The Minister of Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education of the Republic of Srpska, Željko Budimir, stated that in the coming period, cooperation between the Republic's academic network and such a network in Serbia will be expanded, including other areas.
After a meeting with the Minister of Information and Telecommunications of Serbia, Dejan Ristić, Minister Budimir said that the Agency for Information and Communication Technologies of Srpska has taken over part of the portfolio for the information society and that there are numerous fields where cooperation with the relevant ministry in Serbia can be achieved.
"From expanding our IT infrastructure to creating a data centre and all those things in which Serbia has already made significant progress. We will look to share the capacities, experiences, and advancements that Srpska has with Serbia," emphasised the Minister.
He stressed that cooperation is planned in all possible areas through joint experience, as well as through the expert part in the field of cyber security.
Minister Ristić stated that ideas and timelines for implementation have been outlined, with the first meetings at the expert level expected at the beginning of July.
"We are doing what is connecting and strengthening the resources of Serbia and Srpska in the field of telecommunications, ICT services, electronic services, academic networks, and many other things aimed at making a strong contribution to the further development of scientific research activities and higher education in Srpska," said Minister Ristić.
According to him, by strengthening existing resources and creating new ones in the IT field, a common space is created, using shared knowledge and experiences. He said that the Republic of Srpska has made significant progress in certain segments compared to Serbia.
"So, knowledge will not only come from Serbia but also from Srpska to Serbia, along with experiences and examples of good practice. We learn from each other, and this learning process is wonderful because brothers learn from brothers, and together we strengthen what is the ideal and goal of all of us, which is unity," Ristić assessed.
He noted that the ministries, as two teams, strive to give a strong impetus to the overall development in the fields of economy, education, and scientific research activities together.
Speaking about the connections between Srpska and Serbia, Ristić said that, apart from the symbolic and manifestational level, it is important to work on a practical level and strengthen the systems and different aspects in both ministries.
"By the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, we will have the first concrete results, and I am particularly looking forward to them. All these results aim to facilitate and improve the work of our colleagues in education, scientific research activities, and the economy. We are moving forward with little talk and a lot of work," concluded Ristić.