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SARAJEVO, October 25 (FENA) - Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Bosnia and Herzegovina and non-resident Ambassador to the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Croatia Hani bin Abdullah Mominah said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia supports Bosnia and Herzegovina's membership in the European Union and NATO, as well as everything that politicians within BiH agree upon.
“Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is located in this important region of the Balkans, is an important state, a state that preserves a group of different nations and religions. This beautiful mosaic is very possible to be the reason for Bosnia and Herzegovina to become a member of the European Union and NATO,” said Ambassador Mominah in a farewell interview with FENA.
Interview by: Kanita Aliagić
The priority of his mandate in recent years has been the continued support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Bosnia and Herzegovina, politically and economically.
“The Kingdom will continue with its policy of support for a united Bosnia and Herzegovina and its stability because the coexistence of different religions and nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a unique practice and proof of tolerance of the Bosnian people to accept other and different, therefore the stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina is important to all countries,” he said.
He announced the signing of several agreements between the two countries, which will certainly further improve political, economic, security, cultural and scientific ties between BiH and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Ambassador reminded that the Kingdom provides support to BiH, diplomatic, political, humanitarian, as well as favorable loans from the Saudi Development Fund that are intended for infrastructure projects in cities, which encourages the return of refugees.
“The support covered all vital spheres that take care of people and infrastructure for the common good at the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina. There is no doubt that the Kingdom has paid special attention to people and institutions,” he stressed.
Also, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia finances the project of building and equipping the University Library of the University of Sarajevo, provided support for the renovation of educational institutions, procured manuscripts to scientific institutes and centers dealing with the preservation of archives. These forms of support are no different from the mission of the King Fahd Cultural Center.
He also said that the Kingdom is successfully fighting the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia takes the leading position among other countries because it chairs the G-20 Group for 2020 in a very difficult time and bears the responsibility of preserving the international balance in support of world economies, to ensure a better life for all humanity,” he said.
Despite the pandemic, internally it has opened the door to investment, supports the advancement of modern technology, digitalization, information technology and telecommunications.
At the international level, it has continuously participated in the activities of the international community through various programs of the United Nations, as well as the World Health Organization.
“The Kingdom was among the first countries to contribute to the UN, and allocated USD 500 million to the Global Coalition for Vaccines and Immunization, thus supporting research centers around the world to get a vaccine against the virus. This move was a guarantee to reach a consensus in the world on the necessity of fighting the infection at all levels and mitigating its consequences,” he stated.
Asked whether BiH can still count on the support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, he said that the economy is the foundation of the "2030" Vision, and in that sense, it seems that economic ties between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are moving towards meeting the goals pursued by both parties.
Therefore, according to him, the decision to invest in Bosnia and Herzegovina is based on a sense of security of Saudi businessmen who should be provided with conditions such as a visa waiver program, investment protection, the stability of the monetary system.
There is a mutual desire and readiness at the official level to further improve the good fraternal relations between the Kingdom and Bosnia and Herzegovina and this is going in the desired direction, however, they sometimes do not meet expectations such as the volume of trade between the two countries or the volume of cultural and educational exchange.
“We will continue to make efforts and work in that direction with all parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina, because that is the interest of both friendly countries to strengthen cooperation in economic, cultural, educational and any other field. The Embassy expects to sign an agreement between the two countries that will cover these areas as well,” concluded the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to BiH and non-resident Ambassador to the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Croatia Hani bin Abdullah Mominah in an interview with FENA.
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