Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad and African Affairs, Mr. Ahmed Attaf, on Monday highlighted the shared historical legacy linking Algeria and Bosnia and Herzegovina, stressing both sides’ aspiration to elevate bilateral relations in a manner that serves the interests of both countries and peoples.
In a press statement following his meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Elmedin Konaković, who is on an official visit to Algeria, Mr. Attaf said discussions focused on the “promising prospects for bilateral cooperation in several vital sectors, including energy, mining, industry, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, as well as start-ups.”
Addressing his Bosnian counterpart, Mr. Attaf said: “I would like to reaffirm, Your Excellency Minister and dear brother, our aspiration to continue and intensify our joint efforts with you in order to transform these promising prospects into practical projects that benefit our two friendly countries and contribute to raising our bilateral relations to the level befitting the richness of their heritage and the solidity of their foundations.”
Regarding Mr. Konaković’s official visit to Algeria, Mr. Attaf described it as “an important milestone in strengthening the distinguished and promising ties uniting the two countries and their friendly peoples,” noting that its timing carries “special significance, as it coincides with the 34th anniversary of Algeria’s recognition of the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina on April 24, 1992.”
He pointed out that “this coincidence reminds us of a number of historical facts of which we are deeply proud, as Algeria was among the first countries to recognize Bosnia and Herzegovina only days after its declaration of independence, even before its accession to the United Nations in May of the same year.” He added that relations between the two friendly peoples go back much further than the establishment of diplomatic ties.
The Minister of State further noted that “our shared memory preserves in its finest records the valuable support our glorious liberation revolution received from our friends in Bosnia and Herzegovina, just as it did from the friendly peoples of the former Yugoslav republics.”
In this context, he highlighted another historical fact in bilateral relations, namely “a noble and honorable gesture shown by a personality of Bosnian origin whose favor and kindness we shall never forget: the late Milan Basic, who insisted on captaining the ship Dina, which in March 1955 carried a major shipment of weapons, ammunition and military equipment for the Algerian Revolution, at what was undoubtedly a decisive stage in the history of our immortal revolution.”
Mr. Attaf stated that “this shared historical legacy deserves from us today all gratitude and appreciation as we move forward in exploring opportunities for cooperation and partnership between our two friendly countries in all areas of mutual and tangible benefit.”
He added that the responsibility now falling upon the governments of both countries lies primarily in creating the legal and regulatory framework necessary for the growth of bilateral cooperation, through focusing efforts on three main levels.
The first is the diplomatic and institutional level. In this regard, he said: “We look forward to welcoming the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Algeria after our country opened its embassy in Sarajevo in 2022.”
He also stressed the urgent need to establish a joint governmental committee to organize cooperation relations and define priorities, as well as a joint business council to frame interaction between economic operators in both countries, in addition to activating the mechanism of political consultations between the two states, which he described as a necessity in today’s highly unstable and volatile international climate.
At the legal level, he said efforts should focus on enriching the framework governing bilateral relations through accelerating negotiations on agreements under consideration and proposing new legal texts in areas of current mutual interest.
Mr. Attaf underlined the importance of the agreement signed on Monday aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two countries in diplomatic training.
The third and final level is the human dimension, which he said deserves full attention in order to promote shared historical and cultural ties and strengthen cooperation in areas that enhance rapprochement between the two peoples, such as higher education, tourism, media, archives, and twinning programs between local authorities in both countries.
On multilateral international cooperation, Mr. Attaf expressed to his Bosnian counterpart satisfaction with the level of coordination and mutual support between the two countries in their various international forums, foremost among them the United Nations and its principal organs and bodies.
During the meeting, the two sides also exchanged views on major issues of concern to both countries and the international community at regional and global levels, including developments in the crises affecting the Middle East and the Gulf, as well as the war in Ukraine.
Mr. Attaf noted that both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Algeria belong to two geopolitical spaces—the Balkans and the Sahel—which have historically paid a heavy price for divisions, insecurity and instability, and are striving with all available means to contribute to peace and stability in their respective regions.
From this perspective, he reaffirmed Algeria’s support for the stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its backing for the country’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, a position that “Algeria consistently defended during its recent membership in the UN Security Council with conviction and steadfastness.”
For his part, the Foreign Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina praised the “strong historical ties” linking the two countries, recalling that “the former Yugoslavia strongly supported Algeria’s independence, and Algeria was among the first countries to recognize the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
Mr. Konaković described Algeria as a “key partner” in North Africa and an “important gateway” for expansion toward African markets.
He continued: “Today, we reaffirm our readiness to transform this traditional friendship into a strategic partnership based on the economy. Not only that, but I believe we can together improve our economic relations in our respective regions.”
He added that the memorandum of understanding signed on Monday between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Institute of Diplomacy and International Relations of Algeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs “will strengthen cooperation in diplomatic training and the exchange of knowledge and expertise, thereby contributing to the development of relations between the two countries.”
