A Bosnian diplomat and former head of BiH Mission to the EU Lidija Topic passed away at the age of 55.

The news of her death was shared by diplomats, including the Croatian MEP, Zeljana Zovko.

R.I.P. dear Lidija❤️🙏 pic.twitter.com/NgpxixWrfN

— Željana Zovko (@ZovkoEU) July 6, 2022

Topic held several positions during her career. In addition to being the head of the BiH Mission to the EU, she held the position of director of the Directorate for European Integration of BiH, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I met Lidija #Topić 8 years ago in Brussels. Our 40 minutes meeting turned into a 3 hours long conversation on issues close to both of our hearts. Since then we met countless times. I will remember her as a kind & strong person, effective diplomat. RIP🖤https://t.co/u8DbcevjGM pic.twitter.com/IyjWhUy3v1

— Adi Ćerimagić (@adicerimagic) July 6, 2022

Topic was born in 1967 in Sarajevo. She graduated in sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo, and she spent one year studying at a university in the USA. She also studied at the Sarajevo University’s Faculty of Dental Medicine. After the war, she studied human rights and international relations in New York and completed postgraduate studies in international politics in Brussels.