KOVAČEVIĆ: REPUBLIKA SRPSKA OPPOSES IMMIGRATION BECAUSE IT DOES NOT WANT TO CHANGE ITS POPULATION STRUCTURE

BUDAPEST, MARCH 10 /SRNA/ - Radovan Kovačević, the Serb delegate in the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, said in Budapest that Republika Srpska opposes accepting migrants because it does not want to change the structure of its population.

Speaking at the panel "Family, Migration and Paths to a Resilient Future" as part of the Balkan Forum conference, Kovačević emphasized that Republika Srpska does not have immigration camps or anything similar. "We are ready to be a barrier, because we are truly against it. We understand all the humanitarian reasons, but we are concerned about our people and we do not want the structure of our population to change," Kovačević said. Referring to the history of Republika Srpska, Kovačević said he believes everyone should understand its concerns. "When talking about immigration, you should always keep Hungary in mind and the relations between Budapest and Brussels. I wondered why there is such a problem in Brussels with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and then I remembered a line from the The Beatles song Strawberry Fields Forever which says: 'Living is easy with eyes closed.' Orbán does not allow them to live with their eyes closed, even though he unfortunately has to act as a thorn in their eyes. But he is doing a really good job, and we in Republika Srpska hope he will continue to do so," Kovačević said. He emphasized that Republika Srpska, as well as the leader of Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, Milorad Dodik, see Orbán as a great friend and ally, and perhaps the only hope for the EU. "I created a slogan for Republika Srpska and it goes: 'Europe as it once was,' and that can also apply to Hungary. I feel great in Budapest. I think this is Europe; I think the way of life here is what we want. When you think about Europe, this is what you think about," Kovačević said. He added that he is not sure why Europe is the only part of the world and the only civilization that is ashamed of what it is and tries to be something else. He cited the United States, China, Saudi Arabia and Iran as examples of countries where people are not ashamed of what they are, noting that neither Republika Srpska nor Hungary are ashamed of their identity. "We are mostly Christians. We love our families, with fathers and mothers, parents, grandfathers, grandmothers, uncles, aunts, and we want to have new families. And that's it," Kovačević concluded, thanking the audience at the end of the panel. Kovačević and Ana Trišić Babić are participating in the Balkan Forum in Budapest, where they previously met with the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Péter Szijjártó, described as a great friend of Republika Srpska.