The Diplomat
The President of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Željko Komšić, will pay a working visit to the Kingdom of Spain tomorrow, Wednesday, where he is scheduled for an audience with King Felipe VI and a meeting with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
In a statement from the Bosnian Embassy in Madrid, it is highlighted that “this year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Spain and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and this is the first visit of the President of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Madrid.”
“Spain supports the European integration process of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the communiqué continues, and has played an important role in the peace and reconstruction process in Bosnia and Herzegovina, notably with the arrival of its troops three decades ago.”
“As part of an international peacekeeping force deployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina until 2010, the statement concludes, Spain has sent more than 46,000 military personnel. Since 1995, the largest square in Mostar has been called Spain Square. After the war, it was completely rebuilt and in 2012 inaugurated by King Juan Carlos I as a memorial to the Spanish military. Spain supported the reconstruction of Bosnia and Herzegovina, played an important role in the peace process, strengthened the defence sector, provided aid to refugees, and participated with important funds in the restoration of cultural and historical monuments in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
After the war, he entered politics with the Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He served as a councillor in the municipality of New Sarajevo and in the Sarajevo City Council, before being elected Mayor of New Sarajevo in 2000. When the electoral coalition “Alliance for Democratic Change” came to power in 1998, he was appointed ambassador of the now defunct Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in Belgrade. When the coalition lost the elections in 2002, he was relieved of his post. He is one of the three vice-presidents of the Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
