DODIK: SRPSKA STABLE, FOCUS ON INVESTMENTS AND SALARY GROWTH

BANJA LUKA, FEBRUARY 20 /SRNA/ – SNSD Leader Milorad Dodik said that the focus in Republika Srpska should be on investments and wage growth, emphasizing that the average salary could reach BAM 2,500 by the end of the year, with the continuation of support measures.

Speaking about the economy, Dodik stressed that Republika Srpska is stable and that currently there are more than three billion BAM in contracted investments in Srpska, citing projects in the fields of energy, transport, and healthcare.

He said that pensions and salaries in Republika Srpska are paid regularly, and that the minimum salary for police officers, amounting to BAM 1,200 is higher than in Serbia and the FBiH.

Dodik stated that pensions are regularly paid with adjustments at the beginning of the year, as was the case this year, and that additional efforts will be made to provide additional support, at least on a one-time basis.

Commenting on rising real estate prices and the value of the trade union consumer basket, Dodik pointed out that 85 percent of the population owns real estate, but that greater investment in the real sector is requred.

"There is not a single square meter here that has not been purchased. We have 402,000 households in Republika Srpska. It is noticeable that property prices have risen significantly. In Srpska, 85 percent of the population own houses and apartments," Dodik told the portal Banjaluka.net.

He said that in the United States only 13 percent of the population owns apartments and houses.

"Instead of directing our income into real production and raising living standards, we are pushing it into real estate," Dodik said.

Speaking about the previously announced Children’s Savings Fund, Dodik says it is a serious reform that requires detailed legal and financial elaboration.

The SNSD leader particularly highlighted the importance of the Soul of the Children fund and the Parents’ House in Banja Luka as examples of concrete assistance to families of children undergoing medical treatment.

Dodik said that, despite his years, he has no intention of withdrawing from politics, emphasizing that he will remain involved in some form as long as the people want him to.

"As someone elected by the majority dozens of times by the people, I have a duty to give back to the people. I have a duty to watch over the fate of that people," Dodik stressed.

He says he knows exactly official Sarajevo’s ill intentions, which, according to him, installed the courts and are now somewhat calm.

"They think they have overdone it with me, so when things calm down a bit they will find the next person and thus degrade Republika Srpska," Dodik said, adding that his goal is to leave behind a team of younger people who will continue to lead Republika Srpska.