STEVANDIĆ THANKS STEVANOVIĆ FOR UNDERSTANDING REPUBLIKA SRPSKA POLICY

LJUBLJANA, AUGUST 27 /SRNA/ — The Speaker of the Republika Srpska National Assembly Nenad Stevandić thanked Slovenian National Assembly President Zoran Stevanović for his understanding of Republika Srpska's policies and stressed that it was unacceptable for international representatives to take sides in BiH, as this leads to crises.

During their meeting in Ljubljana, Stevandić and Stevanović discussed regional relations and respect for the Dayton Peace Accords, including the principle that all constituent peoples in BiH are equal, that decisions cannot be imposed against any people, and that the country should be governed on the basis of the consent of its peoples and entities. "At the meeting with the President of the Slovenian parliament, we also reviewed parliamentary diplomacy as a mechanism for preserving peace and security," Stevandić stated. He invited Stevanović to pay an official visit to the National Assembly of Republika Srpska. "We are grateful to Mr Stevanović for his understanding of the policy pursued by Republika Srpska, and we asked him to maintain communication based on peace, equality and good-neighborly relations between Slovenia and BiH, as well as Republika Srpska. The Serb community in Slovenia is very well integrated into society and makes a significant contribution to Slovenia's development and stability," Stevandić stressed. The meeting was the first in the history of Republika Srpska and Slovenia between the presidents of their respective parliaments, the Republika Srpska National Assembly said in a statement.