US Embassy and OSCE Mission in BiH Welcome Meeting of Religious Leaders in Herzegovina

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The Embassy of the United States of America to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina welcome the meeting of religious leaders in Herzegovina – Bishop of Mostar-Duvno Petar Palić, Mufti of Mostar Salem ef. Dedović, and Bishop of Zahumlje-Herzegovina and the Littoral Dimitrije. The US Embassy and the OSCE Mission to BiH recognize the role of religious communities in promoting peace, reconciliation, and mutual understanding.

Interreligious dialogue in Herzegovina will greatly benefit the City of Mostar and the entire country. We hope that today's meeting will be an introduction to many more fruitful discussions between the religious leaders of Mostar. Such joint meetings are a strong signal to the followers of these religions that it is worth working for peace and reconciliation. The United States and the OSCE Mission to BiH firmly believe that this is precisely the message needed by the citizens of Mostar and the whole of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The religious leaders of Herzegovina deserve praise for their courage, dialogue, and leadership efforts in reconciliation. We appeal to political leaders in Mostar and across BiH to work more often with religious leaders on resolving issues that are a problem for religious communities and the believers they represent.