British Ambassador Field presented credentials to the BiH Presidency Chairman

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The newly appointed Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to Bosnia and Herzegovina, H.E. Matthew Field, today presented his credentials to the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, H.E. Bakir Izetbegović.

In his address, Ambassador Field emphasized that the commitment of the United Kingdom Government to Bosnia and Herzegovina is stronger than ever and that there is a partnership between these two countries based on mutual trust, sincerity, and practical cooperation.

- It is a great pleasure and privilege for me, on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, to assume the duties of British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The relations between our two countries are close and long-standing. It is a partnership based on mutual trust, sincerity, and practical cooperation. I was fortunate to come to this position after my dedicated and energetic predecessor, Edward Ferguson. The United Kingdom Government has worked hard to help this country prosper, including through the British-German Initiative. I will truly strive to continue building on these strong foundations.

The United Kingdom's commitment to Bosnia and Herzegovina has never been stronger. As announced at the Western Balkans Summit held in July in London, we will double our development assistance to the region, and thus to this country. We will continue to support your institutions, business leaders, judges, police officers, soldiers, teachers, and youth. In partnership with you, we are ready to do much more.

The fact that the citizens of the United Kingdom have decided to leave the European Union will change many things. However, this will in no way diminish the United Kingdom's support for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the achievement of its citizens' aspirations for Euro-Atlantic integration. Quite the contrary, Brexit will mean a greater, not lesser, presence of the United Kingdom here - Field said in his address.

Ambassador Field comes to this position with many years of experience working for the British Foreign Office. In his career, he has mainly been responsible for political affairs, whether bilateral relations with Brazil and Argentina or coordinating with the European Union on the Middle East peace process. He is well acquainted with the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region, as he previously worked as Head of the European Union Affairs and Policy Section at the British Embassy in Zagreb during Croatia's EU accession negotiation period, then as a Political Advisor in the European Union Mission in Skopje, and as Head of the Political Section at the Delegation of the European Union in BiH.