H.E. Dr. Sead Avdic

H.E. Dr. Sead Avdic
H.E. Dr. Sead Avdic

ANA: Bosnia and Herzegovina has had a difficult history from being part of the Roman Empire to present times when it declared independence from former Yugoslavia in December 1991. Please describe for the benefit of our readers the present state of affairs of your country, with particular reference to political stability.

H.E.: Bosnia and Herzegovina is located in the south-east region of Europe and is known by the name of Western Balkan. The region was a non-stable area of the Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian until the creation of a new State of Yugoslavia after World War II.

After 15 years of conflict in the nineties in which Bosnians suffered as a result of ethnic cleansing and genocide against Bosniaks in the Srebrenica region, there was peace resulting in the formation of new states out of the former Republic of Yugoslavia. The period 1991 - 1995 produced sufferings for hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children and created half a million refugees and displaced persons.

Today, we open our hearts to reconciliation and coexistence. Bosnia and Herzogovina which became part of the European Union on December 15, 2010. It got a non-visa regime among 27 countries.

We signed the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU and an action plan for partnership with the NATO. We consider this an impressive gain which indicates that we have become a stable country with a clear path towards full membership in the EU and the NATO.

[expand title="Read More"]ANA: Diplomatic relations with India were established in 1995. Excellency, how do you assess the present status of relations between the two countries?

H.E.: I wish to express the deepest gratitude to the Republic of India, especially its Ministry of External Affairs, and other bodies for reinforcing bilateral, multilateral and economic ties between the two countries, and for supporting Bosnia and Herzegovina in its effort to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and a member of the European and Euro-Atlantic integrations.

The intention of New Delhi to open a diplomatic mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina this year is an expression of deep friendship and respect that India recorded in Bosnia and Herzegovina and will contribute positively in improving the overall relations between the two countries.

We hope that the visit of the Foreign Affairs Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina, H.E. Mr. Sven Alkalaj, to India from February 25 to March, 15 2011, will provide further impetus to successful collaboration between our two countries.

We have already scheduled consultations between the Foreign Affairs Ministries of Bosnia and Herzegovina and India in the first week of April this year. This is an important step in further planning cooperation between the two Ministries. This also indicates the commitment of the two countries to continue to improve cooperation at the political level which is a fundamental prerequisite of economic diplomacy.

Bosnia and Herzegovina expects concrete economic and commercial cooperation at the third meeting of the Joint Committee for the Implementation of Trade Agreements to be held in April 2011.

ANA: As a follow-up to the above question, could you please draw a roadmap on future relations between the two countries identifying the critical areas of mutual interest and cooperation?

H.E.: The efforts mentioned above indicate a projected roadmap for well-designed collaboration between the two countries. The visits by the Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India to BiH and by the BiH Presidency planned later this year would identify 'critical areas' as you mentioned.

ANA: Excellency, your country has a mix of various communities - Muslims (44%), Serbs (31%), and Croats (17%). This ethnic composition is quite akin to the diversity of people in India. How does Bosnia and Herzegovina deal with such diversity and maintain communal peace?

H.E.: Thank you for your question. Yes, Bosnia and Herzegovina has a history of hundreds of years of being a multi-ethnic society, a society in which there is harmony within diversity, a society that respects tradition, religion, culture, language, script and customs. The BiH Constitution guarantees these rights which are unquestionable. I personally think that it will be on the values of such multi-ethnic societies that the construction of a future world order, peace and security would be based.

Aggression, destruction, ethnic cleansing, war crimes and genocide with the aim to destroy an ethnic Bosniak community in the Srebrenica region are a warning for the future which should never happen again. But after the war we have opened our hearts to reconciliation and forgiveness so that the younger generation may have a brighter future in BiH.

India is also a multi-ethnic and complex country from which there is a lot to learn and exchange experiences to promote unity in diversity, religion, culture and tradition and contribute to peace and stability in the world.

ANA: You are aware that trade between the two countries is rather limited. Among the reasons cited for this is lack of credit facilities because of a weak banking sector, poor infrastructure, inadequate port facilities and political instability. What is your understanding for the low level of trade and what are the steps being taken to improve trade?

H.E.: The consequences of war are still felt in the country, especially in development of infrastructure and occasionally in artificially induced political instability. Today, the following assessment of the economic environment can be made: BiH has the most stable macroeconomic climate in South East Europe, characterised by sustained economic growth, stable currency and low inflation. In the last period our GDP growth was 5-6 %, with the income more than US $20.billion.

We have spoken with many Indian entrepreneurs, especially with the PHD Chamber of Commerce, who have agreed to visit our country in the first half of this year, the Foreign Trade Chamber BiH, the Agency for Foreign Investment Promotion and the Department of Economics Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH to discuss the possibilities of enhancing cooperation with Indian businessmen.

ANA: Excellency, there have been regular bilateral talks between the two countries to enhance their trade. What are the areas that have been identified where trade and commerce between the two countries can be further expanded?

H.E.: The priority for BiH is for the base-energy sector of the economy with emphasis on mining and energy investments for thermal and hydro power plants, especially for renewable energy. We have already exchanged delegations of the two countries for investment in a wind power park in BiH. The investment has reached 400 euro million.

Before my arrival in New Delhi I had meetings with officials of GM Ispat, Lukavac Coke and Steel Works Zenica for further investments in BiH. The metal and electrical industries and the production and export of aluminium are the main levers of export to BiH.

We have welcomed visits of Indian businessmen to invest in the establishment of institutions of higher education, ICT sector (India plans to open ICT centre in BiH) and in the medical and paramedical areas. Shahnaz cosmetics are manufactured in my hometown of Tuzla. I visited Ms. Shahnaz and agreed on the approach to restore this production once again for south eastern Europe.

Tourism potentials of BiH and India are immense and they open new possibilities for exchange of organized tourist groups that would have something to see and experience in both countries. BiH organises tourism fairs, but they call for the participation of Indian agencies along with free space for exhibition and other benefits.

ANA: There have been a few major investments by Indian companies in your country. Some examples are investments made some time ago by the Ispat Group in a coke and fertilizer plant and by Arcelor Mittal in a steel mill and some mining sites. Excellency, at a time when Indian companies are looking for investments abroad, what are the incentives available for such companies?

H.E.: You're talking about three very successful privatization projects – Ispat, Lukavac Coke and Steel Works Zenica and the Mine Iron of Ljubija. Today, coke and semi-coke belong to a group of basic export commodities. The GMs from Lukavac and Zenica are pleased with the excellent economic successes and investments. BiH has been greatly helped by these projects, especially in terms of redundancy of workers, infrastructure, incentives and regulations when it comes to environmental protection.

Legal procedures in BiH have been modified and simplified for encouraging foreign direct investment. BiH provides financial support for obtaining zoning and building documentation at the local level. The other advantages are low wages of labour and workers with good knowledge and skills.

All the above indicates that my country has become attractive for foreign investment.

ANA: There has been activity on the cultural front. India participates regularly in the Annual Sarajevo Winter Festival and the Indo-BiH Friendship Society was formally registered in July 2010. Excellency, are you happy with the current level of cultural exchanges and it what manner can this be enhanced?

H.E.: Bosnia and Herzegovina is a centre of culture. It has a film centre in this part of Europe. There is immense potential for cooperation with the Republic of India in film production, collaboration in film festivals, and theatre houses and exchange of cultural and artistic groups of both countries. We are also open to other forms of cooperation. The Embassy of BiH is committed to this work and this can be seen from the fact that it takes only a few hours to issue visas for artistic group from New Delhi. Cooperation in the field of education has already begun and the first agreement of understanding with Indraprastha University has been signed with BiH.

It is possible to do all of the above because the Republic of India is a democratic society which has open and friendly cooperation with Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is also a multicultural society which actually makes up a significant part of the history of this planet. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs is an example of how to help, encourage and direct cooperation to benefit both the countries and I THANK them for that.