CVIJANOVIĆ: ISRAEL REAFFIRMS STRONG TIES AND FRIENDSHIP WITH REPUBLIKA SRPSKA

BANJA LUKA, JUNE 25 /SRNA/ – The Serb member of the BiH Presidency Željka Cvijanović has stated this evening that she is returning from Israel with messages of friendship, noting that Republika Srpska and this country have traditionally enjoyed good relations.

"There is a commitment for these relations to continue and grow stronger and to identify areas where we may not have responded adequately in the past so that cooperation can be improved", Cvijanović said in a statement to ATV. She said that one of the key topics discussed in Israel was economic cooperation and ways to establish stronger ties between Republika Srpska and Israel. "We already have some Israeli investments in Republika Srpska. Israelis have had positive experiences in Republika Srpska, and some companies have relocated facilities from Turkiye to our region, while others are interested in following that example", Cvijanović added. According to her, the meetings with Israel's highest-ranking officials were substantive and productive, as were the two conferences she attended. Cvijanović assessed that ties between Israel and Republika Srpska are very strong. "The ties between our two peoples go back a long way, and the suffering experienced during World War II connected us even more deeply in a unique way. Republika Srpska has always shown understanding when it comes to the survival and defense of Israel and the Jewish people worldwide. I have excellent cooperation with Jewish organizations in the United States and have been an honorary guest at several of their conferences. Relations with Israel are therefore a natural connection", Cvijanović said. Cvijanović noted that Milorad Dodik has worked diligently for 30 years to strengthen relations with Israel. "After such long-term engagement, when you come to Israel there is no doubt about how you are perceived. They recognize us as a stable and consistent friend. They understand the challenges we face in defending our identity, our existence and our vision for the future", Cvijanović stressed. She said that significant attention was devoted in Israel to Republika Srpska and its efforts to preserve its constitutional status and its capacity to guide future generations. "The friendship has definitely been reaffirmed with the highest level of honors, recognition and understanding", Cvijanović said. She reminded that BiH is composed of constituent peoples and noted that when two of the three constituent peoples are fighting to preserve that constitutional status, people abroad take notice. "The pressures in BiH have been directed against Republika Srpska and the Croats. Everything that has happened has been detrimental to Republika Srpska, while certain actors have sought to pursue a centralizing policy. The international community recognizes when someone is not being treated equally in BiH and when attempts are made to take away competencies that were originally agreed upon. In Israel, there is an awareness that BiH is home to Christians and Muslims divided among three constituent peoples", Cvijanović stated. She reiterated that all peoples in BiH must be treated equally. "In Republika Srpska, the rights of all peoples and national minorities are respected. We are proud of that, unlike the situation at the BiH level where abuses occur. As a member of the Presidency, I have been subjected to discrimination by institutions that are supposed to serve the BiH Presidency. The world is aware of this and I have informed relevant interlocutors accordingly", Cvijanović stressed. She reminded that, in her view, many processes in BiH have been usurped and that the Presidency is often bypassed in key matters. "Everything has been abused, including what is happening at the United Nations. This is the product of unilateral actions by one member of the BiH Presidency. They complain in Sarajevo that there was no BiH flag during my meetings in Israel, yet my colleague Denis Bećirović once posed for photographs with officials in Germany without a BiH flag present. They seek to appropriate everything for themselves, and that is one reason why BiH is not viewed positively in parts of the international community", Cvijanović said.