Raca Border Crossing to Be Handed Over on October 15
Minister Sofronijevic gave two deadlines for the Sava crossing in Banja Luka, while Prime Minister Minic spoke of December. The two governments also discussed science.
The Raca border crossing on the Sava, which Serbia and Republika Srpska are opening as a joint facility, will be handed over on October 15, and all remaining works there will be finished by December 15. The deadlines were announced in Banja Luka on October 9 by Serbia’s Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Aleksandra Sofronijevic, at a press conference after a meeting of the two governments.
Serbia’s caretaker Prime Minister Djuro Macut visited Banja Luka with a group of ministers. He met Republika Srpska Prime Minister Savo Minic and Milorad Dodik. Until now, Raca has appeared in our news in connection with the closure of the crossing after a truck fire. Now it has a handover date for the first time.
What exactly was said about the Raca deadlines?
Sofronijevic said Serbia had finished the joint border crossing, that it would be handed over on October 15, and that the remaining works would be done by December 15. Minic tied the same crossing to December.
We will have a joint border crossing from Srpska to Serbia already in December, and construction of the motorway toward Banja Luka continues.
That is what Minic said, adding that the Trans-Srpska highway, in his assessment, is making proper progress. The two statements are not the same: the minister speaks of the handover of the crossing and the completion of the other works, the prime minister of a crossing in December. Neither statement says when traffic will actually start moving through the joint crossing. Republika Srpska Minister of Transport and Communications Zoran Stevanovic said that the opening of the joint crossing at Raca would be a historic moment.
What else was on the table on infrastructure?
Sofronijevic said the two states would keep connecting through motorways, expressways and bridges, and that rivers do not divide the Serbian people.
Among the most important projects are the completion of the Sremska Raca to Kuzmin motorway, whose section on Serbian territory is 18 kilometers long, as well as the start of intensive paving works on the territory of Republika Srpska.
At the press conference, Stevanovic listed what else was under discussion:
- continuing the narrow-gauge railway from Mokra Gora to Visegrad
- the Trebinje airport project
- passing laws, on which he said: “Activity on passing the laws will be revived”
Minic said: “All of this is a story started by Presidents Milorad Dodik and Aleksandar Vucic, one that will remain for history.” He added: “We will not stop, and I am convinced it will be the same in Serbia.” Funds were also discussed, but no amounts were given.
Macut said that “the intensity of cooperation between Serbia and Republika Srpska must also bring results.” He said the sides had gained momentum in operational meetings that day, and that he expects a good period over the next year or two for infrastructure projects.
How did the two governments split the talks on science and education?
Serbia’s Minister of Science, Technological Development and Innovation Bela Balint met in Banja Luka with Republika Srpska’s Minister of Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education Drago Mastilovic. They discussed access to science funds and a wider scope of cooperation.
Mastilovic said the Coordination Team for cooperation in science and technological development has been extended to cover higher education as well, on Macut’s initiative. “The goal is to create a single Serbian space, not only scientific but also for higher education, and that is what we will work on intensively in the coming period,” Mastilovic said.
Balint listed the topics of the talks: scientific projects, the categorization of journals, and the mobility of teachers and students. “I hope we have laid the cornerstone so that cooperation between Republika Srpska and Serbia in these areas will only grow stronger,” Balint said.
What was said at the “A Bridge of Knowledge” conference?
The same day, the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Republika Srpska hosted a one-day conference, “A Bridge of Knowledge: Science and Knowledge in the Service of the Unity and Future of the Serbian People,” organized by the two governments. The Academy’s president, Dragoljub Mirjanic, said the program includes 16 plenary and short lectures by guests from the diaspora and 20 oral presentations by scientists from Republika Srpska and Serbia.
Macut called it “an excellent way to show our connection, and especially to connect our diaspora.” Minic said: “Knowledge is the bridge that connects our people.”
Dodik also proposed linking the two academies, saying: “I call on scientists and members of the academies to come together and cooperate under one roof.” In his words, merging the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Republika Srpska with the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts could bring new strength to science and knowledge.
What did Macut and Dodik say about the elections in Republika Srpska?
Macut thanked his hosts for their hospitality and, as he put it, congratulated Minic on his election as president of Republika Srpska. Sources do not give the final results of the October 4 election, so the congratulations are reported as Macut’s statement. Dodik wrote on the social network X that he had thanked Macut for the congratulations “on the convincing election victory in the recent elections,” with both sides committed to keep strengthening “our fraternal relations and cooperation in all areas of common interest.” Dodik also noted that it is always a pleasure to meet Macut and the ministers of the Serbian government.
