AFTER SERBIA, SRPSKA ALLOCATES MOST FOR AGRICULTURE IN REGION

BIJELJINA, SEPTEMBER 18 /SRNA/ - After Serbia, Republika Srpska allocates the largest share of its budget to agriculture in the region and wider part of Europe, Serbian Agriculture Minister Dragan Glamočić said today.

"I have been in this field for a long time, and I have followed and compared the shares of national budgets allocated to agriculture. In Serbia, it is 7.3 percent, while Republika Srpska is second in the entire region and wider part of Europe with three percent, followed by Slovenia, Croatia and then other European countries," Glamočić told reporters.

During his visit to the Interagro Agricultural Fair in Bijeljina, where Serbia is the partner country, he said Serbia's partnership at the Bijeljina fair was another confirmation of close relations and an opportunity to turn those ties into concrete business ventures, investments and new partnerships in agriculture.

"Serbia and Republika Srpska are one people - we are connected by language, culture, tradition, history and fraternal ties. It is our obligation to preserve and further strengthen those ties through concrete projects and economic cooperation, while agriculture is one of the areas in which we can achieve much more together," Glamočić said.

He identified connecting producers and businesses, creating new jobs, strengthening agriculture, making production more competitive and jointly entering markets as the goals.

"It is a particular honor for me that Republika Srpska Prime Minister Savo Minić is also here. I have great respect for him, particularly for his experience, energy and daily contact with the people. I believe that an understanding of these issues affecting people’s everyday lives is a good recommendation for the broader responsibilities that lie ahead," Glamočić said.

He said Serbia would continue to be a reliable partner to Republika Srpska.

"Our ties did not begin yesterday, nor are they ties that last for a single term. They are permanent, fraternal and deep, and it is our responsibility to leave them even stronger for the generations to come," Glamočić concluded.