- Cooperation between Serbia and the Republic of Srpska has never been better, more concrete or finer than today - Mayor of Subotica Stevan Bakić and Head of the Republic of Srpska Representative Office in Serbia Mlađen Cicović concluded yesterday in an open conversation held in the City Hall in Subotica - emphasizing that this cooperation was a good guideline also for all local self-governments in Serbia and the Republic of Srpska: to constantly deepen and improve their relations. The meeting in Subotica City Hall was attended by MP and Chairman of the Committee on the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region in the Serbian Parliament, Milimir Vujadinović, member of the City Council in charge of economy, Srđan Samardžić, and President of the Assembly of the Homeland Association Republika Srpska in Subotica, Miroslav Karan.

In conversation about the relations between the Republic of Srpska and the Republic of Serbia and strengthening and deepening of cooperation between the Republic of Srpska Representation in Serbia and Subotica’s local self-government, Mayor Bakić said:

- Today, we have laid the foundation for our city’s relations with the Republic of Srpska Representation in Serbia, and in the coming period, this cooperation will concretize through new meetings, projects and joint activities.

Emphasizing that the City of Subotica had strong reasons and excellent conditions for strengthening the cooperation ‘both with the Republic of Srpska as a whole and with its individual cities and municipalities,’ Mayor Bakić said that Subotica had a large share of population originating from that area and nurturing close ties with their relatives and friends in the Republic of Srpska. He also added that homeland associations, very active in Subotica, represented a great potential for connecting in the field of culture, education and sports, as well as economy.

Expressing gratitude to Mayor Bakić for the warm welcome and reception, Mlađen Cicović said that the cooperation between the Republic of Srpska Representation and the City of Subotica had been good thus far and that since June 2015, when the Republic of Srpska, i.e. the Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of Srpska was a partner to the 9th International and Regional Fair of Economy in Subotica, the cooperation between businessmen from the Republic of Srpska and businessmen from this city had intensified.

- In addition to the economic motive, the cooperation has taken on an emotional character, considering that a significant number of businessmen in Subotica originate from the Republic of Srpska. That homeland motive is something we insist on, that our people on both sides of the Drina cooperate intensively, because that is the only way we can both secure a future for ourselves - said Cicović and reminded that the Republic of Srpska Representation had also realized programs within the manifestation Days of Srpska in Serbia in this city, that two years ago that manifestation was ceremoniously closed in Subotica.

Cicović said that this conversation had contributed to ‘intensifying cooperation in the following period, in the areas where the Representation was particularly active, i.e. cooperation with homeland associations, in view of the significant number of people in Subotica originating from the Republic of Srpska.

- It is very important for us to have the associations that work on nurturing and preserving the culture, tradition and customs of the region from which they came, as well as on strengthening ties with the homeland. We will insist particularly that these homeland associations give their full contribution to the development of this city, that they participate actively with the local authorities in the implementation of all projects that are for the benefit of all citizens of Subotica - Mlađen Cicović pointed out.

Looking at the overall cooperation between the Republic of Srpska and the Republic of Serbia, Cicović pointed out that during the last seven years, that cooperation had been intensive and at an extremely high level.

- This is confirmed by the fact that in the last seven years, more than 56 million euro has been invested in support of numerous projects that have improved life in the cities and municipalities in the Republic of Srpska. There is no city or municipality in the Republic of Srpska in which Serbia has not financed some project. We agreed that economic cooperation was very important, but also that we had never needed it more to be united, collected, to be together, to give maximum contribution to the preservation of our national identity. If we manage to do that as best we can, we will have a future - said Mlađen Cicović, and added that a delegation of the Representation would visit Subotica in early March to discuss specific projects to be implemented by the end of this year.

Source and photo: Republic of Srpska Representative Office in Serbia