Dodik: We are considering involving Hungarian teachers in education on an experimental basis

Following their meeting at the end of August, Milorad Dodik, President of the Republic of Srpska and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met again in Budapest on Monday.

According to the Hungarian State News Agency, Viktor Orbán said that Hungary considers Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Srpska its honorary neighbours. Relations between Hungary and the Serb entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina remain excellent, and we are doing our utmost to strengthen cooperation, as reflected in the joint projects we have already launched, he said at the meeting.

It was mentioned that Hungarian companies have significant investment and trade potential in the financial sector, energy and telecommunications, which they intend to utilise in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Milorad Dodik later gave more details about his meeting with Viktor Orbán.

Dodik said that the cooperation between the Serb entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Hungary is developing very well. "We are working on identifying and implementing previously targeted projects in the field of energy, such as wind farms, and we have also had great success with our project through which Hungary is providing support to farmers in Republika Srpska," Dodik said, according to Oslobodjenje, adding that they also discussed how to further integrate their policies.

According to him, they also discussed the possibility of including Hungarian teachers in the work of certain educational institutions in Republika Srpska beginning next school year on an experimental basis, "in the interest of our children, who would thus start learning Hungarian".

Dodik added that the parties also hoped to expand cultural cooperation between their countries. N1info.ba quotes Dodik as saying that "Orbán expressed his readiness for Hungary to replace Germany in projects they cancelled because they did not want to regulate the contracts”.

Earlier this year, we wrote about Viktor Orbán's goal of becoming a regional middle power, and how this translates to his relationship with the Bosnian Serb leader, who had recently given an award to Russian President Putin.

We have contacted the Hungarian Foreign Ministry for details, and will update our article as soon as we receive a response.