Ceremonial Session of the City Council: Elvir Karalić Awarded Individual, Obala Art Centar Collective April 6th Award

(Patria) - A ceremonial session of the Sarajevo City Council was held today in the Sarajevo City Hall on the occasion of April 6th, Sarajevo City Day.

It was attended by numerous representatives of the city administration and other state institutions in BiH, as well as delegations from friendly cities, the diplomatic corps and the international community, media, and other guests.

The attendees were addressed, and this significant date was congratulated to all citizens by the Chairman of the City Council, Alen Girt, and the Mayor of Sarajevo, Samir Avdić.

During the ceremony, the highest City awards were presented - this year's individual and collective April 6th Awards, as well as plaques and diplomas.

The individual April 6th Award for 2026 was presented to the founder of the humanitarian organization Pomozi.ba, Elvir Karalić, and the collective award to the Obala Art Centar Sarajevo Association for significant achievements in the field of culture and arts.

The recipients of the City Plaque are Dr. Claudia Zini, a proponent of Sarajevo's development as a space for cultural and international cooperation, and long-time journalist and documentarian Arijana Saračević Helać for her courage and professionalism in reporting not only during the war but also afterwards.



Her son, Adi Saračević, accepted the plaque as Arijana could not attend the session due to current health issues.

The Sarajevo Snowflake diploma was awarded to the young musical artist Omar Halilović.

Former US Senator Cynthia Jeanne Shaheen, a proponent of peace and cooperation in the Southeast European region, was proclaimed an Honorary Citizen of Sarajevo for 2025. She addressed the attendees of the ceremonial session in the City Hall via video link.

This recognition for 2025 is also intended for Matt Joseph, a proponent of broader cooperation between the cities of Dayton and Sarajevo, who also addressed the attendees via video link. He and Senator Shaheen will receive these honorary recognitions during their upcoming visits to the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

An Honorary Citizen of Sarajevo is also Eric Hauck, one of the foreign journalists who was among the first to report on the days of the siege of Sarajevo. Hauck attended this evening's ceremonial session, where the award was presented to him by Mayor Avdić.

A part of the ceremonial session was also dedicated to the recently deceased Bosnian-Herzegovinian pop artist Halid Bešlić, and one of his songs was performed during the cultural and artistic segment of the program.

Also, in honor of the unforgettable performer of sevdalinka songs, the late Safet Isović, a song dedicated to Sarajevo, which he immortalized with a superb performance, was performed.

The ceremonial session began with a tribute to all those who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of Sarajevo, an open city that can be a home for anyone who comes with pure intentions - as described by Mayor Avdić during his address to the guests this evening.



Avdić emphasized that April 6th is deeply etched into the being of every person who experiences Sarajevo as their city - it is a city that has learned patience over centuries, but not subservience.

The ceremonial session was opened by the Chairman of the City Council, Alen Girt, emphasizing, among other things, that Sarajevo today celebrates its past, but with a clear vision for the future, as a symbol of coexistence and prosperity.

Avdić and Girt presented the April 6th Awards and other recognitions to the recipients, and prior to that, the Chairwoman of the Committee for the Awarding of the "April 6th Award of the City of Sarajevo," Svjetlana Šošić, addressed the guests.

The April 6th Award of the City of Sarajevo is awarded to distinguished individuals, groups, and organizations as recognition for exceptional results and significant achievements in various fields of political and social life.