“I Seek to Restore Ties with Iran,” Hopes Bosnia’s Ambassador.

Located in the Southeastern Europe and a neighbor to Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina serves as a strategic stronghold in the heart of the Balkan Peninsula whose people are still grieving the bitter moments of their involvement in the aggressions. At that time, the Iranians did never forget about their fellow Bosnians providing them with huge loads of their contributions. However, such warm relations underwent a nudge of destructive waves following the expelling of the Iranian diplomats in 2013. Now, the Bosnian Ambassador in Iran has expressed his hopes to restore the trust between the two countries and expand the political, cultural ties. To delve deeper into the details of the relations between Iran and Bosnia and Herzegovina, we conducted an interview with Mr. Edib Bukvic, Bosnia’s new ambassador in Iran.

AVA Diplomatic’s Exclusive Interview with the Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Edib Bukvic

Interview by Mohammadreza Nazari

 Tell us about your childhood; how was it?

I was born in Sarajevo, in former Yugoslavia. Back then, Bosnia was a part of Yugoslavia. One of the benefits of being born there was free education. We had a passport which allowed us to travel to all the countries. Generally, the then youth were experiencing a rather pleasant situation. But even then, the country was ruled by communism, hence this question was raised as about what measures would be taken for people’s political and regional rights.

I heard from my relatives and friends that if one had wanted to engage in an important activity, they would have had to be a member of one the communist parties present there.

However, the membership to every one of those parties required us to let go of our religion and close our eyes on all our beliefs, and because we are very religious, it was really strange and unnatural for us to forget about God and seek no religion. Such problems troubled the people from other religions, too. Just like Muslims, they couldn’t express their religious beliefs, either.

Given that at the time of your childhood, you wanted to have freedom and the government did not allow you, did you not become interested in getting involved in political activities?

No. I didn’t like politics personally back then, for there was only one party there which controlled every activity until 1990 when we gained our freedom and a quite free governmental system was established in our country. When we took back our freedom, many parties came into existence and began to grow. It was just then when I embarked on my political life and membership in one of the parties, just like a normal person who is entitled to own a political life in Bosnia.

In which party did you continue your political activities?

I was a member of the Party of Democratic Action which belongs to Mr. Begovic.

How come did you choose economics to pursue your academic studies?

When I chose it, it really interested me. Especially when I wanted to change my political life. This choice was the closest to the political atmosphere which I belonged and in my opinion, it was the best choice.

Why did you start working in Energoinvest and aim at implementing your ideas?

In 1982, as soon as I finished my education, I began my work at Energoinvest up to now. In a way, I can tell you I have been there for my whole life.

One of your great deeds in that company was the implementation of creativity and innovation to attract investments to Bosnia. What was your top priority for reconstructing Bosnia back then?

We had to conduct such investment projects in Bosnia, for the country was heavily damaged after the aggressions. The damage was pretty much extensive and far from compensation. Many factories were destroyed to ashes. All the public halls were almost vanquished. The country’s infrastructures of energy and even bridges were devastated. Therefore, there had to be investments in Bosnia to enable us to rebuild the country. Unfortunately, not even yet are all the damages made up for.

Where were you at the time of the aggressions in Bosnia? What were you up to?

I was in Sarajevo going on with my political life. Between 1993 and 1994 I was the deputy PM.

What can you remember about then? Did you happen to feel your life was being endangered?

I really don’t like to talk about that time. We lived under siege for 4 years, and Sarajevo was surrounded by our enemies. They attacked us every day with grenades and other sorts of weapons. Many children and old people died. Sarajevo witnessed nearly eleven thousand sacrifices in itself. I prefer to talk about something else.

I agree, that can be much painful. Did you lose any relatives during those times?

Yes, but not close. My father-in-law was killed along with other relatives of ours who used to live in Sarajevo or other cities of Bosnia. Some may be damaged, but thank God, my family is totally safe and sound.

You became the Deputy PM. How come did that happen? Why did the PM choose you?

In those years, both the government and parliament were in dire need of work force. In 1990, we had to hold an election to form a government. When, in 1992, the aggressions broke out, many Serbs and Croats left the country. In 1993, we realized there’s need for the formation of a government which could administrate the country at the time of war. Actually, we formed a small government which was more like a ministry sufficing as much as the then needs required. In 1994, we reached an agreement with the Croats who lived in Bosnia and formed the new government with their help which led to modifications in the structure of the government.

You were the Deputy PM then. What problems were you dealing with? How were your consultations with the Croats?

The policies of Croatia’s then government were much similar to those of Serbia’s, and they wanted to divide Bosnia between themselves. This was one of the problems, and we had to save ourselves. In fact, we tried to preserve our land and as you can see now, Bosnia is intact within its old geographical borders which happened as a result of our efforts and will.

What changes did Bosnia go through in terms of its power structure and political arrangement after the Dayton Agreement?

It was early 1996 when we signed the Dayton Agreement of peace which helped us preserve Bosnia just as it was. Then, there were two sections which were not autonomous in Bosnia. One is a federation named IDENTITY, and the other is like a republic where mostly Serbs live.

How is the Presidential Council run?

As stipulated in the Dayton Agreement, the body of the council is consisted of 3 members who belong to the three nationalities of Serb, Bosnian and Croat.

The Presidential Council is elected for a 4-year period and each member runs it for merely 8 months. Doesn’t it put the country through troubles?

I need to say that every member only runs the council and when it comes to decision makings, all three should vote for it. However, it was a bit hard for us. But now we are fine with it. There are various approaches to Bosnia’s problems, but they don’t make us deal with them every minute. One of the most recent problems we had on that level was the way we had to decide about Ukraine’s crisis. Two of the members believed the crisis in Ukraine is a mere conflict, and the other persisted that Russia is right about Ukraine. That may happen occasionally, but we don’t see it every day.

How does the Council decide on the appointment of ambassadors?

Whichever ambassador they want to think of, they do it all together. In fact, if I am serving here in Iran as Bosnia’s ambassador, it means that all three of them have confirmed my selection.

In 1998, you were appointed as Bosnia’s ambassador in Indonesia. Did you choose to go there yourself?

That wasn’t a personal decision and was the Presidents’. Actually, they needed someone to preserve Bosnia’s interests in Indonesia, and hence, I was chosen for it.

What memories do you have about your time in Indonesia?

It was a very pleasant time and I managed to see different people from whatever I had. During my service in Indonesia, I saw the election of three presidents, for every year, they were changed and that was interesting! I left Indonesia in 2001, and since then, Indonesia has been on its way to become a desirable country.

As a Muslim, do you find the Islam in Bosnia the same with that in Indonesia? What similarities or differences did you notice?

Because the two countries are mainly Sunni, the whole thing was much alike. In Iran, despite the fact that the majority of the country is Shia, the difference is not as much as we can even talk about it.

When a human kills another, that is very much unfortunate. And when a Muslim does the same to another Muslim, that even inflicts more pain for the Muslims themselves. Why do Muslims fight each other sometimes? Just like what is happening in Syria and Iraq.

Yes, but under those circumstances, they are not Muslims anymore. They are the soldiers who abide by a certain, unified law. Such wars do not occur because of Islam, but they represent a personal ideology or policy. We, too, in Bosnia, were involved in such disagreements, but they were not between Muslims and Christians. It was between two different policies. The aggression policy was being dictated outside of Bosnia and another policy was striving to preserve the country within its original geographic borders inside the country.

Just like you were at war with Iraq; but such a war did not happen at the request of Iraqi people to harm the Iranians. That was a policy which was created outside of Iran and caused Saddam to attack the country. And even now, we can unfortunately see such incidents.

You left for Egypt as the delegate of your own company. What were your trades mainly about?

Our main area of interest is the establishment of centers for distribution or production of electricity which then was possible through the transmitters in Egypt, Libya and Iran. It was a good experience. At that time, I was the manager of the company, and my first contact was made with Iran as a managing director which led to the establishment of four power stations in Isfahan.

When did you first travel to Iran?

In 1994. I was the Deputy PM and the government’s delegate of Iran’s Affairs. Then, I traveled to Iran at the invitation of the late then vice president, Mr. Habibi. I made the arrangements for a meeting between the governments of Croatia, Bosnia and Iran and fortunately, we achieved positive prospects in our talks. Then, we sought to work out our problems with Croatia which was why I lost my position!

You mean soon as you stood up, someone else took the chair?

Yes, and that was a fortunate incident for Bosnia. I was offered, of course, to act as a member of the government, but I decided to stay in the company to practice some of the ideas I had in mind.

How different do you see Iran now from what you noticed when you first came here as a businessman?

I can tell you a lot about my findings. Back then, Iran was Bosnia’s best ally and, in fact, Iran sided with us since the very beginning of the changes in Bosnia; it supported us and the meeting which I came to Iran for in 1994 was designed to help Bosnia. But, unfortunately, the relations between the two countries now are not as good as they used to be. You do know of everything in this regard, and understand that in Bosnia, we had some problems with the Iranian diplomats last year, and that was all Bosnia’s fault. However, I cannot simply say it was a mistake, for there may have been intentions involved. But my mission in Iran is to repair the ties between the two countries.

How can we clean the air about what happened for the Iranian diplomats in Bosnia?

It is very difficult. But my final goal here is to persuade both the people and the government of Iran to understand it was only a mistake. Sometimes, in politics, some very wrong decisions are made which happen as a result of the pressure some powers impose on other countries. Many other countries experience the same thing. We will always fight for our independence, but you can see now that no country is independent! As a matter of fact, we now rely on each other to achieve certain goals. Under such circumstances, we cannot ask all to cheer up and peace out.

How do you see the level of the diplomat relations between the two countries?

Our diplomatic ties seem fine and your ambassador and embassy in Sarajevo are good people and places. I don’t have any problem here, either. But I can feel some bad things here about what has happened, which actually shouldn’t have.

Iran, of course, expects a great deal from Bosnia in the international community.

Those expectations may exceed our capabilities. I hope Iran can work out this problem and remove our barriers to interact with the west. You know that Iran has been sanctioned now for a long time, and I will be very happy to see those go away. That way, everything will be easier for all of us.

Is there going to be a better window of opportunities for Iran and Bosnia to build the foundations of their economic ties?

The two countries used to have better economic ties. I would like to tell you something as a businessman. Business cannot make politicians and diplomats. Those who come out of business are businessman and for me, a successful business is that which satisfies both sides. It is not good that only one person is satisfied with the deal. If I want to sell you this chair and give you a price, you will buy the cheaper one should you manage to find it in the market. Then, you do not have to buy the one I’m telling you about. So, you can see everything relates to good quality and agreeable price.

You are still one of the senior managers of Energoinvest. Considering your time in Iran, do you have any plans to extend the activities of the company in Iran and the Middle East?

Yes. I really would like to. But I have to say that when I was the managing director, everything was very different form now. In 1995 and 1996, we established electricity stations in Iran, but now, many companies here can offer similar services. In that case, that is very difficult for us to compete with them.

Iran has made progress, but the potentials for cooperation are still on.

Yes, there are always potentials of the sort. First off, we can exchange our experiences. Another way is to cooperate with Iran in its projects. Until today, I have met many managers in this field and I suppose collaboration is possible.

Do you have any plans to arrange trips for Bosnians political or parliamentary committees to Iran?

Not yet, for we have too much to get to for our October election this year. I think such arrangements are a bit late for the current government, and perhaps the next will be more appropriate.

Before you came here, I held an interview just right here with the former ambassador of Bosnia. In his final days, he was very much interested in meeting Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani. Do you have any plans to meet with Iran’s officials?

Of course I do. I would like to thank you for your good will. I had met him back in 1994, but would be much happier if I can meet him once again now.

And now your final statement…

Thank you for all the time you allocated to this interview. I really enjoyed my time during the interview and am happy to know some would listen to my words. I am confident that you will display a fine picture of both me and my country which can contribute to the realization of the objectives between Iran and Bosnia.