SRPSKA PM: WE WILL FIND TIME AND FUNDS FOR PROJECTS IN MUNICIPALITIES WITH SERB POPULATION

BOSANSKI PETROVAC, AUGUST 24 /SRNA/ - Republika Srpska Prime Minister Savo Minić said today in Bosanski Petrovac that time and budget funds would be found for projects to be implemented in the Federation of BiH /FBiH/ municipalities where Serbs live, so that they would know they could always count on Republika Srpska.

Minić explained that he comes from a small municipality in the FBiH and knows how important it is to have support and a sense of solidarity, brotherhood, and security. “This is our people, and I have both the right and the desire to come here and ask how they are living and what they are doing,” said Minić, who is attending the First Assembly of Returnees in Bosanski Petrovac. He stressed that all rights are guaranteed to Bosniaks and Croats in Republika Srpska and said he expected the same to apply to Serbs in the FBiH. “We will find both the time and the funds in the budget for all the projects we will implement, so that they know Republika Srpska is there and that they can count on us at any time,” Minić said. He added that even a small amount of support means a great deal to them because they know that Republika Srpska stands by them, saying that this was also the main message of his visit today. Republika Srpska Interior Minister Željko Budimir said he was in his home region and that his heart was full, stressing that his fellow countrymen have always stood by the Republika Srpska Government and see it as their most important source of support. “During this term in office, particularly under Prime Minister Minić, caring for Serbs in the FBiH has been a priority in every respect, from budget allocations and sustainability to all the projects we are carrying out together with our representatives,” Budimir said. He said he hoped that Serbs in the FBiH could also expect, in terms of security, everything that all citizens in Republika Srpska enjoy. “In this regard, all cooperation with the institutions of the cantons and the FBiH is also directed toward that goal. I am confident that Prime Minister Minić will continue what he has been doing, and so far I can see that projects aimed at Serbs in the FBiH are becoming more numerous and are helping our people remain in this area,” Budimir concluded. The Declaration on Return, Stay and Equality was adopted at the First Assembly of Returnees today. Republika Srpska Minister of Health and Social Welfare Alen Šeranić is also in Bosanski Petrovac today.