The Diplomat
Tomorrow, Tuesday, the ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Danka Savić, who has been at the helm of the embassy since October 2019, will leave her post. Her next posting will be as the Balkan country’s ambassador to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna.
The preparation of high-level visits, including the first visit of the Bosnian presidency, and the signing of bilateral agreements between the Balkan country and Spain have been reasons for her work, such as Bosnia’s accession to the International Olive Council, an international organisation based in Madrid, and the development of potential cooperation in the field of olive production.
On numerous occasions, he has taken the opportunity to highlight the role of the Spanish army in Bosnia. “The largest square in the city of Mostar, since 1995, has been called Spain Square in honour of the Spanish soldiers,” he said. The square, which was completely rebuilt and restored, was inaugurated in 2012 by His Majesty, King Juan Carlos I, and a monument was erected in memory of the Spanish soldiers.”
Also, last year, Ambassador Danka Savić convened a reception on the occasion of the celebration of 30 years of relations with Spain. “Spain, one of the first countries to recognise our independence, then gave us enormous help in the most difficult moments of our recent history,” she said, while highlighting the official visits of Spanish President Pedro Sánchez to Sarajevo and Mostar, and that of the former President of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Željko Komšić to Spain.
During his mandate, he has worked to promote cultural ties between Spain and Bosnia, particularly in the field of Sephardic culture, “a heritage that unites our countries”, in his words.
In October 2021, Danka Savić inaugurated the Honorary Consulate in the city of Alicante. From her position at the head of the Bosnian Embassy, she promoted the Haggadah, a collection of narratives from the Hebrew oral tradition, as well as the work of the Bosnian Sephardic writer Laura Papo, which was presented both in Madrid and as part of the Bosnian cultural days in Tenerife.
Sport and tourism, as well as the elements of Bosnia included on the UNESCO list, have been the focus of her work, along with conferences dealing with the role of women in society and gender issues.
A former journalist, before landing in Spain she was posted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Previously, she was her country’s ambassador to the Czech Republic and Slovakia between 2013 and 2016.
