The mayor of Trebinje, Mirko Ćurić, and the president of the Office for Foreign Cooperation of the Chinese province of Gansu, Lu Junzhao, signed a letter of intent today in East Sarajevo for future cooperation between Trebinje and the Chinese city of Dunhuang, particularly in the fields of tourism, energy, and infrastructure.
Ćurić expressed his gratitude to the president of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, who had previously signed the memorandum, as well as to the BiH ambassador to China, Siniša Berjan, for organizing the event.
“The letter of intent for future cooperation is very important for Trebinje, a city of tourism,” Ćurić told reporters after signing the letter of intent.
According to him, the Chinese city of Dunhuang has nearly 200,000 residents, while Trebinje has around 30,000.
He emphasized that Trebinje annually attracts a large number of tourists from more than 90 countries worldwide, which the Chinese guests acknowledged as a significant fact.
“At the same time, we are interested in learning from the experiences of our Chinese friends to ensure that more Chinese visitors come to our city,” the mayor of Trebinje said.
Ćurić noted that Chinese investors are already present in the Trebinje area and highlighted that President Dodik had discussions today about infrastructure development, hydropower potential, and tourism improvements in Trebinje and across Republika Srpska, as well as strengthening ties with China.
The president of the Office for Foreign Cooperation of Gansu Province, Lu Junzhao, stated that the letter of intent signed today represents the twinning of Trebinje and the Chinese city of Dunhuang, which will soon be officially formalized.
“This will be a new joint connection between the two cities,” Lu emphasized.
He explained that the goal of twinning is to foster better mutual understanding between the residents of both cities and to achieve stronger cooperation in the future.
Lu further clarified that the friendship between the two cities will bring new business opportunities for their citizens and offer advantages for the further development of relations between Republika Srpska and China.
Lu added that Dunhuang is just as beautiful as Trebinje and is located in the desert, serving as a unique oasis.
Source: RTRS