and organizing facts and data, but also for daily analysis, planning and identifying who could potentially be a partner a role to play. "The Office was established because it became clear that we needed such a place for a strategic approach, for keeping track of and organizing facts and data, but also for daily analysis, planning and identifying who could potentially be a partner or strategic partner for us at a given moment," Trišić Babić added. She emphasized that the Office, the Republika Srpska Government, the President of Republika Srpska and members of the Republika Srpska National Assembly form a team, and that the Office would provide them with proposals for possible strategic positioning and other input for their foreign-policy activities. She said there had been no political dilemma over concerns that the Office might encroach on the foreign-policy responsibilities of BiH, its Presidency or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, because she knew exactly what the Office was supposed to do and what its role was. "My position, as well as that of the leadership of Republika Srpska, regarding Srpska's status and its role under the Dayton Peace Accords is clear. It would never occur to me to enter the sphere of constitutional competences of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, because I want constitutional jurisdiction to be respected here. "I believe that BiH, as it was conceived and established after the war, can be peaceful and stable only when the role of Republika Srpska is clearly recognized. Republika Srpska was created in Dayton and incorporated into the Dayton Peace Accords. The Office will not have ambassadors," she pointed out. According to her, the Office will not represent BiH at international gatherings. On the other hand, the Office and its staff, together with input provided to the Republika Srpska Government and other officials, would actively promote the importance of Republika Srpska and explain why a stable, strong, economically and politically strong Republika Srpska within BiH and the framework of the Dayton Peace Agreement is important. Asked whether the Office for International Cooperation planned to establish relations with other countries in the coming period, following the model of its relationship with Israel, Trišić Babić said the approach used with Israel was one framework and example, while each country had its own specific circumstances. "There are specific aspects to our relations with Israel because of history, the injustice suffered by the Jewish and Serbian peoples, and the suffering during the Second World War. Our closest strategic partner is Serbia because we have parallel ties within the Dayton Agreement, because we are the same people, because we share the same cultural space, because our economies are interconnected and because we are moving in the same political direction," Trišić Babić explained. The same way, she said, they would seek to further open the doors they had already opened to the United States, stressing that their main task was exclusively to promote the position of Republika Srpska and its importance in this part of Europe and the world. She added that the Russian Federation was very important to Republika Srpska because Russia was one of the signatories of the Dayton Agreement. The Office would continue working with China and would also reach out to European Union countries that recognized the role and importance of a stable Republika Srpska, developing not only political relations but also economic, academic, scientific and cultural ties. Trišić Babić explained that diplomacy was something that required time. "When I took this on, it required courage, but I knew exactly what I was doing. I worked in Sarajevo for a long time, I have experience at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and I have gone through all its stages. I am certain that Republika Srpska needs this Office," Trišić Bbaić said. She explained that diplomacy and strategic positioning could not be achieved overnight and required considerable patience, tactical thinking and careful positioning. "I do not see foreign-policy cooperation and diplomacy through scandals designed to make people hear about you or to spread news. I recently wrote in my column, on the day the Office was officially opened and began its work, that Republika Srpska has the right to use its own voice," Trišić Babić said.