MINIĆ: REPUBLIC DAY TO BE MARKED WITH CEREMONIES

BANJA LUKA, DECEMBER 23 /SRNA/ – The Prime Minister of Republika Srpska Savo Minić stated that Republic Day - January 9 - will be marked in the entity with a series of ceremonies.

"Ceremonies are planned for January 5, 8, and 9. In Trebinje, we will inaugurate a newly built hospital on January 5, and on January 8 in Banja Luka, the central memorial for the soldiers of the Republika Srpska Army who died in the Defensive-Patriotic War will be unveiled," Minić told reporters in Banja Luka.

He emphasized that a formal academy and parade are planned to mark Republic Day.

"I don’t know where the talk comes from that Republic Day will not be celebrated. I am looking forward to two things regarding veterans: first, that we have jointly agreed on legal measures, and second, that politics will not be involved in the unveiling of the central memorial," Minić noted.

January 9 is celebrated as Republika Srpska Day because the entity was established on that date in 1992 under the initial name of the Serb Republic of BiH.

It was founded by Serb deputies in the then-Parliament of BiH after they were outvoted on key issues concerning the survival of Yugoslavia, while members of the other two peoples moved toward secession against the will of the Serbs, who had the status of a constituent people.