VISIT OF SRPSKA'S DELEGATION TO ISRAEL WILL HAVE POSITIVE EFFECTS

BELGRADE, JANUARY 28 /SRNA/ - The visit of the Republika Srpska delegation to Israel is extremely important and will have positive effects, and the very meetings with key Israeli officials show how much Republika Srpska and the Serbian people as a whole are respected in that country, political analyst Stevica Deđanski told SRNA.

Deđanski said that this visit is one in a series of meetings that officials of Republika Srpska are using to explain their position and seek support for the preservation of Republika Srpska, as well as for respect for international law and the Dayton Peace Agreement. He said that the delegation currently visiting Israel also includes the President of the SNSD Milorad Dodik, who, in recent times, has held high-level meetings in Russia and Hungary, and maintained very good contacts with the U.S. administration. "This is now simply a continuation of that policy, within which Dodik meets with representatives of countries that are primarily friends of the Serbs and Serbia, and which, even if they are not the closest allies, understand and want to understand the problems faced by the Serbs," Deđanski said. He pointed out that this particularly irritates the Muslim political segment in BiH, as well as "certain internal enemies, both in Republika Srpska and in Serbia". "The visit is more than significant. The level of the visit and the people who will receive Dodik - I am referring to /Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin/ Netanyahu and members of the Knesset - show how much they respect Republika Srpska and how much attention they pay to Republika Srpska and the Serbian people as a whole," Deđanski believes. According to him, it is very important in the current times to maintain and deepen relations with Israel and with Jews in general. Recalling that the Jewish people are a suffering nation, just like the Serbian people, Deđanski believes that the Serbs would not have been able to show and explain much without the support of the Jewish people and their representatives, both officials and scholars. "So, great respect to them and great respect to Dodik, who has managed through his diplomatic activities to reach this level. The effect of this can only be positive. It cannot be negative, except for those who do not like Republika Srpska and Serbia," Deđanski said. Acting President of Republika Srpska Ana Trišić-Babić and SNSD President Milorad Dodik are continuing their visit to Israel today, during which they are scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On the first day of the visit, Monday, January 26, the Republika Srpska delegation, which also included Radovan Kovačević, a Serb member of the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, held talks with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Tomorrow, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana will officially present Dodik with a medal for fostering good relations with Israel.