On 2 February 2022, the Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic of Srpska, Natalija Trivić, had a working meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia and Minister of Culture and Information, Maja Gojković, where readiness was expressed to further strengthen endeavors to expand cooperation, joint program activities and events in order to preserve Serbian culture, tradition and language.

Gojković and Trivić agreed to continue the good and intensive relations between Serbia and Republic of Srpska, with the priority to strengthen institutional cooperation in all areas of culture and art, and artist mobility.

Gojković and Trivić agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding between the two ministries on cooperation in the field of film art and other audiovisual creation, and a memorandum of cooperation for the period 2022-2026.

Gojković pointed out that the memoranda would provide significant support to the cooperation between cultural institutions and the independent scene, in the field of protection of cultural heritage and digitalization, as well as in all other areas of cooperation of mutual interest.

Gojković and Trivić emphasized the importance of cooperation between Serbia and Republic of Srpska in the field of cinematography, and discussed the possibility of joint projects, especially those of national interest.

Gojković said that Serbia had allocated 1.7 billion dinars for filming incentives in 2022, or one billion dinars more than last year, and Trivić emphasized that Serbia’s model of incentives was good, as confirmed by the fact that invested funds returned quadrupled.

Gojković noted the confirmation of the good cooperation between the two ministries on implementing the Mallow-Colored Garden project of revitalization of Branko Ćopić’s birthplace in Hašani, ‘being one of the most important projects and contributing to the strategic interest in Serbian culture. Gojković said that the donation of the Government of the Republic of Serbia was important because it would complete the infrastructure and in turn equip this environment as an educational, cultural and tourist destination in the shortest possible time.

Gojković and Trivić highlighted the importance of joint projects of remembrance preservation and in that context emphasized the importance of a multimedia exhibition dedicated to Jasenovac and nurturing the memory of the victims of this camp.

Gojković said that the shared goal was to preserve the cultural and national identity of the Serbian people, and that joint work would continue in the future. In that context, the importance was noted of continuing to hold the events Days of Serbia in Srpska and Days of Srpska in Serbia, which connected cultural institutions and enabled presenting a quality program to the audience in Serbia and Republic of Srpska. The event Days of Srpska in Serbia, organized by the Republic of Srpska Representative Office in Serbia was held in October 2021 in 11 cities and municipalities in Serbia, and this year’s jubilean tenth Days of Srpska in Serbia is planned in the first half of September 2022. The Days of Serbia in Srpska will be held in several cities in the Republic of Srpska this year, with the participation of many institutions and artists from Serbia.

Today’s working meeting of the ministers of Srpska and Serbia was also attended by Mlađen Cicović, Head of the Republic of Srpska Representation in Serbia.

Source and photo: Republic of Srpska Representative Office in Serbia