Representatives of Bosniak National Councils from Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia gathered in Sarajevo, on Saturday, and spoke of different positions of Bosniaks in these four countries, and the need for a declaration, coat of arms and an official flag of the Bosniak people.

The meeting participants expressed hope that this session will improve the position of Bosniaks in countries where they are a minority.

Head of the Council of Congress of Bosniak Intellectuals from Bosnia and Herzegovina Nedzad Mulabdic recalled that this was the first time ever that direct cooperation between the councils was established and that their main fields of interests are education, science, culture and the promotion of of historic values.

Head of the Coordination of Bosniak Councils in Croatia Harun Omerbasic said they often feel isolated in their attempts to preserve the Bosniak tradition in that country. Even though the law regulating their rights is fair and one of the best in the EU, the problem is its implementation.

Head of Montenegro’s Bosniak Council Mirsad Dzudzevic pointed out that Montenegrin Bosniaks gave that country an immeasurable contribution to the renewal of its independence, thus becoming part of the foundations of the new and sovereign Montenegro.

Esad Dzudo, the Deputy-Head of the Bosniak National Council in Serbia, said that they had succeeded in establishing a completely equal educational model for the Bosnian language to that of the Serbian as well as other languages of minority peoples, thus encompassing 16,500 students.