Bosnia’s Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Minister Stasa Kosarac thanked Russia for its support for the ”original Dayton Agreement” and not recognizing High Representative Christian Schmidt’s legitimacy, during a meeting of the co-chairs of the Commission for Trade and Economic Cooperation between BiH and Russia, which was held in Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan.

Interlocutors emphasized that Russian companies are especially interested in cooperation in the field of energy, where the best results have been recorded, as well as the hydro potential and aviation. It was stated that Bosnia’s Republika Srpska (RS) entity and the Russian Federation have already achieved cooperation by purchasing three helicopters manufactured in the Russian helicopter factory in Kazan for the needs of the RS Interior Ministry.

– We are grateful to friendly Russia for its constant support for the original Dayton, respect for the constitutional order and clearly defined competencies. Good relations between the Serb member of the Presidency of BiH, Milorad Dodik, and Russian President Vladimir Putin should be the framework for improving our economic cooperation and strengthening overall relations,” said Kosarac.

He reiterated his gratitude to Russia for its official position not recognizing the legitimacy of Christian Schmidt as the new High Representative in BiH.

It was agreed that in the coming period, active work should be done on signing a bilateral agreement on the avoidance of double taxation, which will enable numerous facilitations and increase foreign trade between the two countries.

During the meeting, opinions were also exchanged on the possibility of concluding a free trade agreement between BiH and the Eurasian Customs Union, with the Russian side emphasizing the commitment to provide support to BiH in that process. Kosarac suggested that this possibility be considered at the Jahorina economic forum 2022.