The diaspora sends billions to Bosnia every year and the country in now especially in need of help due to the coronavirus crisis, the integration coordinator in Austria’s Social Democratic Party (SPO), Sarajevo-born Ahmed Husagic, told N1 on Monday.

“Only the diaspora can save Bosnia and Herzegovina, not only regarding its economy but also politically,” Husagic said.

“The Bosnian diaspora sends around three billion Bosnian Marks through banks to Bosnia yearly and we can only speculate how much money goes hand to hand or through certain investments, and especially how much those people spend when they come to Bosnia,” he said.

Husagic advocated for the establishment of a ‘diaspora fund’.

“All of us living outside of Bosnia and Herzegovina pay some life insurance or construction insurance,” he explained.

“Why wouldn't we create a fund where these people would pay money, and we could start large capital projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina with that money,” he said, arguing that this could end up being billions if done correctly.

Bosnia is currently in a very bad situation in light of the coronavirus crisis, Husagic said as he made a devastating prediction.

“I’m afraid that either at the end of this year or beginning of next, there will be hunger,” he said, adding that he hopes Bosnia’s Council of Ministers will introduce certain measures to avoid that.

“The decisions which Bosnia’s authorities adopted came too late, I’m afraid that it’s too late now for the economic situation to improve due to this,” he said.