KALINIĆ: CVIJANOVIĆ REVIVED HOPE FOR DIFFERENT VIEW OF SERBS

PALE, SEPTEMBER 24 /SRNA/ – What the Serb member of the BiH Presidency Željka Cvijanović has done internationally in recent months to improve understanding of Republika Srpska's position and defend its rights under the Dayton framework, particularly in the United States, has encouraged the Serb people, former Republika Srpska National Assembly Speaker Dragan Kalinić said.

Kalinić told SRNA that Cvijanović had revived hopes for a much-needed different view of Serbs and the Serb question at a turbulent time. He said her recent mission in Washington and New York was perhaps best described by Fahrudin Radončić, who as no particular supporter of Republika Srpska, said that "while Cvijanović is meeting the powerful chief of staff to President Trump and other important Americans, Elmedin Konaković and Denis Bećirović are blowing balloons." Kalinić said Cvijanović had established herself on the international stage as a much-needed and distinctive advocate, in statesmanlike fashion, for what he described as the truth about Republika Srpska. He pointed out that it should also not be forgotten that President Milorad Dodik had been the first to launch a strong diplomatic offensive, opening important doors in Israel, the Russian Federation and Hungary and establishing significant political contacts in Austria, Germany, France and China. "What we missed, through no fault of our own, over the past 30 years and more is now finally coming into place, and Republika Srpska is slowly but surely taking its place on the international stage. Through such a policy, we are becoming a desirable destination for investment and foreign capital in economic development," Kalinić said. He added that the Dodik-Cvijanović tandem had broken through what he called an "iron curtain" around Republika Srpska and had largely dispelled negative stereotypes about Serbs in BiH.