Israel opens first Chamber of Commerce office in Republika Srpska, Bosnia

A new Israeli Chamber of Commerce office in Banja Luka is intended to turn close political ties between Israel and Republika Srpska into practical business cooperation.

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to the highest possible level

The representative office opened on Thursday night in the capital of the Serb-majority entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina. Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli attended with outgoing Israeli Ambassador Galit Peleg, Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik, Bosnian presidency representative Zeljka Cvijanovic, and senior local officials.

Dodik said Republika Srpska wanted to raise its relationship with Israel “to the highest possible level.” He described the office as a permanent point of contact between Israeli and local businesses, but said its work could also extend to culture, education, and other fields.

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We maintain a high degree of understanding and support for Israel and, of course, for the Jewish people as a whole. We wholeheartedly want to raise those relations to the highest possible level.

He highlighted Israeli technology and expertise as potential assets for the region. In return, he said Republika Srpska could offer Israeli companies opportunities close to the European Union market. The chamber is expected to organize expert groups and business delegations traveling in both directions.

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We intend to organize expert groups that will come here and, based on Israel’s experience, propose to us how we can organize various sectors. We want people in Israel to understand that they are welcome here and that they will be protected here, not only personally, but their businesses as well.

Dodik said the proposal came from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting in Jerusalem earlier in the year. “For Israel, perhaps it is a small step, but for us, it is one of the most important things that has happened to us in the last decade,” he said. At the opening, Chikli said the chamber should function as a practical mechanism for developing business, not merely as a symbol of the relationship.

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For Israel, perhaps it is a small step, but for us, it is one of the most important things that has happened to us in the last decade.