MINIĆ: LOBBYING IS FOR INSTITUTIONS OF SRPSKA, NOT FOR INDIVIDUALS

BANJA LUKA, FEBRUARY 6 /SRNA/ - Prime Minister of Republika Srpska Savo Minić stated that lobbying is a normal practice worldwide and that Republika Srpska's lobbying efforts relate exclusively to its institutions, are not personal in nature, and that it is important they are carried out through appropriate lobbying firms.

"No one has said that in the Federation of BiH/Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Council of Ministers Elmedin/ Konaković lobbies through a company that installs air-conditioning systems and receives hundreds of thousands of KM. Then, when they again need lobbying, which is exclusively against Republika Srpska, they will just slightly 'upgrade the air-conditioning' and provide a bit more money," Minić told reporters in Banja Luka. Minić asked whether anyone in that context mentioned self-proclaimed Kosovo, for which, he said, even Americans acknowledged how much of the budget in Priština is spent on lobbying. "And we hire a company that Americans registered in Republika Srpska for that purpose and pay taxes here on that BAM 1.3 million," Minić added. He emphasized that Republika Srpska is becoming increasingly visible internationally, intensifying contacts with Russia, Israel, the United States, and Hungary, holding talks with ambassadors, and negotiating cooperation on major infrastructure projects. Minić stated that there is interest from the United States regarding this, but that he does not want to prejudge anything yet. "I sincerely hope that in the near future I will be able to announce more detailed cooperation with the United States," Minić concluded.