The National Assembly hosted Second Republic of Serbia – Republic of Srpska Parliamentary Forum.
The Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia Ana Brnabic welcomed the attendees, expressing pleasure that today’s session further strengthens the unbreakable ties between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Srpska.
"By deepening parliamentary cooperation, we once again confirm that Serbia stands firmly with the Republic of Srpska in every respect and at every level, that this support is growing stronger year after year and that our ties are continuing to expand regardless of all the pressures coming from different sides," stressed the National Assembly Speaker.
She pointed out that over the past decade, at the initiative of the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia has invested not only a lot of money, but also a lot of energy, political courage, emotions and a lot of love, to strengthen its ties with the Serbian people throughout the region, above all in the Republic of Srpska. Brnabic expressed her gratitude to the representatives of the opposition parliamentary parties who took part in the work of the Forum and showed that there are issues that go beyond politics and are above all of us, that constitute the basic Serbian interest of the Serbian people.
"I encourage all the members of the Forum to raise as many issues and initiatives as possible that could be of benefit to the Serbian people and let me remind you that my door is always wide open for any kind of help and support. I would also like to ask you to, in your communication with international organisations, emphasise that this body was established in order to do something for our people, not something against anyone else. The Declaration on the Protection of National and Political Rights and the Common Future of the Serbian People openly and unequivocally calls again for peace, for respect, for piety towards the victims of the wars in Bosnia and Herzegovina and for full respect for the Dayton Peace Accords," concluded the National Assembly Speaker.
The Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska Dr Nenad Stevandic also welcomed the attendees, emphasising his satisfaction with working on something that unites the two assemblies and expressed his hope that the Forum would take on an international character in the future. He added that the people of the Republic of Srpska experience the events in the Republic of Serbia much more tragically, because, he said, the Republic of Srpska does not have the status of a sovereign state, but shares sovereignty with another entity. Stevandic also spoke about the challenges faced by both Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Serbia and the need to respect international law in order to avoid "strained" relations in the region.
