The BiH Association in Ireland hosted the BiH Ambassador to Great Britain and Ireland, on his first visit to this country.
The Bosnia-Herzegovina Association in Ireland (BHAI) hosted the Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Kingdom and Ireland, H.E. Vanja Filipović , on his first visit to Ireland. Coronavirus restrictions have prevented this visit from taking place until now, as Ambassador Filipović took up his position as Ambassador of BiH to the United Kingdom and Ireland in September 2019.
The Ambassador’s visit began with a working lunch on Sunday, January 30, with Bronagh Ćatibušić and Mirza Ćatibušić (BHAI), after which he attended the commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, organized by Holocaust Education Trust Ireland.
An important part of the Ambassador’s visit was a meeting with Irish activists, attended by Valerie Hughes and Brian Coonan. Along with Valerie, Irish activists John Feighery, Peter Walsh and Bronagh Ćatibušić have been involved in activities for Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1992, and 30 years of their tireless and selfless commitment and great effort rank them among the most sincere friends of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
During the Ambassador’s visit, the Embassy of BiH in London and the BiH Association in Ireland arranged and organised a series of meetings with senior officials of the Irish Government. These meetings included discussions with key members of all political parties in Ireland, as well as with senior officials of the European Union Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Government attached great importance to the Ambassador’s visit, which is evident from the profile and number of officials with whom the Ambassador met: Jack Chambers, Maeve Collins, Pat Kelly, Paul Donnelly TD and Ruairí Ó Murchú TD, Thomas Byrne TD, Charles Flanagan TD, Ceann Comhairle, Roderic O’Gorman TD.
BHAI and the Bosnian-Herzegovinian community, together with Irish activists, expressed their sincere gratitude to the Government of Ireland and all officials who met with Ambassador Filipović.
– In this difficult period that Bosnia and Herzegovina is going through, it is extremely important that Irish officials have expressed very strong support for a sovereign and unified BiH, respect for the Dayton Peace Agreement and its implementation. It was emphasized that the EU must continue to help and assist in constitutional, political and economic reforms. Bosnia and Herzegovina really needs a stronger EU engagement. These assurances from Irish government officials certainly give us hope for a more secure future for a united and indivisible BiH. Ireland is a very important EU member and has an important voice as part of the EU. Bosnia and Herzegovina will need all the help it can get in the coming months. The Ambassador emphasized that in the event of the breakup of Bosnia and the departure of Republika Srpska, it would be the realization of the dream of Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladić, who created an ethnically pure state through genocide, crimes against humanity, systematic rape and hostage-taking, and concluded by asking whether this is an outcome that the world could allow. , says Mirza Ćatibušić, president of BHAI.
From this BH. Associations expressed their gratitude for everything that the Government of Ireland is doing and will do to support the preservation of the integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina. They also say that they will do their best to continue and strengthen cooperation with Irish government institutions and political parties.
During his visit to Ireland, Ambassador Filipović also met with the BiH community, with whom he held a meeting and then a social gathering.
– Ambassador Vanja Filipović, thank you very much for your visit, which means a lot to us and we hope that from now on Dublin will become your regular destination , said BHAI.
