An official agreement on twinning has been signed between the city of Yantai and the city of Laktaši, marking a deepening of ties between the People’s Republic of China and Republika Srpska, as well as the results achieved by the leadership of the Republic, with special emphasis on the relationship of mutual respect and friendship between President Xi Jinping and President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik, said the mayor of Laktaši, Miroslav Bojić, for RTRS.
“Our obligation at the local level is to extend these relations into the spheres of economy and business. Together with the mayor of Yantai, we signed an agreement through which we will continue to develop our relations in the areas of economy, culture, tourism, and sports. It is planned that working groups will be formed between the two cities to be responsible for specific sectors and to encourage Yantai entrepreneurs to connect with those from Laktaši. We will also jointly organize a forum in Laktaši,” Bojić added.
He stated that when Laktaši received a letter of intent from Yantai, they learned that 28 companies from that Chinese city were already exporting their products to Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina, so a clear connection already exists between the two sides. However, they want to expand it and offer investment opportunities in the business zone in Aleksandrovac.
“I must also highlight that I was joined here by the mayor of Trebinje Marko Ćurić, the head of the municipality of Brod Milan Zečević, and the head of the municipality of Jezero Snežana Ružičić, so they too had the opportunity to make new contacts and potentially agree on business cooperation for other local communities,” Bojić noted.
He added that the agreement was signed through the Embassy of BiH in China.
“The ambassadors send weekly reports to the president of Republika Srpska and the Serb member and chairwoman of the Presidency of BiH Željka Cvijanović, and their role is very important,” Bojić said.
He emphasized that establishing cooperation with Chinese cities represents a further deepening of the friendly relations between the leadership of Republika Srpska and the People’s Republic of China.
The fifth Forum of Mayors of China and the Countries of Central and Eastern Europe was held in Ningbo.
Representatives of cities and municipalities from Republika Srpska—Laktaši, Trebinje, Jezero, and Brod—took part in the forum.
The forum hosts highlighted multilateralism as the key value of this gathering.
They also underlined the forum’s importance for the development of both the EU and the People’s Republic of China.
Source: RTRS
