Milorad Dodik said Republika Srpska wants to institutionalize its cooperation with Israel, particularly in the fields of new technologies, the economy, agriculture, security and cybersecurity, describing Israel as a global leader in these areas.
Dodik said his return to Israel only seven days after his previous visit reflected the need to continue discussions and agreements on cooperation.
He said an agreement to be implemented through the Government of Republika Srpska is expected to be finalized and signed, covering the needs of the economy and police, as well as modern solutions in the fields of protection and security.
“Our intention is to complete this package over the coming years with a value of two billion dollars, while making use of certain opportunities that Israel has as a state,” Dodik said in Tel Aviv.
Dodik is scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday.
He announced that political issues would also be discussed during the meeting, stressing that Republika Srpska supports Israel and its efforts to ensure stability and security for its citizens.
Dodik said Republika Srpska considers Hamas a terrorist organization responsible for crimes against innocent Israeli civilians on October 7 and supports Israel’s right to protect itself from what he described as extremist threats.
“What Europe thinks about this, whether they like it or not, is their problem. When they needed it, however, they rushed here. I remember that in those days I also wanted to come to Israel and we had an agreement, but every day we postponed the visit because Macron was coming, Scholz was coming, Biden was coming. They all rushed here to score certain points with their own public opinion simply by being here. But now we essentially see that Europe is making a mistake by failing to understand and refusing to support the policy pursued by Israel,” Dodik said.
Dodik also drew a comparison between what he described as Muslim political aspirations in Israel and BiH.
“The very fact that they so relentlessly, unrealistically and completely irrationally keep talking about Bosnia as their space shows that they want to expand into parts of Republika Srpska, and that is not something to be taken lightly. Only fools can afford to be naive. They constantly talk about BiH – ‘my Banja Luka, my Trebinje’ – but neither Banja Luka nor Trebinje belongs to them. Neither do Bijeljina or Zvornik. Everything that is part of Republika Srpska belongs to the Serb people and Republika Srpska, but they lay claim to it, creating illusions that they will one day control territory that does not belong to them,” Dodik said.
He claimed that a similar Muslim ideology exists in Israel, where, according to him, Arabs seek to push Israel aside as an obstacle to further expansion.
“We can also see this in Europe, which has been completely careless and today has an enormous Muslim population that is changing Europe’s social and economic character. Everything will be different in the not-too-distant future, particularly when it comes to what I see as the expansion of Muslims on a global level,” Dodik said.
He stressed that Republika Srpska must remain vigilant and maintain strong friendships and partnerships.
“I am proud of the fact that we have developed our friendship with Israel to the point where we can address our issues at the highest level so quickly. Republika Srpska must never miss this opportunity, which is why it is important that we cultivate a positive and proper relationship toward Israel and the Jewish people in Republika Srpska,” Dodik said.
Dodik and Director of the Republika Srpska Office for International Cooperation Ana Trišić Babić are visiting Israel, where they also met on Thursday with Israeli humanitarian Moshe Levi.
Source: RTRS
