The Prime Minister of the Canton Sarajevo (CS), Edin Forto, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Open Administration of the Government of Catalonia, Victoria Alsina–Burgues, signed documents yesterday envisaging continued intensive cooperation in various fields, including a possible joint candidacy for the 2030 Winter Olympics, which, according to Prime Minister Forto, would return Sarajevo to the Olympic map of the world.
”As not much has happened in the past period, the CS Government has decided to intensify activities in two fields. The first is the Olympic candidacy of Barcelona, which would include Sarajevo, especially when it comes to the bobsled track and competitions that would be held there. The potential for this candidacy is great, and if it happens, in 2030, athletes from all over the world would come to the Olympics in Sarajevo. That would contribute to the return of Sarajevo to the Olympic map of the world,” Forto emphasized.
Minister Alsina-Burgues expressed satisfaction with the cooperation, emphasizing that this is a year in which numerous important events are being marked, including the 30th anniversary of the siege of Sarajevo, but also the friendship between Catalonia and Sarajevo.
”Our friendship is very well known among the inhabitants of our regions. Catalonia vividly remembers the horrors of the war here and the solidarity with the civilians of Sarajevo. We also remember the Catalan journalist Jordi Pujol Puente who was the first foreign journalist killed in that period here. Catalonia and Sarajevo have been united in the past and will be in the future, especially when it comes to the Olympic Games. We perceive Sarajevo as a truly living city in the historical, cultural, and political sense and we consider it the great capital of Europe,”Alsina-Burgues pointed out.
In her address, she stated that Catalonia also operates at the regional level and that it has representative offices in 63 international networks.
”We are focused on the Mediterranean and European perspective, when it comes to cooperation, as well as partnerships between the private and public sectors, and strengthening bilateral relations with regional institutions with which we have common interests,” she added.
As she pointed out, the Program of Work with the Government of CS signed yesterday is a step further in cooperation.
”One of the focuses of the work is the development of better public policies and the development of good experiences. We have the opportunity to cooperate in various fields, and I would like to single out research in health care and strengthening cultural cooperation, especially in our theaters and history museums, as well as the organization of various exhibitions. Cooperation in the field of sports is also planned. We will continue to work on Olympic projects and other forms of cooperation in sports, and above all the promotion of the professionalization of women’s football. “Faster, more, stronger, and together” are the words I would use to describe the essence of our future cooperation,” concluded Minister Alsina–Burgues, BHRT writes.
