Serbian Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin said during a visit to Banja Luka on Thursday that his government is willing to continue and boost cooperation with authorities in Bosnia's Serb-majority entity because anything that happens in Serbia affects Republika Srpska (RS) and vice versa.
“Every threat to security and peace in Republika Srpska is also a threat to the security and peace in Serbia. Every misfortune that happens to Serbia is equally a misfortune for the citizens of Republika Srpska,” he said.
Vulin said that his visit was the result of an agreement between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and the Serb member of Bosnia’s tripartite Presidency, Milorad Dodik, adding that every Serbian Minister must visit “his people and his Banja Luka.”
“I have the honour to be in Banja Luka now as the Minister of Internal Affairs and I emphasise my readiness for continuing and improving the cooperation between the Interior Ministries of Serbia and Republika Srpska,” he said.
He said that the first joint connection between the special police units of Serbia and Bosnia’s RS entity police will be organized in 2021 and joint training of police forces, as well as the exchange of information on organised crime groups, will continue.
“When any kind of training is needed that Serbia can provide, all security capacities of Serbia are available to the RS. The RS is our priority, the safety of citizens is just as important to us as the safety of Serbian citizens,” said Vulin.
He also commented on the migrant crisis, saying that the problem should be approached jointly, especially since the EU does not have a unified stance on the issue.
“We are here and we have to fight this evil and troubles together. The threats of terrorism are never small, the modern world is a global village where any evil can happen,” Vulin said.
The minister said that the RS and Serbia have many areas in which they have to work together and that Serbia will do anything it can for Republika Srpska, stressing that Vucic has done a lot during his terms as Prime Minister and President to make RS more economically developed and protected, and politically more secure.
