Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivan Mrkic attended today the ceremony marking the National Day and the patron saint's day of the Republika Srpska in Banja Luka.

Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Irinej led a liturgy held at Christ the Saviour Orthodox Church. Nikola Selakovic, Minister of Justice and Public Administration, and Zorana Mihajlovic, Minister of Energy, Development and Environmental Protection also attended the ceremony.

On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, the ministers extended both their congratulations on the occasion of the National Day, and warm regards sent by Tomislav Nikolic, President of the Republic of Serbia. Minister Mrkic presented Milorad Dodik, President of the Republika Srpska, with an icon depicting St. Stephen, a gift from Ivica Dacic, Serbian Prime Minister.

Republika Srpska marks 9 January to commemorate the day in 1992 when "the Republika Srpska of Bosnia and Herzegovina" was declared.