Israeli Chamber of Commerce office opens in Banja Luka
An office of the Israeli Chamber of Commerce has opened in Banja Luka, the administrative center of Republika Srpska, an entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina. Representatives of both sides said it is intended to help strengthen ties and investment cooperation, Al Jazeera English reports.
Israel’s ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Galit Peleg, said at the opening ceremony that the office is intended to establish contacts between businesses on both sides and promote investment cooperation. According to her, the office of President Milorad Dodik provided a building for it in Banja Luka. Peleg mentioned pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Sarajevo during the war in Gaza.
Technological cooperation
Milorad Dodik, the former president of Republika Srpska and its de facto leader, said the entity’s authorities would create a program to support new Israeli technologies. He provided no details of the program. Republika Srpska’s authorities also spoke of possible substantial Israeli investments but did not disclose specific information about them.
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At the opening, Dodik emphasized the political and historical ties between the Serbian and Jewish peoples, as well as what he described as the similarity of their suffering. “We have shown that under impossible conditions and in a historically hostile environment, we can preserve our identity and our sacred word — freedom,” he said.
Financial and political assessments
Israeli businessman and investor Amir Gross Kabiri became president of the office. He became known in Bosnia and Herzegovina after his company, a subsidiary of the international investment group M.T. Abraham Group, signed a contract in 2020 to lease the facilities of Mostar’s Aluminij aluminum plant.
Zagreb-based analyst Davor Gjenero believes that opening the office could help Republika Srpska’s authorities overcome financial problems, including rising debt. In his view, Republika Srpska’s cooperation with Israel and stronger contacts between Serbia and Israel, particularly in the military sphere, could increase tensions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Gjenero also said that actions by Republika Srpska without coordination with Sarajevo could complicate the country’s dialogue with the European Union on membership.
