PRIORITIES - ENERGY SECTOR AND ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE
Already, there are bidders who are ready to build the Buk Bijela and Dabar hydroelectric power plants in three years and put them in operation within the network of "Elektroprivreda Srpske" ... We have to start dealing successively with neuralgic points such as Brod on the Drina-Tjentiste road and Zvornik Vlasenica and Han Pijesak road. The wounds of NATO bombing cannot be simply erased, they are long lasting ...
Author: Tatjana Parađina
BANJALUKA, 7 JANUARY / SRNA / - Prime Minister of the Republic of Srpska Radovan Viskovic announced the meetings with the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister of Serbia Ana Brnabic on January 11 in Belgrade to discuss building of two hydropower plants on the Drina river, Foca and Paunci that would be built together by electric power companies of Serbia and the Republic of Srpska.
"The focus of my work shall be getting bigger investments in the energy sector and road infrastructure as soon as possible. Public calls for selection of bidders for construction of Dabar and Buk Bijela power plants and continuation of the construction of the Highway from Doboj via Vukosavlje Brcko and Bijeljina to Raca shall be issued soon. I shall insist on those projects because only activities of this kind can facilitate a better life for all of us in the Republic of Srpska and a place nice for living so that people do not leave these areas", Prime Minister Viskovic said in an interview with Srna.
"We have secured funding for those facilities and borrowing or loans should not be the problem because there are creditors ready to finance the construction and give a grace period until the construction is over so that the repayment starts when the facility starts operating." This product is environmentally clean, `green energy` and there are no obstacles for its placement on the European market", Prime Minister Višković pointed out and added that every such project should employ several hundred workers with an average salary higher than in some in some other industries.
"We should not miss such an opportunity because the real sector needs to be revived. Only by giving people jobs and solid incomes can we stop people from leaving the country. Those people will create a product that is needed in whole of Europe and the raw material is endless as the Drina river ", Viskovic said and added that already there is a decision to issue public call for construction of hydroelectric power plant "Dabar" in February or March.
Recalling that the power plant Buk Bijela is a project mentioned for 50 years and more, Prime Minister Viskovic said that the Government will keep it alive and would not allow that it remains just on paper.
"We have all the permits for the construction of a 93.5 megawatt power plant, which is completely within the competences of the Republic of Srpska and it shall decide on its construction and by the middle of the year the tender procedure shall be started". Prime Minister pointed out.
He said that the goal of the Government of the Republic of Srpska shall be to help the real sector, as much as possible, in terms of providing benefits in order to increase salaries and make this sector more attractive and more attractive for employment.
At the same time, Prime Minister said, the business community should show a degree of understanding, not only to support and monitor the work of the Government, but also to allocate certain funds from its profits and to work together on the improvement of the real sector.
NECESSARY CONSTRUCTION OF MOTORWAYS ON THE ROUTES VARDISTE-EAST SARAJEVO AND BIJELJINA-EAST SARAJEVO
Speaking about the road infrastructure, Višković said that the Republika Srpska needed motorways from Vardište, via Rogatica and Pale to East Sarajevo and from Bijeljina through Zvornik, Milić and Han Pijesak and East Sarajevo to Trebinje.
"With those motorways and by building a section of the highway from Doboj to Raca, we would circle the entire Republic of Srpska from the point of view of the road infrastructure", Prime Minister said.
Stating that those are big projects that cannot be realized during one term, Prime Minister said that he could start solving the neuralgic points and quoted an example of a section from Brod on the Drina river to Tjentiste road that needs to be urgently addressed as well as a section from Zvornik to Vlasenica and Han Pijesak.
He said that the sections should be dealt successively in order to reach the complete route in ten years or more and to get the motorway from Bijeljina via East Sarajevo to Trebinje.
PRESERVING STABILITY IS A PERMANENT CHALLENGE
Answering the question as to what was the biggest challenge for the Government in the upcoming period, Prime Minister said that preserving the stability of the Republic of Srpska and its institutions was a constant challenge because Republic of Srpska is always in the focus of interest of various 'caretakers' but also those within BiH.
"I am sure that the very fact that the government formation in the Republic of Srpska has been done in a record time, just a month or so after the elections does not suit some. All the institutions of Republic of Srpska normally function, which is not the case in the Federation of FBiH nor the level of BiH, and that of course does not suit many", Prime Minister Viskovic said and emphasized that it was the priority not only of the Government, but of the entire Republic of Srpska to preserve its institutions and to continue economic development to achieve the growth of GDP as soon as possible and reach the set goal by the beginning of the next year to have the average salary of BAM 1,000 and GDP higher of above four percent.
"In order to achieve this, we have to start investment cycles and engage our assets and our workers because only investments can generate progress. All the measures created and defined in the economic program and economic policies are intended to strengthen the Republic of Srpska, its institutions and to create conditions for better standard of living of our citizens", Prime Minister Viskovic stated.
The Prime Minister announced that the Government would continue to monitor the work of public enterprises and that as a Prime Minister he was only interested in the results.
"The Government and I as the Prime Minister want to see our strategic companies become profitable and bring additional revenues to the budget and not just to be at zero level or minus. The management of those companies shall be protected only by their results and not by their party membership and those with the results should not worry", Mr. Viskovic said.
He added that all current executive directors of public enterprises have been given a deadline of one month to prepare a proposal of measures aimed at improving their business and that, after the Christmas holidays, a second round of talks will be held, when these proposals of measures for overcoming the problem will be considered.
"When the government agrees to these measures, we will again give them a reasonable time limit, and this will not be a year, two, three, but much less to determine whether they really aim to improve the situation in those companies or have they proposed just because of suggestions. It is necessary to introduce order in all public companies so that the Republic of Srpska can move forward in economic terms, because the state is not an inexhaustible source of money".
The Prime Minister emphasiyed that all planned activities are supported by the President of the Republic Zeljka Cvijanovic and the Serb Member of the Presidency of BiH, Milorad Dodik.
"We are part of the same team and this Government is the government of continuity and everything that has been done well by the previous cabinet would continue, and what needs to be repaired - we will fix it. We have a lot of work ahead and we will do everything to achieve the results", Prime Minister Višković said.
CONSEQUENCES OF THE NATO AGRESSION ARE LONG LASTING
The Prime Minister supported the initiative of the SRNA News Agency to have a designated day in memory of the victims of NATO aggression stressing this was a great idea which should be included in the calendar of significant dates.
"My opinion is that the day when the NATO aggression began and the date of the first bombing of the Republic of Srpska should be designated as the dates to mark this crime committed against the Serbian people and against our Republic. The SRNA initiative will have the support of the Government and me personally because this is a great idea and I myself witnessed those events in Han Pijesak.
Unfortunately, even today a large number of our people suffer enormously from the major consequences of the NATO bombing, more and more people suffer from the most serious diseases, and the least we can do is mark it that day". Prime Minister said and added that it was necessary to support one such initiative also in view of the fact that, after all that had happened, BiH is trying to get into this military alliance through a small door.
"Republika Srpska has assumed the position on the NATO integration, and it is well known to all, and we also have a Resolution on military neutrality adopted in the National Assembly. Despite the fact that half of BiH is against getting into NATO, there are still lobbying to include BiH in NATO. This is the reason to begin to mark the day when the NATO aggression on Srpska began when this innocent few people were exposed to bombs with depleted uranium and unprecedented crime Our wounds are still fresh, hard to heal and they cannot be erased so easily", Prime Minister said.
WE CAN PRESERVE THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA ONLY IF WE ARE UNITED
On the eve of the 9th of January, the Day of the Republic of Srpska, the Prime Minister stated that only united can we preserve the Republic of Srpska which is the guarantor of the survival of the Serbian people in this area and the only which can ensure a dignified living.
"Every citizen of the Republic of Srpska must do his best to preserve the Republic and its institutions and we can do it only if we stay united on that path. People who live here are protected by its territory, it is the guarantor of our existence and therefore the 9th of January should be marked red in our calendars and celebrated for hundreds of years", Viskovic said.
He stressed that people should not be influenced by those who are using the events that took place few days ago in Banja Luka to derogate the institutions of Republic of Srpska, primarily the Ministry of the Interior.
"I am calling upon the citizens not to believe those who urge attacks on the Republic of Srpska police. Many have already forgotten that back in 2006 we have fought a difficult battle to keep the police and after a hard fight finally won. Now, the Sarajevo political elite is again trying to plant a story about the need to create a `common police force in BiH 'and to abolish the Republic of Srpska police. Even one member of the BiH Presidency is sending us a message that the RS police should be abolished and we can only say that nobody will abolish our police, it would be sooner that the Presidency of BiH would be abolished than the Republic of Srpska police", Prime Minister Viskovic said and stressed that many gave their lives for the Republic of Srpska, many lost their loved ones in the past war and people should not fall for such individual provocations.
"We should grow only stronger and more united after those trials and each January 9th should each year be celebrated in a more magnificent way", Prime Minister Radovan Višković said in an interview with SRNA news agency.