OREANDA-NEWS  President of the Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik told RIA Novosti that he intends to talk at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan about how to maintain economic contacts between Moscow and Banja Luka, since Russia is an important partner for RS BiH.

"Of course, the most important meeting for me is the meeting with President Vladimir Putin, which will take place at the end of the day today. First of all, I would like to note and praise the organization of this important summit, which is of a historical nature and which shows that the West has failed to isolate Russia as it wanted," he said in an interview with the agency.

"I will also tell him about the great difficulties that we face in the framework of our economic cooperation, primarily due to Western sanctions. At the same time, I want to talk with him about ways to maintain our contacts, since we certainly do not want to lose Russia as our partner," Dodik stressed.

The BRICS Summit in Kazan is taking place from October 22 to 24. BRICS is an interstate association established in 2006. Russia assumed the BRICS presidency on January 1, 2024. The year began with the accession of new members to the association - in addition to Russia, Brazil, India, China and South Africa, it now includes Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Russia's BRICS presidency is guided by the motto of strengthening multilateralism for equitable global development and security. As part of its presidency, the Russian Federation organizes more than 200 political, economic and social events.