ŠOLAJA: UNITY – BEST WAY FOR SRPSKA TO RESIST ATTACKS

BANJA LUKA, JULY 8 /SRNA/ - Republika Srpska is using all available mechanisms to protect its interests, one of which is the Declaration on the Protection of Vital National Interests of the Serb People in BiH, Bojan Šolaja of the Centre for International and Security Studies told SRNA.

Šolaja believes that Republika Srpska should adopt a unified political position on developments over the years, the Dayton Agreement and the Constitution of BiH, and on how matters should evolve rather than being imposed from outside. "Republika Srpska must protect its interests in line with what we agreed to in BiH, not with what many have tried to impose over the past 30-plus years. We can also see that some intend for this to continue in the future as well," Šolaja said. He warned that now is the moment for Republika Srpska to position itself with a firm stance on how it sees its own future, as well as the future of BiH Šolaja also highlighted the importance of the unanimous adoption of the Declaration in the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, even though different views could be heard during the session. "The most important thing is for the highest legislative body of Republika Srpska to adopt a unified position on issues of importance to Republika Srpska, regardless of the subject matter, and especially when it comes to protecting the vital interests of Republika Srpska," Šolaja said. He said that political unity is the best recipe for Republika Srpska to withstand attacks. "It is a good thing that such unity has been achieved at key moments, and there have been some very turbulent periods for Srpska," Šolaja said. Yesterday, the National Assembly of Republika Srpska unanimously adopted, under an urgent procedure, the Declaration on the Protection of Vital National Interests of the Serb People in BiH, which emphasises the importance of defending the democratically elected institutions of Republika Srpska against all attempts to reduce or abolish their powers and transfer them to the level of the joint institutions of BiH with the aim of unitarisation.