Juan David Latorre
The Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina held a reception last Monday on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with Spain.
Ambassador Danka Savić stressed that “Spain, one of the first countries to recognise our independence, then gave us enormous help in the most difficult moments of our recent history, supporting for 10 years the reconstruction, playing a significant role in strengthening the defence sector, contributing to the construction and protection of peace and state institutions and participating at the same time in the restoration of our cultural monuments.”
Danka Savić wanted to dedicate a special mention to what she called the “core of our bilateral relations”. “It is with the presence of more than 46,000 of its military personnel, she stressed, that Spain has contributed to peacekeeping and reconstruction in Bosnia and Herzegovina for 20 years. The most important square in Mostar is called Spain Square in memory of the 22 soldiers who lost their lives in the line of duty.”
“This year,” the Ambassador continued, “has been marked by multiple meetings and state visits at the highest level. In this context, I would like to highlight the visit this summer of the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, to Sarajevo and Mostar, where he was warmly received. This visit contributed to our Euro-Atlantic journey. Earlier this year, the former Chairman of the rotating Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Željko Komšić, visited Madrid for the first time, a stimulating visit for the development of our bilateral relations.
Danka Savić thanked in her speech for the “message of support we have received from the highest Spanish authorities, and for their understanding of the challenges Bosnia and Herzegovina faces in carrying out necessary reforms on our path towards the European Union, especially now when we are awaiting candidate country status. Being part of the European Union, with which we share the same values, as well as our path towards Euro-Atlantic institutions, are our most important foreign policy objectives.”
“We are especially pleased with the visit early next year of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, to Bosnia and Herzegovina; as well as the prospect of realisation of bilateral agreements with the establishment of new forms of cooperation, especially on the economic level, the Bosnian ambassador pointed out.
The ambassador again mentioned the role of the Spanish Armed Forces in her country. Today we remember that distant November 1992,” said Danka Savić, “when units of the Legion left for the Balkans, to Bosnia and Herzegovina, on their first mission outside the borders of the Kingdom of Spain, a transcendental mission not only for my country but also for the Spanish Armed Forces. The Neretva Route, the road between the two Bosnian cities of Konjic and Mostar, was opened during the war by Spanish legionnaires, which allowed the passage of vehicles, people and humanitarian aid without which the civilian population could not have survived at that time”.
Finally, the Bosnian ambassador wished to thank Lieutenant General José María Millán Martínez for being present at the event and for sharing memories of his participation in the mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which, in her words, marked his career.
Representing the Spanish Government was the Director General for the Coordination of the Internal Market and other Community Policies, Alejandro Abellán García de Diego, who expressed Spain’s full support during its Presidency of the Council of the European Union for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s integration into the European body. As an example of cooperation with Spain, the Director General cited the restoration of the Sarajevo Library with AECID funds.
The reception was attended by the ambassadors of Azerbaijan, Slovenia, Pakistan, Qatar, Slovakia, Poland, Moldova, Greece and Serbia, along with the Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Montenegro and the Minister Counsellor of the Embassy of North Macedonia, as well as diplomats from the delegations of Turkey, Poland and the Czech Republic. The event was also attended by the Director General of the Directorate General for Western, Central and Southeast Europe, José Miguel de Lara; the Director of the Intercultural Hispano-Arab Circle, Abdo Tounsi; the Executive President of the Academy of Diplomacy, Santiago Velo de Antelo, and the Bosnian player of the Real Madrid Basketball team, Dznan Musa. Guests were treated to a concert of traditional Bosnian music by guitarists Mirza Redžepagić, a pioneer of the Spanish guitar in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Iman Hamdani.
