The Day of the Republic of Srpska is being celebrated for the fourth successive time in Dietikon near Zurich.

The goal is uniting all Serbs in terms of tradition, culture, economy and sports and having a strong connection with the motherland. The celebration started with breaking the Slava cake in the presence of many guests headed by the Minister of European Integration and International Cooperation Zlatan Klokić and Minister of Energy and Mining Petar Đokić.

The Minister of European Integration and International Cooperation of the Republic of Srpska, Zlatan Klokić, said in Zurich that celebrating the Republic Day outside its borders safeguarded the national identity and the Republic of Srpska.

Klokić thanked the Federation of Republic of Srpska Associations in Switzerland for organizing the Republic Day in Zurich and expressed his pleasure over attending the celebration again this year.

He said that this was the way to safeguard the Serbian identity, the Republic of Srpska, and to celebrate the most important day in its history – the day of its creation, the Day of the Republic.

Klokić said that the institutions of Srpska, together with the Federation of Republic of Srpska Associations in Switzerland, would work on safeguarding the national identity by enabling Serbian children in the diaspora to learn the Serbian language, Cyrillic alphabet, as well as to learn about the culture, traditions and customs.

He noted that it was very important for our people to carry the Republic of Srpska in their hearts, wherever they live.

The Minister of Energy and Mining of the Republic of Srpska, Petar Đokić, said that he was attending the celebration of the Republic Day in Zurich for the third time, noting that it was very important for our people to gather, wherever they live.

– Our goal is to strengthen the sense of patriotism among our people living outside the territory of the Republic of Srpska, that they love their Republic, and love and cherish its values – pointed out Đokić.

Đokić said that the fourth generation of people from Srpska was in Switzerland, with their lives changed significantly over the past years and their completely new energy now evident.

According to him, Switzerland is an extremely organized and well-regulated country, and it is useful for Srpska to be transferred as a good experience the culture of organization and willingness to constantly work to improve the conditions and organize the life in the community.

– These are very highly educated people who define clearly the purpose of their organization and convey it to other members of the association. Many of these people are successful in the world of business and it is important for Srpska to connect with them in order to guide them to invest in Srpska – said Đokić.

He added that several examples of successful investments in the Republic of Srpska had been confirmed so far.

– Coming from the institutions of Srpska, our task is to present them better the investment opportunities, the fields for potential investment, and the procedures of interest to achieve this – said Đokić.

The Minister of Energy and Mining of the Republic of Srpska, Petar Đokić, expressed his satisfaction over attending the Economic Forum in Brunnen again this year, organized by Serbian businessmen in Switzerland.

– For us, it is of particular importance to foster cooperation and develop best possible relations between the people who make up our diaspora and originate from the territory of the Republic of Srpska or Serbia. In this case, they are mainly the people originally from the Republic of Srpska – said Đokić before the Economic Forum.

– By investing in our country they will contribute to the overall growth of the Republic of Srpska and to what we care about – keeping our communities alive. Every investment will contribute to the growth of the Republic of Srpska, increase the size of our economy and GDP, that is an important goal for us – stressed Đokić.

He thanked the Association, which, according to him, had a vision of how to find the forms of cooperation and connection between the Republic of Srpska and Serbs living in Switzerland.

The president of the Association of Serbian Businessmen in Switzerland, Stojan Stevanović, said that it was decided to have the Economic Forum as part of the Republic Day celebration, with the aim of connecting the motherland and the diaspora.

– It is important to gather Serbian businessmen, who are more than 3,100 in Switzerland – said Stevanović and announced holding of the first Serbian Brandy and Wine Fair in Zurich on 8 June.

Source: Ministry of European Integration and International Cooperation – RTRS – SRNA

Photo: Ministry of European Integration and International Cooperation