Željka Cvijanović, the Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, stated that diversity is a value woven into the foundations of Republika Srpska, emphasizing that national minorities have never been perceived as outsiders, but as an integral part of society, and that this will remain so.
In her speech at the 20th-anniversary ceremony of the Alliance of National Minorities of Republika Srpska held in Banja Luka, Cvijanović mentioned that 12 national minorities are represented through associations in the territory of Republika Srpska, confirming that Srpska provides a sufficiently broad framework for all people living there in peace and freely expressing their tradition, culture, and identity.
“This is a wonderful occasion, and I want to thank you for the cooperation over all these years and extend congratulations on your jubilee. I am pleased to be here tonight and to celebrate this significant jubilee with all national minority members, as well as all constituent peoples and us as a community – Republika Srpska. The work of the Alliance of National Minorities best affirms our wealth in diversity, and I am grateful for that,” she expressed at the event held in Banski Dvor.
She emphasized that diversity is a value that is embedded in the very foundations of Republika Srpska.
“We have shared the same fate, all the good and the bad, over the past 30 years, and even much longer before that,” Cvijanović noted.
She also mentioned having spent part of her life in Prnjavor, a town known as “Little Europe” due to its large number of different nationalities.
“I was proud of the harmony that was never just a matter of decency or political correctness, but of genuine multiethnic coexistence, true partnership, friendship, and cooperation. I have always enjoyed watching performances by the Ukrainian cultural-artistic society ‘Taras Shevchenko,’ ‘Češka Beseda,’ as well as the activism shown by the Italian community and all others classified as national minorities, experiencing them not as something foreign, but as domestic and authentic and as something valuable that builds bridges connecting people,” Cvijanović highlighted.
She emphasized that members of national minorities in Republika Srpska have never been perceived as some foreign, minority peoples, but as integral parts of society, family members, friends, godparents, and colleagues.
“I am confident that this will remain the case in the future, which we will build together, as we have done so far, for the benefit of the entire Republika Srpska and all its citizens. I want every person who carries with them the right to their identity, tradition, culture, and everything that an individual inherits, to pass this right on to their descendants. This is the value and essence of the community in which we live,” Cvijanović stated.
She pointed out that Republika Srpska is perceived as a place where everyone can thrive, whether as a member of a constituent people or national minorities, but as individuals, alone or with their family and community, contribute to the community in which they live.
“I am grateful to the president of the Alliance for promoting good cooperation with the institutions of Srpska. I am also pleased with the fact that I had the opportunity in various places to cooperate, to recognize the needs of the Alliance and what more we can do to make the connection between institutions and every one of our citizens dignified and effective. I think we can say that we have accomplished a lot together,” she emphasized.
Cvijanović stressed that all that has been done is a foundation for the future.
“These good connections and cooperation we have achieved have shown that coexistence is possible and that richness lies in diversity. These diversities are the wealth of the community in which we live,” she underscored.
Cvijanović wished the Alliance successful work and thanked for the trust and cooperation during which many projects were realized.
The Alliance of National Minorities of Republika Srpska, as the umbrella organization of national minority associations, gathers 22 active members /associations/ from 11 national minority groupings.
Members of national minorities are united in the Alliance through their associations or individually with the aim of preserving their identity, national origin, and nurturing the language, culture, and religion of their origin.
Source: RTRS
