The fourth Parliamentary Forum between Serbia and the Bosnian Serb Republic was held in Belgrade on Thursday, opened by Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic and Republika Srpska National Assembly Speaker Nenad Stevandic.
Brnabic said it was important to further develop parliamentary cooperation and concrete initiatives concerning Serbs on both sides of the Drina River. She added that the Parliamentary Forum should play a greater role in building memorial centers in Belgrade and Donja Gradina dedicated to victims of the Jasenovac concentration camp, noting that Serbia was ready to finance both projects.
“The memorial center is something we promised our people and all our citizens several years ago. My request is that we work with the relevant ministries and scientific institutes to speed up this process and launch public tenders,” Brnabic said.
She said the memorial centers would serve not only to preserve the memory of crimes committed during World War Two in the Nazi-allied Independent State of Croatia, but also to educate younger generations.
The initiative was first launched by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik, she said, adding that concrete steps had yet to be taken and that the Parliamentary Forum could help move the project forward. She noted that this year marks 85 years since the start of atrocities committed against Serbs by the Ustasha regime.
Brnabic said the forum should meet more often to support institutions in both Serbia and Republika Srpska through dialogue and joint initiatives, adding that cooperation between the two parliaments represented one of the highest forms of bilateral cooperation.
She said the Parliamentary Forum, established as an initiative in September 2023 and formally constituted at its first session in Banja Luka on July 2, 2024, had further strengthened special relations between Serbia and Republika Srpska. The previous forum session was held in Banja Luka in September last year.
Brnabic said last year had been politically turbulent in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and that participants at the previous forum emphasized the importance of respecting the Dayton Peace Agreement, mutual respect, peace and cooperation. A joint statement adopted at the end of the meeting reaffirmed commitment to peace, stability, international law and further cooperation between Serbia and Republika Srpska.
She said challenging times lay ahead and required closer relations, adding that Serbs in Republika Srpska could always count on Serbia’s support.
Republika Srpska parliament speaker Nenad Stevandic said Serbia had never shown greater concern for Serbs living outside its borders and that building memorial centers in Donja Gradina and Belgrade would be the culmination of that effort.
He said Donja Gradina was the site of the largest suffering of Serbs during World War Two and a place where children’s camps existed, which he described as unique in Europe and possibly the world.
Stevandic said he hoped the current generation would complete what he described as a historical obligation to victims, and preserve the memory of those killed.
The Serbia–Republika Srpska Parliamentary Forum meets twice a year and consists of 11 members of parliament from Serbia and 11 from Republika Srpska. Its tasks include submitting conclusions and proposals to the two parliaments and maintaining communication with international organizations.