Our relations with Republika Srpska are experiencing great growth, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
“Contacts at the highest level have become regular”, according to him.
Lavrov made the comments during a video address on the occasion of the opening of the Russian Embassy in Banja Luka on Tuesday.
With this move, Bosnia and Herzegovina became the only country in the Western Balkans where Russia was allowed to expand its diplomatic mission after launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Lavrov said that this is a “historic” moment and that “we have been working for this goal for several years.”
“We will pay priority attention to the construction of the Russian-Serbian temple, as a spiritual and cultural center in Banja Llukë”, said Lavrov.
The office was opened by Milorad Dodik, president of the Bosnian Serb entity, Republika Srpska, and Igor Kalabuhov, ambassador of Russia to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
It was agreed to open in 2021, before the start of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
Dodik warned about the possibility of the consulate opening this year as early as February. It was then confirmed by the representative office of the Republika Srpska in Moscow.