President of the Republic of Srpska Milorad Dodik has urged for broader collaboration with Azerbaijani business circles as he met with Azerbaijani Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Vilayat Guliyev in the city of Banja Luka.

During the expanded meeting, also attended by Željka Cvijanović, the Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, currently acting as Chairwoman, discussions revolved around the cooperation between Azerbaijan and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The meeting highlighted the cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina, and particularly the Republic of Srpska, and Azerbaijan across the political, economic, cultural and humanitarian domains.

Recalling that he met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev last October within the framework of the BRICS Summit in Kazan, President Milorad Dodik underlined that the Republic of Srpska highly appreciates the successes achieved by Azerbaijan in recent years, its growing international authority and role, as well as the COP29 summit, which was successfully conducted by the country. Noting that special attention is paid to the development of relations with Azerbaijan, Milorad Dodik encouraged broader collaboration with Azerbaijani businessmen and business circles.

President Milorad Dodik said the Republic of Srpska is open to discussions at all levels, expressing his intention to create favorable conditions for the Azerbaijani business. He also hailed the experience of Azerbaijan's AzVirt company, which is successfully operating in the region, as an example.

Mentioning that there are great opportunities for cooperation in the energy sector, tourism, construction, agricultural, scientific and technical, cultural and humanitarian spheres, President Milorad Dodik said that the environment of mutual trust and confidence between the two countries provides a solid foundation for success.

Recalling her visit to liberated Karabakh and the historic city of Shusha during the COP29 summit, Chairwoman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Željka Cvijanović, emphasized that the development path travelled by Azerbaijan in recent years is an excellent example for post-socialist countries, especially Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is confronted with similar conflicts. Željka Cvijanović stressed the importance of President Ilham Aliyev's attention to the Western Balkans region, in particular the “Joint Declaration on the strategic partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Bosnia and Herzegovina” signed during his visit to Sarajevo in April 2023, in fostering cooperation across all domains.

Sharing his views on the agenda items, Ambassador Vilayat Guliyev noted that they are of vital importance and meet the interests of both sides, and added that Azerbaijan is open to dialogue at all levels. The diplomat mentioned that he would communicate the goodwill and proposals of the Republic of Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina as a whole to the official Baku.

During the meeting, the sides also had a broad exchange of views on the ongoing developments in the South Caucasus region, as well as globally.

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