On September 22nd, 2024, during the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH) Minister of Foreign Affairs, Elmedin Konakovic, met with Qatar’s State Minister for International Cooperation, Lolwah Rashid Mohammed Al-Khater.
Konakovic expressed hope that the excellent political relations between these countries would be appropriately reflected in their economic relations. He emphasized that BiH and Qatar should work on enhancing economic ties and increasing trade exchange, noting significant potential for investments in energy, tourism, the production of organic and halal food, as well as in infrastructure and the defense industry.
The Qatari minister thanked BiH for voting in the UN in favor of all resolutions supporting the Palestinian people, including the most recent one calling on Israel to end the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories within a year. Minister Al-Khater also highlighted Qatar’s interest in tourism cooperation and expressed a desire for Qatar Airways to establish a year-round direct flight due to the large number of tourists from Qatar visiting BiH.
Konakovic emphasized that BiH places great importance on maintaining good relations with Qatar and announced plans for an official visit to Qatar in the near future. He also expressed gratitude for the official invitation to participate in the “Doha Forum,” which will take place on December 7th and 8th, 2024, in Doha.
Konakovic and Al-Khater discussed the situation in Palestine and the ongoing armed conflicts, exploring the possibilities for concrete negotiations that could lead to an end to the hostilities.
Konakovic expressed gratitude for Qatar’s assistance in evacuating citizens of BiH and their family members from the Gaza Strip following the outbreak of conflict in October 2023, when 41 people were successfully evacuated from Gaza via Cairo to Sarajevo, N1 writes.
Photo: MFA BiH
E.Dz.
