The creation of national identification cards, announced by the Serb presidency member, Milorad Dodik, should unite Serbs, regardless of where they live. According to Dodik, he will discuss this with the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić.

For the president of Srpska, Željka Cvijanović, it is a project of national importance. This, she says, is an upgrade of a project that started a few years back, which involved diaspora mapping.

Serbs from the diaspora welcome this initiative.

The national identification card will serve the Serbs who identify with Srpska in any way and wherever they live, to enjoy the domiciled population status in some activities and rights. As Dodik announced a few days ago in Romania, issuing of the cards would afford numerous benefits to the holders. At the same time, it would also be a step towards the unification of Serbian identity.

– It will enable you to exercise the same rights in the Republic of Srpska, ranging from buying real estate to opening companies, using education, to have equal rights as our people. It is now possible in Srpska, we will try to somehow bring it closer to Serbia, for Serbia to do that for all of us, both you and us. In this respect, I think it could be something that would bring us closer and unite us further – said Dodik.

With the Serb identification card, Srpska wants to identify all its people who live abroad, who want to invest in Srpska and use all the benefits offered to its citizens, the president of Srpska, Željka Cvijanović, is clear.

– Naturally, this will be a project of national importance; preliminary work has been done and already today we have a good database; but we want our people to become active in a more intensive way and finally to have, dispose of all those rights here, to be treated like the people who live here. Finally – they are part of the corps of the Republic of Srpska and thus we want also to confirm that – pointed out Cvijanović.

Serbs living and working abroad, especially businessmen, are pleased by this initiative because they believe that it will reduce the administrative problems they face, facilitate investments and make them not feel like foreigners in their own country.

– I think that it would mean a lot and that there is certainly interest, and anyway it would create better conditions and facilities for every type of business cooperation as well as company opening, including education, healthcare and all other activities. I think it is a good thing – said Goran Krlić, a businessman from Styria.

– There is always a desire to cooperate with the motherland, to be connected with the motherland, which is not so simple for us in the business world. We certainly benefit, it is a benefit for both those of us who live in Austria and for the people who live in Serbia and the Republic of Srpska, primarily job creation, and on the other hand the connecting and marketing of goods – pointed out Tanja Božić, MSc Economics.

Every bridge that is built towards the diaspora is welcome, and this initiative is something that unites our national being, says the head of the Representative Office of Srpska in the United States, Obrad Kesić.

– This is perhaps something that promises the greatest benefits for our people living in the diaspora, and that is why it is welcome, especially for our businessmen. You know very well – the market is a big struggle to attract investment, it is very difficult, especially under the current economic circumstances – believes Kesić.

Analysts estimate that the idea of creating such a card is in line with Serbian national interests and that it can contribute to further uniting within the Serbian national corps.

Source: RTRS

Photo: Тwitter @Vlada_Srpske