After years of serving in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the outgoing Head of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Bruce G. Berton, left the country on a flight to Vienna on Wednesday morning.

“So long #Sarajevo! It’s been an incredible four years! Thanks to the amazing @OSCEBiH staff for making every day better. See you soon.” he tweeted.  

On this day, two years ago, Berton took over the post of Head of the OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  

For two years before that, he served as Principal Deputy to the High Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the international official overseeing the civilian implementation of the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement which ended the Bosnian war. 

During that time he also served as International Supervisor for the northeastern Brcko District, which does not belong to any of the two semi-autonomous entities within the country.  

According to his biography on the OSCE website, Berton has been a US diplomat for some 30 years. Since he first joined the US Foreign Service in 1987, he served a variety of posts across the world including Caracas, Moscow, Bermuda, Hong Kong, Rome, Mexico City, Frankfurt, Warsaw and Sofia in addition to five years at the State Department’s headquarters in Washington, DC.  

In his last interview with Bosnian media, which he gave N1, his message to the citizens was that it is time to break the cycle of political corruption and apathy which makes their lives more difficult and is the reason why they are leaving the country, arguing that political leaders in the country only care about their own interests.  

“There is always hope, this is a country with extraordinary people. I will have good memories from this country,” he said.  

He said that throughout the past four years he traveled across the country extensively.  

“It is a dramatically beautiful country with wonderful people and huge potential. And away from the high level politics, there are plenty of people, both young and old, who are willing to work together, willing to compromise, willing to act on behalf of the people they represent. People who see a brighter future and are working toward it,” he wrote.

“This country needs those people now more than ever. And it is to those people I offer my sincere gratitude for the past four years and my fervent hope that your efforts are recognized and rewarded, for the sake of all of BiH’s citizens,” he added.    

Berton is now retiring. Who will take over the post is still unknown, but most likely it will be another US diplomat, he said.