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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

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Serbia donates 5,000 AstraZeneca vaccines to Bosnia and Herzegovina

Belgrade/Sarajevo, 2 March 2021

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic delivered today in Sarajevo 5,000 AstraZeneca vaccines against coronavirus, which is a donation of Serbia to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Vucic and Minister of Health Zlatibor Loncar were welcomed at Butmir airport in Sarajevo by Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Milorad Dodik and Bosniak member of the Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic.

Serbia donates 5,000 AstraZeneca vaccines to Bosnia and Herzegovina

Author: Tanjug

Vucic said at a press conference, after a meeting with members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, that he is very glad that Serbia helped that country and that this donation is more than vaccines – a matter of mutual trust.

He stated that at the meeting with the members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, he proposed that a large summit be held in Belgrade, which would gather all levels of government, but also businessmen from both countries.

Today, when we all expected help from those who are much more powerful, we rely on each other. We in Serbia cannot be satisfied if the people in Sarajevo, Bijeljina, Banja Luka are not happy, we understand that well, Vucic underlined.

When it comes to objections to the vaccine, he said that Serbia will send whatever vaccine Bosnia and Herzegovina asks for, adding that the vaccine of the company AstraZeneca is excellent.

Speaking about the economic relations between the two countries, the President of Serbia noted that the trade exchange between Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2019 stood at €1.959 billion and added that it will be lower by approximately 10% in 2020 due to the pandemic, but that this year it will amount to more than €2 billion.

Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Milorad Dodik said that the relations between the two countries are good, but that there are a lot of open issues that were discussed today.

He stated that the exchange of goods works well, but that its volume can be much larger.

Dodik expressed gratitude to Vucic for his support in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, recalling that thanks to the Serbian leadership, medical workers from Republika Srpska were vaccinated in Serbia, and a consignment of vaccines was donated to the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zeljko Komsic expressed gratitude to Serbia for the solidarity it demonstrated with the donation of vaccines, especially in the current circumstances of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a state with undefined relations with the COVAX programme and procurement of vaccines.

Komsic expressed hope that this meeting will mean a new shift in relations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.

Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Sefik Dzaferovic expressed gratitude to Serbia and President Vucic for their solidarity and added that in a situation when global multilateral mechanisms for the procurement of vaccines proved to be ineffective, Vucic made an offer that Bosnia and Herzegovina accepted.

According to him, solidarity, respect, appreciation, resolving open issues through agreement and applying international law where agreement is not possible, are the principles on which we want to build our relations.

Dzaferovic added that he supported Aleksandar Vucic's proposal to hold a large economic forum of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in Belgrade.

Noting that today's meeting is much more than the delivery of a donation, he pointed out that people from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are migrating to countries which have better organised systems and that it is therefore high time to intensify dialogue.

There has been enough of tensions and futile discussions. Bosnia is a country with territorial integrity and we will build it in the interest of all its citizens and peoples, Dzeferovic concluded.