MINIĆ: I HANDED ZAMPOLLI AN IMPORTANT DOCUMENT WITH PROJECTS, WE HAVE NOT SOLD NATURAL RESOURCES

BANJA LUKA, MARCH 23 /SRNA/ - The Prime Minister of Republika Srpska, Savo Minić, stated that he had handed over a highly important document containing numerous projects to Paolo Zampolli, the U.S. Special Representative for Global Partnerships, following their recent meeting in Banja Luka, which Zampolli will forward to various sectors within the U.S. administration.

“We have high expectations, and I believe the cooperation will be fruitful, particularly in the field of energy,” Minić told Večernje novosti, adding that the United States is a realistic partner for Republika Srpska. Minić said that he is aware that many, primarily those in Sarajevo, are bothered by Republika Srpska’s cooperation with the new U.S. administration, and therefore fabricate various stories. He emphasized that there has been no sale of natural resources to the United States, but rather that it is a matter of effective and successful lobbying. He said that Republika Srpska is open to the so-called southern interconnection project, but is not giving up Russian gas either. “We should not forget that the Russians sold us gas for years at lower prices than to others, and that citizens in the Federation of BiH also benefited from that. I don’t see why one should exclude the other,” Minić said. He pointed out that Republika Srpska is gaining more and more friends around the world and making significant progress, stressing that it is interested in all projects that will improve living standards for citizens and the economy. Regarding the appointment of the new Government, Minić reiterated that this has removed the constraints imposed on Republika Srpska’s institutions by the Constitutional Court of BiH, Christian Schmidt, and political Sarajevo, and that there is no longer any doubt about its legality and legitimacy. He believes that the “iron grip” has been broken thanks to normal relations with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. When asked to what extent insults and derogatory remarks from the opposition regarding this political move by the Government affect him, Savo Minić replied that only serious criticism concerns him, something he is willing to hear, while what comes from the opposition is pure populism. “Essentially, I believe that such statements harm the citizens of Republika Srpska the most. But that is the opposition’s policy, and it has brought them nothing except remaining in opposition,” Minić concluded.