Sarajevo Canton strengthens ties with BiH diaspora in US

During their visit to Chicago, the Office representatives met with members of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian American Academy of Arts and Sciences (BHAAAS) on the occasion of the organization’s 20th Assembly meeting.

A Memorandum of Cooperation was signed, establishing a framework for connecting diaspora experts with institutions, universities and organizations in Sarajevo Canton and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Cooperation will focus on exchanging knowledge and experience, implementing joint projects, and making greater use of the diaspora’s academic and professional expertise in the country’s development.

In Chicago, meetings were also held with Amir Ovcina, a member of the Advisory Board and former president of the Congress of North American Bosniaks, and Adem Alic, a young entrepreneur interested in establishing a business in Sarajevo. The Office’s activities were presented, and discussions focused on opportunities for business networking and future projects that could strengthen cooperation between the diaspora and the homeland.

An important part of the Chicago visit was a meeting with members of the Bosnian Educational and Cultural Center of America (BECCA) congregation, where discussions focused on the project to build the center.

The project is of particular importance to the Bosnian community in the United States. Its goals include preserving the Bosnian language, culture, traditions and identity, as well as creating a space for educational, cultural and social activities for current and future generations. Opportunities to connect the project with institutions and organizations in Sarajevo Canton and Bosnia and Herzegovina were also discussed.

In New York, a meeting was held with Zlatko Lagumdzija, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s ambassador to the United Nations.

The Sarajevo Canton Government Office for Diaspora presented its activities, and the participants exchanged views on ways to strengthen ties between people of Bosnian origin living in the United States and their homeland and its institutions.

During their stay in New York, the representatives also met with members of the Bosnian Islamic Center of New York and the Plav-Gusinje Islamic Community and Cultural Center.

Memorandums of cooperation were signed with these organizations to establish and strengthen institutional ties, improve communication, and lay the groundwork for joint activities and projects.

The signed memorandums represent an important step towards building long-term partnerships, better identifying the needs of the Bosnian community in the United States, and creating opportunities for concrete initiatives connecting people, organizations and institutions in the diaspora with those in their homeland.