“Francophone Day” will be marked in Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Mostar and Tuzla from 15-30 March. Yesterday in Sarajevo the National Francophone Coordinator in BiH Željko Jerkić held a meeting with the Ambassadors of Romania, France, Greece, Switzerland, and Egypt to BiH.
At the meeting they highlighted the importance of francophone culture in the world, as well as the relationship of BiH towards francophone culture, since it became a member of the International Organization for Francophonie (OIF) in October 2010.
“Francophonie offers a wealth of diversity, which does not entail only the French language but also economy, politics…With this quality francophonie in BiH gives an added value, which is also a country full of diversity and we wish to be an element of connection and to contribute to the development of dialogue, reconciliation and building bridges of cooperation’’, said Jerkić.
Romania currently chairs the International Organization for Francophonie. The Romanian Ambassador to BiH Filip Teodorescu said that diversity is a word that combines the Balkan nations and that it is an inexhaustible source that is necessary in Europe.
One of the goals of Francophonie is to promote human rights. In his speech the French Ambassador to BiH Roland Gilles said that BiH declared its protection for human rights by becoming a member of the International Organization for Francophonie.
“In this I see another reason to reach a political agreement tied to human rights, more specifically the “Sejdić-Finci” ruling. The lack of a compromise would be a disaster for BiH citizens and it would be illusional to talk about the European path of BiH for a long while’’, said Gilles.
