The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, has been on a three-day visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina since Sunday, during which he will visit several places in the Republika Srpska entity and local communities with a majority Serb population in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Vučić arrived in BiH on Sunday, August 2, and his first visit was the Rmanj monastery in Martin Brod. He was welcomed by the president of the SNSD Milorad Dodik, the president of the National Assembly of the RS Nenad Stevandić, the Entity Minister of the Interior Željko Budimir and the bishop of Bihać-Petrova and Rmanj Sergije.
In the Rmanj monastery, he talked with Bishop Sergi about the position of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Serbian population in the area of Bosnian Krajina. Vučić recalled Serbia’s financial support for the restoration of that monastery, which was consecrated again in 2024.
After Martin Brod, Vučić and Dodik visited Drvar, where they talked with the local management, led by the mayor of the municipality Dušica Runić, and toured the production facility of the textile company “Jumko”. During the tour, Vučić announced the allocation of an additional 140,000 euros for the purchase of equipment and the increase of production in that facility.
Vučić and Dodik then laid flowers in the village of Janjila near Bosanski Petrovac at the memorial cross erected in memory of the civilians killed in the attack on the refugee column on the Petrovac road on August 7, 1995.
During the first day of his stay, Vučić also visited Sitnica na Manjača, in the municipality of Ribnik, where he attended the celebration of the baptismal glory of the Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah.
He continued his visit with a trip to Mrkonjić Grad and Lake Balkana.
On the second day of the visit, on Monday, Vučić visited the Janj Islands near Šipovo, where, accompanied by Dodik, he talked with the local population.
A visit to the house of Vučić’s family in the village of Čipuljić near Bugojno has also been announced for tonight. Vučić invited the residents of Čipuljić and the surrounding towns of all nations to come to the house after 6 p.m., where he announced a conversation with the residents of the area.
On the last day of his stay, on Tuesday, August 4, Vučić will attend the central commemoration of the Day of Remembrance of the Serbs who died and were exiled during the Croatian military-police operation “Storm”. The commemoration, jointly organized by the governments of Serbia and the RS, will begin at 8 p.m. on King Peter the First Karađorđević Square in Mrkonjić Grad.
The program will begin with a memorial service, after which the sermon of Serbian Patriarch Porfiri will be announced. In addition to Vučić and his associates, the leadership of the Republika Srpska and representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church will attend the commemoration.
