Republika Srpska is entering a new phase of development, Prime Minister of Republika Srpska Savo Minić said.
Prime Minister Minić presented in detail the key priorities of the Government of Republika Srpska, ranging from strategic projects in air transport, energy and agriculture to comprehensive measures aimed at supporting young people, vulnerable social groups and improving the living standards of all citizens.
Analyzing the latest infrastructure initiatives, the Prime Minister particularly highlighted the presentation of a feasibility study for the further development of airport capacities, which partners from the State of Israel prepared for Republika Srpska free of charge.
“Yesterday, we had a presentation at the Government building regarding the feasibility study. Our partners from the State of Israel believed – and this perhaps makes me even happier than the fact that they prepared the study for us free of charge – that it was important to say that Republika Srpska needs a real window to the world. That is an airport which, in just the next few years, will double the number of passengers and increase cargo traffic, meaning everything necessary for the movement of goods. This is something that looks very promising, and I am certain that these are world-class experts who would not have done this simply to have some kind of gift to present to us. This means that Republika Srpska is now entering precisely the phase we announced, one that has become visible following the lifting of sanctions and the removal of those shackles from Republika Srpska,” Minić emphasized.
Overcoming blockades: From isolation to international partnership
Recalling the challenges Republika Srpska faced in the recent past, the Prime Minister drew a comparison between previous blockades and today’s open cooperation with major international partners.
“I cannot avoid mentioning, and viewers surely remember, what the situation in Republika Srpska looked like only a year and a half ago. We had personal sanctions against all the highest officeholders, banks reacted, and everything was quite discouraging. Everything we heard at the time was about projects being abandoned. We could not access international financial markets or find partners. Now the situation is completely different. Over the past year, we have shown what can be achieved when there is a realistic approach toward Republika Srpska. I expect things to become much better from now on, based on what I heard in the Russian Federation, what we heard yesterday from our friends from the State of Israel, and what President Željka Cvijanović conveyed to us from America. When we have friends, everything will be much, much better,” the Prime Minister stressed.
Budget stability and the long-term “Republika Srpska 2030” vision
Minić emphasized that stable public finances and continued economic growth enable the Government to systematically improve its social and development policies.
“The moment we made progress toward all our social categories – war veterans, parent-caregivers, maternity benefits and everything else – we did not do it because somebody told us to. It was the product of a series of meetings in which each ministry was assigned responsibility for a particular category. I regret, and I keep repeating this, that perhaps we lacked another month, two or three, and one or two sessions of the National Assembly to systematically regulate many issues through legislation. The moment you are solvent and liquid, when your GDP has been growing for more than twenty consecutive quarters, when you meet your obligations and can function from the budget, then you can look left and right, move forward and address everything that improves the standard of living in Republika Srpska. There will certainly be more of that,” Minić said.
He particularly emphasized the importance of long-term planning through strategic documents.
“The most important thing about the concept we developed, which covered part of this one-year prime ministerial term and the next four years, is that we have a plan and a document called ‘Republika Srpska 2030.’ Everything is envisaged there: what should be done and how. Of course, it will also be expanded. I am sincerely pleased that now, as we visit every municipality in Republika Srpska, from kindergartens and schools to all the problems that previously could not be resolved because the possibilities did not exist, we can see that these problems are finally being addressed. You can see in people that things are gradually changing, and that is what matters most to all of us,” he added.
Economic development, water resources and protected agriculture: Secure purchase and a market in Russia
Speaking about economic priorities, Minić placed particular emphasis on energy, the management of natural resources in light of global climate change, and security for domestic agricultural production.
“Our number one priority is the economic development of Republika Srpska, which includes energy, water management and technologies that President Dodik discussed extensively with the State of Israel. You can see that because of these droughts there is 20 percent less food in the world, and they say this is one of the years we will remember as a good one and one of the coolest in the next ten years. This means we have to prepare and adopt legislation regulating how water will be managed, what will be irrigated and how water will be secured when it comes to managing all our natural resources and food production,” the Prime Minister emphasized.
Regarding the placement of domestic products, Minić highlighted the importance of the agreements reached in Moscow.
“This must always be linked to what we discussed in the Russian Federation – quotas for fruit, vegetables, milk and dairy products – so that we have a secure market. Our agricultural producers must know exactly that everything they produce will be purchased at a defined price and paid for in the agreed manner,” he said.
A new era of support for young people: Vouchers, start-up packages and fast-response funds for the future
The Prime Minister also addressed the modernization of the support system through the introduction of specialized funds, particularly those aimed at young people and the development of modern technologies.
“We are continuing to raise the living standards of all the categories we have discussed, including salaries and pensions. We are preparing funds for young people, annual vouchers for secondary school students that they will be able to use to obtain their driver’s licenses or invest in something else, as well as start-up packages for students. We realized that we need funds because they can respond much more quickly. We had an exceptionally good system of incentives in the economy and agriculture, and it is well known how much these incentives increased from year to year, but that system operates once a year, involves certain procedures and requires you to finance everything yourself first before receiving incentives,” Minić explained.
According to him, experience has shown that direct measures are considerably more efficient.
“We saw this with the measure specifically designed for young people, ‘Village of Republika Srpska – My Place to Live,’ and the purchase of Belarus tractors, where the state participates immediately. You saw how quickly that measure was implemented: only a few days passed from the announcement, through implementation, to the collection of the tractors. You did not hear a single complaint. Even those television stations that criticize everything in Republika Srpska every day and say that nothing is right could not find anything to criticize. We realized that funds are something that immediately encourages a particular group or category to enter into an investment, whether in agriculture, business or start-up packages for young people. This is especially important now when it comes to innovative AI and IT technologies – these modern and fast-moving sectors,” Minić concluded.
Source: RTRS
