The Mayor of Sarajevo, Samir Avdić, presented the award “Honorary Citizen of the City of Sarajevo” to the American local official Matt Joseph, as a sign of gratitude for his many years of engagement and exceptional contribution to strengthening friendly ties between Sarajevo and Dayton.
Mayor Avdić and his colleagues described today as particularly important, because of the opportunity to host long-time friend of Sarajevo Matt Joseph, a man who has been serving as a councilor in Dayton for the sixth term, the city where the historic peace agreement in Bosnia and Herzegovina was signed.
Avdić stressed the importance of the ceremonial act of presenting the Plaque ‘Honorary Citizen of the City of Sarajevo’, which, he said, Matt Joseph deserves. He says that this man, since participating in the work of the City Council of the City of Dayton, has not missed an opportunity to do good things for Sarajevo, maintains contacts for Sarajevo, regardless of who is in the Administration and who was the mayor.
“I congratulate Matt, on behalf of the City Administration, my colleagues and all the citizens of Sarajevo, for everything you have done for our city and for a good and quality brotherly relationship between Dayton and Sarajevo,” said Avdić, in a statement to journalists.
As he said, during his term as mayor together with his colleagues, deputies and the entire staff, Matt participated primarily in student exchange initiatives, cooperation in the field of culture and other areas.
“Dayton is not a big city, but a historic agreement was signed in that city, which brought peace to Bosnia and Herzegovina. And all his activities, at least during my mandate, were aimed at mutual cooperation,” said the mayor of Sarajevo. He highlights the concerts of the Sarajevo Philharmonic in Dayton, last year with the initiative of Matt Joseph and the initiative of Congressman Mike Turner, as well as the cooperation of the University of Sarajevo with the University of Dayton and other higher education institutions.
Matt Joseph said that this recognition is one of the most significant, which he has received in more than 25 years of public service, and that it has a special meaning for him.
He pointed out that, in addition to daily care for the citizens of Dayton and the functioning of the city, one of his long-term priorities was building and nurturing strong ties with Sarajevo. He praised the cooperation he achieved with the current and previous convocations of the Sarajevo City Administration, assessing that their openness and willingness to work together contributed to the strengthening of relations and the development of Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina. He added that it was an honor for him to be declared an honorary citizen of Sarajevo.
He pointed out that the cooperation between Dayton and Sarajevo, during the past years, included a wide range of joint activities – from planning water supply systems and student exchanges to meetings of mayors and exchange of experiences on the functioning of local administration.
“We did not focus on great diplomacy, but on practical matters, how local administration works, how we can exchange experiences and learn from each other,” he said.
He particularly singled out the importance of involving young people through exchange programs, emphasizing that in this way a new generation of leaders is built and the spirit of hope and new opportunities is strengthened. He assessed that openness to dialogue, willingness to try new ideas and joint search for solutions are the key reasons for a successful and long-term partnership between the two cities.
The City Council of the City of Sarajevo adopted, at its session in October 2025, the Decision on awarding this high recognition to Matt Joseph, as a sign of gratitude for his many years of engagement and exceptional contribution to strengthening friendly ties between Sarajevo and Dayton, Fena writes.
