Prime Minister of the Republic of Srpska Savo Minić stated in Banja Luka today after a joint meeting between the Government delegations of Republic of Srpska and Serbia that key joint infrastructure projects were progressing successfully and that cooperation between Republika Srpska and Serbia represented collaboration of a single people sharing a profound historical and spiritual unity. 

The Prime Minister particularly highlighted the significance of the Banja Luka–Belgrade motorway, describing it as a project of historic, emotional, and strategic importance which was proceeding according to the plan while the opening of the joint border crossing at Rača was expected as early as December.

As the Prime Minister said, the talks focused on cooperation in the areas of science and innovation and especially on connecting experts from Republic of Srpska, Serbia and the diaspora which are our greatest ambassadors, such as Pupin and Tesla were.

"We aim to integrate our cooperation through various funds for scientific research and innovation that could act as joint funds or be compatible", Prime Minister Minić said and added that all these steps were being in line with the guidelines set out in the Declaration from the first All-Serbian Assembly and the vision defined by Presidents Aleksandar Vučić and Milorad Dodik. 

Prime Minister Minić expressed great satisfaction with the pace of the work to date, stating that the Government would not slow down and that the implementation of strategic projects continued with equal intensity also after the elections.

Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia Đuro Macut congratulated Prime Minister Minić on his election for the Preisdent of Republic of Srpska and expressed hope that the intensity of cooperation between Serbia and Republika Srpska would gain new momentum and yield tangible results.

Serbian Prime Minister emphasized that the cooperation was going in the direction of enhancing the quality of education.

"I believe this represents the future of integrating our educational, scientific, and cultural activities and will continue to effectively coordinate these  activities and ties between our people who have always been close. We will also achieve positive outcomes regarding infrastructure projects. The coming year or two will be productive.", stated Prime Minister Macut.

The Prime Minister of Serbia noted that continued coordination between the two governments would strengthen cooperation in the fields of education, science, culture and infrastructure.

Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure of Serbia Aleksandra Sofronijević, announced that the Republic of Serbia has completed the joint border crossing at Rača and specified that it will be handed over on October 15 while the remaining works will be finished by December 15. Sofronijević said.

Sofronijević emphasized that infrastructure connectivity between Serbia and Republika Srpska has continued through construction of highways, expressways and bridges, adding that among the most important projects was the completion of the Sremska Rača–Kuzmin highway section which includes 18 kilomteres on the Serbian side and also commencement of intensive paving works within the territory of Republic of Srpska.

Zoran Stevanović, the Minister of Transport and Communications of Republic of Srpska said that the opening of the joint border crossing at Rača would be a historic moment.

Draga Mastilović, the Minister of Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education of Republic of Srpska, stated that during the meeting between the delegations of the two Governments in Banja Luka, it was agreed to expand the scope of the Coordination Team for cooperation in science and technological development to include higher education and that the team was expanded at the initiative of Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Macut.

"The goal is to create a unified Serbian space, that encompasses not only science but also higher education, and that this work would be intensified in the coming period", Minister Mastilović said. 

Minister of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of Serbia, Bela Balint stated that he met with his counterpart from Republic of Srpska, Drago Mastilović in Banja Luka today to discuss access to science funding and expansion of cooperation.

"We also discussed scientific projects, journal categorization and the mobility of teachers and students. I hope we have laid the foundation for even stronger cooperation between Republic of Srpska and Serbia in these areas", Minister Balint said.

He emphasized that, in addition to physical bridges being built to connect Republic of  Srpska and Serbia, other bridges of cooperation were also being constructed.