7 February 2022  Prime Minister Ana Brnabic attended today in Geneva the signing of the Agreement on the Establishment of the World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Serbia, the first of its kind in the Western Balkans.

The agreement was signed at the headquarters of that forum by Director of the Office for Information Technologies and eGovernment Mihailo Jovanovic and Managing Director and Head of the Forum's Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Jeremy Jurgens.

The centre in Serbia will be the 16th in the network of centres of the World Economic Forum in the world and the first in the region of the Western Balkans.

The new centre will start operating on 1 March and will function as a non-profit organisation and a platform for public-private partnership and cooperation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, while the focus of work will be on artificial intelligence and bioengineering.

This centre will work within the Serbian government’s Office for Information Technologies and eGovernment and will cooperate with scientific institutes, state institutions and the private sector.

The signing of this document was also attended by founder and Executive Director of the World Economic Forum Klaus Schwab and President of the World Economic Forum Borge Brende, with whom Brnabic had previously met.

Addressing the press, Brnabic pointed out that this agreement is the result of many years of joint work between Serbia and the World Economic Forum.

We started talking in 2018, signed a Memorandum of Understanding, then 2020 hampered us a bit, but we continued to plan in 2021 and here we are today, she said.

According to her, the centre will be focused on the development of artificial intelligence, biomedicine and biotechnology, and on the ways in which digitalisation can raise the productivity of companies and the entire economy.

This is what further leads to higher salaries, a better standard of living, as well as to an economy that is mainly based on knowledge, creativity and innovation, Brnabic emphasised.

Today, we have received great recognition for everything that Serbia has done in the field of digitalisation, development of high technologies and paradigm shift – from an economy that was based on labour-intensive investments to digital development.

That is why this agreement shows that Serbia has been recognised as one of the leaders in the economy and IT industry in the last six years, the Prime Minister pointed out and assessed that this is the announcement of the beginning of an even closer cooperation between Serbia and WEF.

She added that they will have a joint meeting with the 16 WEF centres for the fourth industrial revolution in the world every month, at which they will talk about what each of them is doing, since each has a different focus.

That is how we will hear what everyone is doing every month, learn from each other and I am sure that the centre in Belgrade will be one of the best, the Prime Minister said.

According to her, this gives us visibility, the opportunity to further establish Serbia as an investment destination, a country good for living and investing in new technologies and knowledge.

Jovanovic said that the ecosystem formed around the centre will use the infrastructure of the National Platform for the Development of Artificial Intelligence, the Centre for Genome Sequencing and the future bioeconomic centre – BIO4 Campus.

Izvor/Foto: Tanjug

14.01.2022.

President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić met today with the Serbian member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik. The two interlocutors assessed that peace and stability are of critical importance for the entire region.

President Dodik pointed out that an unprecedented political and media campaign is being waged against the Republic of Srpska and the Serb people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, not only in Sarajevo but also in numerous Western power centres.

Giving an example, Milorad Dodik highlighted the celebration of the Republic of Srpska Day, followed by the most heinous insults from Sarajevo and the mouths of many Western politicians, who presented an ordinary event attended by regular and legal police forces of the Republic of Srpska as a threat to peace, whereas the genuine threat to peace by Muslim paramilitary units, the Green Berets, and their gathering in Sarajevo and Bužim, was not even mentioned.

President Dodik underlined that it is nearly impossible for the Serbian people to fight for justice and consistent implementation of the Dayton Agreement due to the unilateral and biased approach, primarily that of the United States of America.

President Vučić assessed that the US sanctions against Milorad Dodik and other officials of the Republic of Srpska represent a dreadful precedent and that they can only produce catastrophic consequences for the development of relations between the three nations and two entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and beyond, in the entire region.

"Sanctions have always brought only a problem, and never a solution," President Vučić added.

Considering the weight of the position of the entire Serbian nation, and particularly the inappropriate and unjust pressures on the Republic of Srpska and its leadership, President Vučić asked President Dodik and all political forces in the Republic of Srpska to participate in the work of joint institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and to protect the interests of the Serbian people and the Republic of Srpska in the best manner.

President Vučić pointed out that every decision is up to the Republic of Srpska leadership, but that he also invites President Dodik and all political representatives in the Republic of Srpska to consider his suggestion, as it is clear that some political factors that substantially jeopardise the stability of the entire region through untruths and insinuations are endeavouring to assign the fault for that to the Serbian people and the Republic of Srpska.

"My request to President Dodik and all political factors in the Republic of Srpska is not a request to agree with anything or to vote for anything. On the contrary, my request is that the table where the Republic of Srpska representatives should sit should not be vacant and that they should fight in the best possible way for the interests of the entities and the Serbian people," Vučić emphasised.

President Vučić offered to present his proposal to President Dodik and all institutions and political representatives in Banja Luka.

President Vučić and President Dodik also discussed the significant financial support the Republic of Serbia plans for the Republic of Srpska, and that the teams of the two presidents and the two governments will speed up talks and inform the public as soon as possible.

Vučić and Dodik also consented to hold a grand assembly of the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Srpska, including a joint session of the two governments on January 27, when strategic economic projects and further improvement of cooperation in all areas between Serbia and the Republic of Srpska will be decided. www.predsednik.rs

8.1.2022. 

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic stated today that Republika Srpska was created on genocide, but on genocide against the Serbian people, which was planned and carried out in detail in the 1940s, with a clear intention to continue and end it 50 years later.

If there was no suffering of the Serbian people from 1941 to 1945 and if there was no salute "Za dom spremni" again in 1991, there would be no Republika Srpska, Brnabic pointed out, speaking at the Ceremonial Academy on the occasion of Republika Srpska Day in the Borik Sports Hall in Banja Luka.

I believe that they would complete the "job" that they started 50 years earlier and complete the "job" of extermination of the Serbian people and the Orthodox faith, the Prime Minister stressed, adding that Republika Srpska is, above all, an indicator of how much the Serbian people were determined to prevent a recurrence of World War II atrocities.

Republika Srpska is the fruit of the desire for peace, for freedom, for the safe upbringing of children, the desire that crimes against the Serbian people do not continue and do not repeat. Both we Serbs and we in Serbia must be the first to know that, and we must be the first to defend Srpska, said Brnabic.

She pointed out that she is extremely honoured to be in Banja Luka today, to take part in marking an important date such as Republika Srpska Day, and to have the opportunity to convey congratulations and greetings to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Serbian citizens.

The Prime Minister said that, as the Prime Minister of the country that is the guarantor of the Dayton Agreement, she is extremely concerned about the challenges and problems Republika Srpska is facing, its leadership and the representatives of the Serbian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I am deeply concerned about the decision of the United States, as well as the manner and explanation of the imposition of sanctions on Milorad Dodik. That requires us to behave rationally, responsibly and seriously, without making hasty decisions, she pointed out.

The fact is that sanctions have never been the solution to any problems. That is why, I want to say again what President Vucic said: Serbia will never impose sanctions against members of its people and representatives of the Serbian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, Brnabic emphasised.

She stated that the policy of Serbia “Open Balkans” is cooperation, and not conflicts.

It is a policy that wants to create conditions in the Balkans for a different future from the past I talked about. The policy of economic and infrastructural connections, deepened cooperation, prosperity and economic revival of all peoples in the Balkans. Not borders and restrictions, but the free flow of people, goods, capital and services, the Prime Minister explained and reiterated that Serbia is facing the future.

She pointed out that Serbia will continue to work on strengthening ties with Republika Srpska, on improving the economic position and development of the cultural life of the Serbian people, and that no one can forbid it.

Since 2014, we have invested more than €88 million in aid to Republika Srpska. I am proud of our participation in humanitarian actions, construction of schools, kindergartens, ambulances, roads, communal infrastructure, cultural centers - all projects whose goal is a better quality of life for all citizens, the Prime Minister underlined.

The Serbian people remain committed to preserving freedom, equality and justice, and these are the true virtues that we preserve and pass on to future generations. Long live Republika Srpska, said Brnabic.