STEVANDIĆ: STABILITY IN BiH CAN ONLY BE ACHIEVED THROUGH INTERNAL CONSENSUS

PARIS, DECEMBER 8 /SRNA/ - The Speaker of the Republika Srpska National Assembly, Nenad Stevandić, stated today that stability in BiH is not achieved through a new external totalitarianism, but through internal consensus among the peoples and entities, emphasizing that no one can dictate BiH’s European path in a way that harms Republika Srpska.

During talks with representatives of the “Jacques Delors” Institute on the position of Republika Srpska, relations in BiH, European integration, regional stability, and EU policy toward the Western Balkans, Stevandić expressed hope that European stereotypes, largely based on targeting Serbs, will gradually begin to ease. “I hope I was able to clarify to them the position of Republika Srpska and its effort to preserve its sovereignty and property, while participating in European projects that do not undermine its ability to enter the EU as a state-building entity, without causing any harm to anyone in BiH,” Stevandić said. He added that a stable BiH should move toward the EU in mutual reconciliation, without anyone taking away competencies from others or labeling them as pursuing bad policies or being a bad entity, the Republika Srpska National Assembly said. Stevandić held talks with Benjamin Coutu, a researcher in the field of EU enlargement, the Western Balkans, and Turkey, and with Sébastien Maillard, special advisor and former director of the “Jacques Delors” Institute. The Speaker of the Republika Srpska National Assembly is on a working visit to France until December 10, where meetings are planned with representatives of several institutions and organizations important for parliamentary cooperation and European integration.