Energy security is increasingly becoming a matter of national security, while geopolitical changes are creating new challenges for ensuring stable energy supplies.
At a public forum in Banja Luka dedicated to the energy dependence of BiH and Republika Srpska, participants highlighted the importance of stable energy production and access to energy at reasonable prices.
“When it comes to electricity, we have an energy system inherited from the previous system, and it continues to deliver results because we have our own electricity production. However, that does not guarantee our energy independence, which can have a significant impact on political autonomy, not only here but around the world. It is clear to all of us that energy security has been elevated to the level of national security,” forum organizer Neđo Vlaški said.
Experts at the forum emphasized that maintaining energy stability requires greater reliance on domestic technologies, expertise, human resources and natural resources.
Talks between the leadership of Republika Srpska and international partners were presented as one of the ways to address potential future challenges.
“The United States has already said that energy stability is on the same level as national stability, that the two have effectively become synonymous for them. But when they speak about this, they are referring to oil and gas. When they say energy stability, they mean oil and gas. We, at least initially, must focus on electricity. That is the most important segment, particularly electricity that does not depend on anyone else, but on our own technologies, people, knowledge and resources,” security expert Dževad Galijašević said.
Source: RTRS
