Novi Grad Sarajevo Municipality and Palestinian Jericho Sign Cooperation Agreement

(Patria) - Mayor of Novi Grad Sarajevo Municipality Semir Efendić today signed an agreement on mutual cooperation between the two municipalities with the mayor of the Palestinian city of Jericho, Abdul Karim Seder.

Mayor Efendić, on his own behalf and on behalf of the Municipality and the Municipal Council, welcomed friends from Jericho, Palestine.



He added that the Municipality cooperates with several municipalities in the region, as well as in Europe, and some in Asia, Turkey and Azerbaijan, and that this is the first time it is establishing cooperation with a municipality from Palestine.

Efendić announced that in the municipal budget for the next year, he will propose an item to support cooperation, through infrastructure projects or student scholarships, and if space allows, also for student exchanges and return visits.



- This is the first time we are establishing cooperation with a municipality from Palestine and we are truly very pleased. We are well aware of the difficult situation in Palestine, which was difficult even when the aggression and genocide were taking place in Bosnia and Herzegovina - said Efendić.

He recalled that Bosnia and Herzegovina recognized Palestine as a state long ago, during the time when Alija Izetbegović was the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while some countries are only doing so today, and that the realization of that recognition, among other things, implies concrete cooperation between local communities.



- We are witnesses to the most brutal genocide in Gaza over the last two years, which has brought the issue of the Palestinian state back into the public focus.

We cannot do much, but signing this agreement will create a formal-legal framework for cooperation and support for everyone from the Novi Grad Municipality who would like to have direct communication with the state of Palestine.

Any aid can be realized directly, with our colleagues from the local self-government, so in my opinion this agreement is very important - said Mayor Efendić.



On this occasion, he thanked the Palestinian community in Sarajevo and Elma Lindov, Deputy Chairperson of the Novi Grad Municipal Council, who worked on and prepared these activities so that our guests could come when we celebrate the Municipality Day - December 16.

- With their presence, they have brightened the end of our year, and by simply attending our Ceremonial Academy, which will be held tomorrow in the multimedia hall of the Municipality starting at 5 PM - added Efendić.

The mayor of the Palestinian city of Jericho, Abdul Karim Seder, emphasized the significance of the signed agreement, noting that they have so far signed about 20 agreements with cities from around the world. These agreements are reflected in the exchange of students, knowledge, and the organization of return visits.



- But the most important thing for us is to tell the world what is happening to us and what the Israeli army is doing to us - said Karim Seder.

He recalls that in 1998 they were supposed to get a Palestinian state, but they never got anything, and that the Israeli army controls all borders and has set up checkpoints between cities.

- The genocide is happening in Gaza, but it is also happening to us in the West Bank. They kill, shoot, rob and arrest us, but all this is shown less on social media - says Karim Seder.



The signing of the agreement was also attended by the Deputy Chairperson of the Novi Grad Municipal Council, Elma Lindov, who was the initiator and organizer of establishing this cooperation.

- It is truly a great honor and sincere pleasure for me to sit here before you today on the occasion of a significant moment for the Novi Grad Sarajevo Municipality.

It is a special privilege for me, as Deputy Chairperson of the Novi Grad Municipal Council, to have been the initiator and organizer of establishing this twinning cooperation between our Municipality and the oldest city in the world, Jericho.



This is a message of solidarity, friendship, support and hope. This process lasted almost a year and was filled with dedication, patience, open communication and mutual understanding.

With today's day, that effort gains its full meaning. Today we can proudly say that the Novi Grad Sarajevo Municipality becomes a partner to a city whose history, culture and symbolism transcend time, borders and political circumstances - added Lindov.

The President of the Palestinian Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Majed Maarouf, said that this day means a lot to him, and that this is the second agreement signed in Bosnia and Herzegovina (the first being the one between Srebrenik and the Palestinian Dura).



- The aggression on Gaza is still ongoing, but in the West Bank where Jericho is located, a silent genocide is being carried out. They are still driving people from the West Bank to Jordan, in order to empty the territory of Palestine. But the Palestinian people have survived and, with the help of friends, will survive - concluded Maarouf.