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SARAJEVO, March 20 (FENA) - The amount of aid from the Government of Sweden to Bosnia and Herzegovina for this year amounts to 35 million KM. However, BiH political leaders must demonstrate their commitment to the rule of law, the reform agenda, EU integration processes and in the near future reform the election process, said Swedish Ambassador to BiH Anders Hagelberg during today's meeting with representatives of the largest media companies in BiH, where he spoke about the presence of Sweden in BiH and projects that the Swedish government supports in BiH.
He emphasized that only with the dedication of BiH political leaders, results can be achieved for BiH citizens and a value can be created that will justify the money provided by the Swedish taxpayers.
He also pointed out that Sweden is present in BiH in order to give its contribution in supporting citizens and the state on its path to the European Union (EU) and that the emphasis in this context is on the importance of the rule of law, gender equality and environmental protection.
“However, Sweden's engagement is also present in many other sectors, such as agriculture, entrepreneurship, local government, tax administration and civil society,” added the Swedish Ambassador.
He noted that the role of Sweden in BiH is based on the long-standing tradition of close cooperation and that the BiH diaspora has a central role in Swedish investing in BiH.
Referring to the role of Sweden in the EU enlargement to the Western Balkans, he stressed that in this regard, Sweden is the main promoter of enlargement. In connection to this, the Ambassador said that the residents of BiH expect of their representatives to achieve EU membership in the future.
“That is why political leaders in BiH need to respond to these expectations through their work in the field of rule of law and reform agenda and in the near future a decision on amending the Election Law is necessary,” Mr. Hagelberg says.
He stressed that Sweden and the international community are unable to solve internal political problems in BiH, but that they are willing to continue to provide support to political leaders at all levels.
Speaking of Sweden's assistance from the mid-1990s to the present, he recalled that the Government of this country has invested 1.5 billion KM in BiH and that there are visible results of this engagement across BiH.
Sweden has a wide range of aid in BiH, but the Ambassador specified that in the field of environment they put special emphasis on air pollution, energy efficiency, wastewater treatment and solid waste management.
“In the field of gender equality, Sweden includes this aspect in most projects and provides direct assistance through support to organizations dealing with gender issues, legal assistance to women victims of gender-based violence,” he explained, adding that the focus on the youth is a priority for Sweden.
At the end of the meeting with journalists, he said Sweden was determined to continue providing significant support to BiH, but that their support was conditioned by the achievement of results and political progress in BiH.
“In that case, the political leaders in BiH play a key role,” concluded the Swedish Ambassador.
(FENA)
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