ŠOLAJA: SRPSKA - CREDIBLE PARTNER BECAUSE OF CONSISTENT POLICY

BANJA LUKA, MARCH 5 /SRNA/ – Republika Srpska is a credible partner and interlocutor for many countries around the world because of its consistent policy, Bojan Šolaja of the International – Security Studies Centre, told SRNA.

Šolaja noted that the latest Serb BiH Presidency member Željka Cvijanović’s visit to the USA is the confirmation of Republika Srpska’s good positioning in the international arena.

"Republika Srpska representatives are holding talks with officials from the Russian Federation, the United States, China, Israel, as well as EU member states. I think that this consistency has contributed to building trust and intensifying relations with the USA, which can now be seen," Šolaja said.

He pointed out that the USA has taken a different approach both toward the world and Republika Srpska since the Republicans came to power, stating that the previous Democratic administration created many problems in BiH.

"Since Donald Trump returned to the White House, new relations have emerged between Republika Srpska and the United States. We can say that new relations have also developed between BiH and the United States. Željka Cvijanović is the Serb member of the BiH Presidency. The other two Presidency members the foreign minister did not have significant contacts compared to those Cvijanović had," Šolaja emphasized.

He says that Republika Srpska, in light of new geopolitical relations, has found its place and is a good interlocutor for many countries.

"We have gone through a lot over the past 30 years and perhaps the time has come for BiH to be shaped in a different way. The UqSA understands this, which is why officials in Washington said that the two sides and the three constituent peoples should talk, aware of those identities. That is also why they speak about the sovereignty of peoples, recognising the structure here and the fact that BiH is not a unified state," Šolaja said.

He added that the FBiH and Sarajevo are surprised by the new approach, since over the past three decades they exerted pressure on Republika Srpska through other countries.

"They can no longer do that. They no longer have that influence over diplomatic representatives in Sarajevo, and it is understandable that this does not suit them. Republika Srpska is following its own path