Bosanskohercegovačka zajednica u Kanadi traži ponovno otvaranje ambasade Kanade u Bosni i Hercegovini

22. 03. 2017.

Ministarstvo vanjskih poslova Kanade
Chrystia Freeland, Ministrca vanjskih poslova Kanade

Poštovana Ministrice Freeland,

Bosanskohercegovačka zajednica u Kanadi traži ponovno otvaranje ambasade Kanade u Bosni i Hercegovini

Ambasada Kanade u Sarajevu zvanično je zatvorena 1. augusta 2009. godine. Odluka o zatvaranju ambasade Kanade u Sarajevu je donešena početkom 2009. godine i usmeno najavljena od ambasadora Bosne i Hercegovine u Otavi u maju 2009. Službena diplomatska nota o zatvaranje ambasade Kanade u Sarajevu nikada nije dostavljena. Vlada Kanade je opravdala ovu iznenaÄ‘ujuću odluku sa preispitivanjem ekonomske opravdanosti diplomatskih predstavništava u svijetu. Tada je napomenuto da Vlada Kanade stalno prati opravdanost rada svojih diplomatskih predstavništava u svijetu. GraÄ‘ani Kanade koji posječuju Bosnu i Hercegovinu moraju sada kontaktirati ambasadu Kanade u Budimpešti, MaÄ‘arska.  Ranije je bilo govora o otvaranju konzulata Kanade u Sarajevu, ali se to nikada nije dogodilo. Vlada Kanade je zatvorila ambasadu u Sarajevu na brz način bez ponude programa strategije, kako nastaviti i poboljšati diplomatsko konzularni rad Kanade u Bosni i Hercegovini.

Kanadska diplomatska zajednica, Bosanska zajednica u Kanadi i mnogi graÄ‘ani Kanade su neprijatno iznenaÄ‘eni zatvaranjem ambasade u Sarajevu. Mnogi smatraju da je ambasada zatvorena zbog ideloških razloga administracije tadašnjeg premijera Harpera.

Kanada je otvorila ambasadu u Sarajevu 1996. godine, po završetku rata u Bosni i Hercegovini. Tada Kanada postaje član Upravnog odbora Vijeća za implementaciju mira u Bosni i Hercegovini, koji je  osnovan od strane Vijeća sigurnosti UN u cilju praćenja implementacije Dejtonskog mirovnog sporazuma. Ambasada Kanade u Sarajevu je zatvorena u jeku borbe graÄ‘ana i naroda Bosne i Hercegovine za bolju budućnost svoje države i društva.

Iznenadno zatvaranje ambasade je došlo uprkos činjenici da se u to vrijeme u Bosni i Hercegovini još nalazile kanadske mirovne snage, najuspješnije mirovne snage u historiji Kanade. Više od 40 hiljada kanadskih vojnika je služilo u mirovnim operacijama u Bosni i Hercegovini. Kanadska vlada je realizovala više od 120 projekata u Bosni i Hercegovini čija je vrijednost iznosila više od 140 miliona kanadskih dolara. Odmah poslije zatvaranja ambasade, Bosna i Hercegovina je zatražila ponovno otvaranje diplomatskog predstavništva Kanade u Sarajevu. Prvi službeni zahtjev za ponovno otvaranje ambasade Kanade u Bosni i Hercegovini  predložen je tokom zvanične posjete delegacije Ministarstva vanjskih poslova Bosne i Hercegovine na čelu sa trenutnim ministrom vanjskih poslova. Ministar Igor Crnadak, koji se sastao s ministrom vanjskih poslova Stephane Dion 16 jula 2016. obećao je da će Kanada u skladu sa novom vladajučom liberalnom politikom o otvaranja Kanade u svijetu, ozbiljno preispitati pitanje ponovnog otvaranja kanadske ambasade u Sarajevu. Ministar Dion takoÄ‘er je obećao da će uskoro Kanada otvoriti počasni konzulat u Sarajevu. Na žalost od tada ništa ozbiljno nije učinjeno u smislu poboljšavanja diplomatskog profila Kanade u Bosni i Hercegovini. Kanada je i dalje članica Upravnog odbora Vijeća za implementaciju mira.

Želimo vas podsjetiti da više od 100.000 graÄ‘ana Bosne i Hercegovine živi u Kanadi. Većina od njih su priznati članovi kanadske zajednice. Kao KanaÄ‘ani koji vole svoju domovinu Bosnu i Hercegovinu oni su zabrinuti činjenicom da Kanada nema svoje diplomatsko predstavništvo u Bosni i Hercegovini.

Na osnovu svega navedenog tražimo od Vas da ozbiljno razmotrite pitanje ponovnog otvaranja ambasade Kanade u Bosni i Hercegovini. Ponovno otvaranje ambasade Kanade u Sarajevu značilo bi mnogo tako potrebnoj demokratizaciji bosanskohercegovačkog društva i države, procesu evroatlanskih integracija, boljem diplomatskom, ekonomskom kulturnom i naučnom povezivanju dvije zemlje. Država koja je tako mnogo uradila na planu priznavanja bosanskog jezika, narodnog imena Bošnjak, istine o agresiji i genocidu i pravdi za žrtve tih strašnih zločina treba imati svoju ambasadu u Sarajevu.

U ime bosanskohercegovačke zajednice u Kanadi

Profesor Emir Ramić

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The Embassy of Canada in Sarajevo officially closed on August 1, 2009. The decision to close the Embassy of Canada in Sarajevo was made  in early 2009 and was verbally announced to the Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Ottawa in May of 2009.
Official Diplomatic Note about the closure of the Embassy of Canada in Sarajevo was never delivered.

The Government of Canada justified this surprising decision with a statement about a serious examination of Canada's current diplomatic representations abroad which was announced via a news release on the Embassy's web page.
The news release further mentioned that the Government of Canada continually monitors its representations abroad and periodically shifts resources to meet Canada’s needs in an ever changing world.

The same explanation for the closure of diplomatic representation was provided on the Embassy of Canada's website in Cambodia. No further details  were provided regarding the closures of the two Embassies. Canadians seeking emergency assistance while in BiH are advised to call an Ottawa – based emergency number or to contact the Embassy of Canada in Budapest, Hungary. A consulate was being scheduled to open in Sarajevo in near future but never happened.

The Foreign Affairs Department left  the impression that everything was done in a hasty manner with no careful examination or a thought-out strategy on how to continue any further kind of diplomatic and consular representation of Canada in BiH. The clear proof for this can be found in the same worded explanation which was announced  for the closure of the embassy of Canada in BiH and for the closure of the Embassy of Canada in Cambodia as well. The wider Canadian diplomatic community and all Canadians are being left to conclude that the Embassy of Canada in Sarajevo was closed primarily due to ideological, narrow and parochial reasons of Harper-driven foreign policy and his foreign service administration. Canada set up an Embassy in Sarajevo in 1996 after the war which ravaged the multicultural being of BiH ended.

Canada then became a member of the Executive Board of Peace Implementation Council (PIC) in Bosnia and Herzegovina established by the UNSC to monitor country progress in reaching some of the security and governance goals outlined in the Dayton Peace Agreement of 1995.The Embassy of Canada in Sarajevo closed in the midst of BiH's struggle from its violent past and in the most decisive moments for the future of Dayton Peace Accord as one of the then most successful agreements undertaken by Western and NATO Alliance.

The sudden closure of the Embassy occurred despite the fact that the biggest and most successful Canadian military forces in peace activities in history of Canada were in BiH. Since 1992, more than 40 thousand Canadian soldiers served in BiH in various peace missions, including  UNPROFOR, IFOR, SFOR, and EUFOR. Canadian former CIDA implemented more than 120 projects in BiH whose value amounted to more than 140 million CAD. Since the closure of the Embassy, BiH has requested on numerous occasions for the opening of any kind of Canadian presence, such as consular help for Canadians in BiH, but always failed due to the absence of serious interest on Canada's side.

 The first official request for the re-opening of the Embassy of Canada in BiH was made during the official visit of the Delegation of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH led by the current Foreign Minister Mr. Igor Crnadak who met with Foreign Minister Stephane Dion on July 16, 2017. Minister Dion promised that Canada in line with the new Liberal policy of opening Canada to the world will seriously reconsider the issue of re-opening  the Canadian Embassy in Sarajevo. Minister Dion also made the promise that to start Canada will open an Honorary Consulate in Sarajevo soon. Since then, nothing too encouraging has been done to enhance the diplomatic profile of Canada in BiH. Canada is still only a member of PIC without an Embassy or a Consulate in Sarajevo.

We wish to remind you that more than 100,000 BiH citizens live in Canada and most of them are now very well established and precious members of the wider Canadian community.  As Canadians, they are very much concerned during their visitations to BiH that there are no diplomatic or consular representations of Canada in BiH.

 Based on the above, we are urging you to seriously reconsider the issue of re-opening the Embassy of Canada in BiH.