Cooperation with the diaspora is of great importance for the institutions of the Republic of Srpska, said the Minister of European Integration and International Cooperation of the Republic of Srpska, Zlatan Klokić, as a guest on the show Zajednički Talas (joint wave), on the Radio of the Republic of Srpska.

The intent of the line ministry is to raise the cooperation to a higher level, regulate it with appropriate documents, and create conditions for achieving the goals and priorities set by the strategic documents, Klokić noted.

– A large number of our citizens live in the diaspora and want to maintain ties with the Republic of Srpska for reasons of family, friendship, as well as business. The Government of Srpska has adopted the Action Plan, which concretizes the priorities from the Strategic Plan for Cooperation of Srpska with the Diaspora. Also, the Government of the Republic of Srpska issued a Decree providing for the establishment and keeping of the Diaspora Register. In just two months since its establishment, there has been an excellent response to entry in the Register.
We will continue to work on promoting the registration, because it is important for both the Republic of Srpska and the diaspora – Klokić pointed out.

The Register is open to natural persons and legal entities, that is, all members of the diaspora, as well as all organizations and associations that have ties with Srpska. The cooperation will result in creation of good policies, which will give Srpska more precise data on the number of emigrants, the structure and qualifications of members of the diaspora, Klokić explained.

– Our goal is to connect our diaspora with the institutions of the Republic of Srpska in order to strengthen our Republic and to build on those ties. Some countries in the region have similar documents and thus cooperate with the diaspora. The diaspora is their driver in many fields, especially in the economic sense, which is very important also for Srpska – Klokić emphasized.

There has been no withdrawing of foreign investments in the Republic of Srpska for the time being, and Russian investors remain in Srpska for now, Klokić said.

Commenting on the events in the east of Europe, he pointed out that the problem of Russia and Ukraine, in the economic sense, would reflect not only on the Republic of Srpska, but also on the whole of Europe.

He said that the Republic of Srpska Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with the Government of Srpska, was at the disposal of all businessmen facing difficulties in economic cooperation with companies from the Russian Federation and Ukraine.

Source and photo: RTRS