COOPERATION WITH RUSSIA CANNOT BE CALLED INTO QUESTION; KAPITAL ARTICLE IS ATTEMPT TO DAMAGE RUSSIAN–SERBIAN RELATIONS

BANJA LUKA, AUGUST 11 /SRNA/ – Cooperation with the Russian Federation, a historically strategic partner of the Serbian people and Republika Srpska, can never under any circumstances be brought into question, the Agency for Information and Communication Technologies of Republika Srpska stated.

The Agency said it is aware of the article published on the portal “Kapital.ba” regarding an alleged “Questionnaire for Mapping Resources and Assessing the Needs for Cooperation with the Nizhny Novgorod Region in the Russian Federation in the field of information and communication technologies” and underlined that nothing of the kind was designed by the Agency. “Thanks to Republika Srpska, BiH has not imposed sanctions on the Russian Federation and has a special status in cooperation. Russian scientific, technological, and economic entities can operate in BiH and Republika Srpska without any obstacles, and no additional mechanisms are needed for such treatment,” the Agency for Information and Communication Technologies of Republika Srpska explained. The Agency stressed that from the content of the article published on “Kapital.ba” it is apparent that it insinuates a supposed intention to bypass sanctions along the Russia–EU line. “In all talks with the Russian Federation, we have been explicitly told that the Russian Federation does not cooperate with countries it has designated as ‘unfriendly’ in any sphere, including the scientific and technological fields. Cooperation between Republika Srpska and scientific institutions of the Russian Federation is based directly on bilateral cooperation without involving or considering third parties in our joint work. The goal of this cooperation is to strengthen the scientific and technological capacities of Republika Srpska,” the statement underscored. The Agency for Information and Communication Technologies of Republika Srpska has stated it is issuing this statement because it considers the published article an attempt to harm the cooperation between Republika Srpska and the Russian Federation. “The Agency for Information and Communication Technologies of Republika Srpska is establishing active cooperation with state institutions, universities, and scientific institutions of the Russian Federation in the field of electrical engineering and computer sciences. This trend has never been stronger since the founding of Republika Srpska and will continue in the period ahead. Several maps for scientific and technological cooperation between Republika Srpska and the Russian Federation are being prepared, and the public of Republika Srpska will be informed about them,” they stressed in the statement.