They say that cities are not just buildings and streets, but people and the ideas that drive them. From August 13 to 15, Sarajevo will host the Sarajevo Mayors Summit 2026, which will bring together the mayors of the capital cities of the region and wider representatives of the European Union, OSCE and other international organizations in the City Hall. Under the motto ‘From Sarajevo to the Future’, they will discuss the role of capital cities, strengthening sustainable development, peace, dialogue, multiculturalism, green and digital transition, and strengthening regional cooperation. The mayor of Sarajevo, Samir Avdić, spoke in an FTV interview about what this meeting will mean for Sarajevo and what benefits it will bring to its citizens.
Avdić pointed out that the preparations for the international gathering started back in March, and that the goal from the very beginning was to organize an event of regional and European significance. Although some mayors, such as those from Vienna and Skopje, will not attend due to their earlier commitments, he emphasizes that Sarajevo managed to gather a significant number of city leaders from the region and beyond.
Speaking about the concept of the summit, Avdić said that the focus will be on sustainable development, climate change, green policies and the exchange of good practices between cities, but also the issue of peace and multiculturalism as the basis of future cooperation.
“Respecting the other and the different must be an absolute priority.”
According to him, Sarajevo should and wants to be a place of dialogue between cities that jointly seek answers to the challenges of modern urban development.
He attaches special importance to cooperation with Zagreb and Ljubljana, whose experiences he sees as a valuable model for projects that Sarajevo is already developing. As an example, he singles out the “Clean Miljacka River” initiative, for which Ljubljana offered professional support through the experiences of the Ljubljanica restoration.
“I think that we can learn and take over a lot from Zagreb and Ljubljana, especially when our project, which we started slowly and systematically, is to do the ‘Clean Miljacka River’.”
Avdić believes that one of the most important results of the summit will be the Sarajevo Declaration 2026, which, apart from a symbolic political message, will open up space for long-term cooperation between the cities.
“Cities have to think about their future. The most important thing is that we have a common consensus, especially when it comes to peace and stability,” Avdić said.
He adds that cooperation between cities already exists, and that the summit will represent a new starting point for the realization of joint projects and the implementation of agreed conclusions.
When asked about the absence of Belgrade and Skopje from the list of participants, the mayor said that the invitations were duly sent to both capitals. For Skopje, he says, he received an explanation about the mayor’s urgent obligations, while the answer from Belgrade remained a general reference to other obligations.
“Everyone is responsible for their own actions and they are always welcome, that’s my position,” said the mayor.
He emphasized that city diplomacy should be as independent as possible from interstate political relations and that Sarajevo invites all the cities of the region without political calculations.
When it comes to finances, Avdić confirmed that the entire organization will be financed from the budget of the City of Sarajevo, for which approximately 120,000 KM is planned, but he expects that the final costs will be lower than the estimated amount.
“This is an event that has multiple significance. We can freely consider it as a certain investment.”
Speaking about the challenges of Sarajevo, he recalled the problem of air pollution and traffic jams, emphasizing that the city, despite the specific configuration of the terrain, can learn a lot from other European capitals. He believes that the improvement of public transport has already produced results, but that citizens should use trams and buses more in order to improve the quality of life.
As the project with the greatest potential for European funding, he once again singled out the ‘Clean River Miljacka’, on which the city services are already working intensively through a joint approach to urbanism and sustainable development.
At the end of the conversation, Avdić said that the success of the summit will be measured above all by the quality of established partnerships and the reputation that Sarajevo enjoys among European cities.
“The response of the mayor who will be at the summit shows enough the respect that the City of Sarajevo has. It is very important that when we represent our Sarajians and all Bosnians and Herzegovinans, we do it in a dignified way with a great deal of integrity,” he concluded.
