prijava
SARAJEVO, September 16 (FENA) - A link that connects Australia and Bosnia and Herzegovina is 50,000 BiH citizens who live in that country, and are successful people who have made 200 million dollars' worth of property since the end of the war and they have invested their money in numerous businesses, religious and other buildings, said Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Australia, Mirza Hajrić, in an interview with FENA.
Interviewer: Hana Imamović
Bilateral relations between the two countries are very solid; Australia is one of the 15 most developed economies in the world, and in order to sign the Free Trade Agreement, Bosnia and Herzegovina lacks the volume of production which has to be much higher than it is right now.
“Australia cooperates closely with India and China where almost half the planet lives. Generally speaking, their foreign policy is focused on their region that is fastest growing. We are a small country for them and in a complicated region. They are ready for cooperation, but we are not Germany, England, Turkey or a big country and we do not have such opportunities,” said Hajrić.
Australia is the only state-continent with a surface of 65 percent of Europe's and has a population like former Yugoslavia, and in that huge space, they have been able to respond to the demanding infrastructure needs and everything that goes with such a geographic area and become one of the 15 most developed countries in the world.
Trade exchanges between the two countries have doubled in the last two years. One BiH company supplies mines in Australia with the initial caps for the mines, and mining is the largest export branch of Australia and this export from BiH is worth two to five million dollars.
Also, woodcrafts from Konjic are exported to Australia, because they are very interesting and of high quality, together with sanitary supplies exported to hospitals and institutions.
When it comes to tourism, Hajrić reminds that the disadvantage of mutual visits is the fact that this country does not have cheap flights, but given that Australians love to travel, and they are among the tourists that are coming in bigger numbers now, both from Australia and New Zealand because marketing and social networks have made it easier to them to discover beauties of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“When they come here, they can visit several other nearby countries. A stable line has been established from several cities in Australia to Doha and then to Sarajevo or other cities in the region. One of the most important tourism websites in Australia next week will present a portrait of BiH and recommendations on which sites to visit,” said Hajrić.
Ambassador of Bi has also helped set up a Sydney Business Club, which has more than 300 members and is currently negotiating a fundraising and investments.
This year, there are five times more voters for the October general elections and polling station will be opened at the Embassy of BiH in Canberra, and the Open Doors Day will be held.
The BiH Embassy building in Australia was built by BiH citizens with their funds and donations to BiH, but Ambassador Hajrić said it was in poor condition and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH allocated funds for roof repair, and funds for further rehabilitation should be provided in the coming years.
During the term of Ambassador Hajrić, solar panels were placed on the building and now they use solar energy for electricity and heating, the bills are much lower than they were before.
Ambassador Hajrić commented on the criticism he received from the BiH Presidency member Mladen Ivanić and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Igor Crnadak regarding his contribution to the introduction of the Bosnian language in secondary schools in New South Wales in Australia, saying he was proud of what he did and that such criticisms are out of place.
The comments that came from the highest state officials, Hajrić just dismissed as pure politicking, saying that the Foreign Minister is wrong if he thinks that he would improve the image of BiH in the world with such behavior.
He reminded that Serbian and Croatian languages have been represented in schools in Australia for a long time now, meaning that on Saturdays, students are free to study them as electoral subjects, and introducing the Bosnian language into the system corrected the injustice, which is why the BiH Ambassador to Australia Mirza Hajrić claims that he would have done the same if the situation was the other way around.
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(FENA) S. R.
