MAJOR WORK DONE TO STRENGTHEN SRPSKA'S INTERNATIONAL POSITION, RESULTS CLEARLY VISIBLE

BANJA LUKA, JULY 23 /SRNA/ – Serb BiH Presidency member Željka Cvijanović says significant work has been done over the past four years to strengthen Republika Srpska's position globally, whose results are now clearly visible.

She stressed that no one from Republika Srpska had undertaken those efforts to discredit others, but rather to demonstrate that there is too much injustice, too many misguided moves, and deeply rooted stereotypes regarding BiH.

Cvijanović says she is satisfied with that aspect of the work, explaining that at the very beginning it had been necessary to provide foreign interlocutors with a detailed explanation of the environment in which they live, why she was addressing them directly, and the obstacles she faced from the line ministry and certain diplomatic missions.

She said people were shocked when they learned that letters she had sent ended up in the trash, while letters sent by her Bosniak colleague were properly delivered to their recipients.

"They were truly shocked by that, not to mention the other issues and the unequal treatment we have had to fight against," Cvijanović told Glas Srpske.

She also stressed that Republika Srpska welcomed Donald Trump's election victory.

"Without any ambition to deal with major global issues, we closely followed how the messages of the then-presidential candidate, and later the U.S. president, were reflected in our local environment and our expectations. We recognized that there could be positive developments, and we acted accordingly, as did certain processes here," Cvijanović explained.

She also pointed out that, if certain changes occur in the future, the processes already set in motion will continue on their current course.

"The differences in global approaches today are enormous. Approaches to many issues coming from different international addresses are completely different. Because of that, I do not expect any dramatic developments to our detriment. Personally, I also expect continuity of the current administration in the United States," she added.

Reflecting on the past four years in the Presidency and relations within the institution, Cvijanović said relations remain highly strained because the Presidency should fundamentally strive to reach consensus, rather than operate according to the principle: "If you won't do it my way, then it won't be done at all."

She believes that those relations should be improved, noting that both the Constitution and the relevant regulations require decisions to be made by consensus, but that the work of both the current and several previous convocations has been burdened by a lack of agreement.

"We are faced with attempts by one member to present himself as representing the entire BiH, which is particularly evident in the case of my Bosniak colleague. If he alone represented BiH, there would be no need for me to be there - it would be just him," Cvijanović said.