In 4 days in the US, more than 30 meetings, the only topic was the progress of the state of BiH

The candidate for the Bosniak member of the Presidency of BiH, dr. Mustafa Cerić, during his visit to the United States, held a series of meetings with American officials as well as BiH citizens living and working in the US, writes the BiH news agency Patria.

- During my visit to the US, I held several meetings with the Bosniak diaspora in New York, I had meetings with the Advisory Council for Bosnia and Herzegovina in Washington, then meetings with religious and political leaders of the Jewish community in the US, and I held consultations with the editorial board of the world-renowned magazine "The New York Times" regarding some foreign policy issues... I gave lectures at two universities, visited four research institutes, held several meetings with members of the US Congress, and concluded my visit to the US with meetings with officials from the State Department and BiH diplomatic representatives in Washington - said dr. Cerić.

In the four days spent in the US, he held more than 30 meetings, and at each one, there was only one topic - Bosnia and Herzegovina and the possibility of the country's progress.

Strengthening relations between BiH and the US

On the first day of my visit to the US, specifically in Washington, I met with the Advisory Council for BiH. With the Executive Director of the Council, Ajla Delkić, and members of the Council's Board of Directors, we discussed the Council's strategic activities in promoting the partnership between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the US.

Talks with Jews and renewing the lawsuit for genocide in Srebrenica

The very next day, in New York, I met with the leadership of the World Jewish Congress, specifically the Vice President for the US, Arthur Schneier.

We discussed the discrimination of the Jewish community in BiH. We both took the stance that the implementation of the "Sejdić-Finci" ruling and the adoption of amendments to the Dayton Peace Agreement must be a moral and political priority of the highest order.

We concluded that we must work together to remove the structural obstacles on BiH's path to the European Union and NATO, primarily the issue of equal rights for citizens in political processes in the country, as well as removing obstacles to BiH's entry into NATO, specifically the remaining registration of military assets.

That day, we also visited the Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation. On that occasion, I met with the leadership of this organization and its board of directors.

The strategy for implementing the National Program for Genocide Prevention in BiH was clearly presented. On that occasion, the importance of renewing the lawsuit against Serbia for aggression and genocide was established, all based on new evidence that BiH has against Serbia.

BiH still has two years to appeal the 2007 ruling. And for such a thing, there are certainly legal and moral grounds.

During my stay in New York, I returned the visit to the Carnegie Council on Ethics in International Relations, which was the organizer of a symposium in Sarajevo during the commemoration of the centenary of World War I. I continued the dialogue with dr. Joel Rosenthal on pressing ethical issues of today and defining common ethical goals between the US and BiH.

At the end of that day, I spoke with representatives of our diaspora.

A whole BiH, EU and NATO - the minimum below which Bosniaks will not go

I gave a lecture at Georgetown University in Washington, at the Center for Christian-Muslim Understanding.

That day, I also visited the New America Foundation and spoke with its president, Anne-Marie Slaughter. She was also recently an advisor to Secretary Hillary Clinton and director of the Office of Policy Planning at the State Department.

I also gave a lecture at the Woodrow Wilson Center.

During the day, I also had meetings and renewed long-standing friendships with members of the US Congress. Here too, I presented clear positions stating that maintaining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of BiH, and thus BiH's membership in NATO and the EU, are long-term and strategic goals of BiH policy and the minimum of Bosniak dignity below which one cannot go.

That day, I met with Congressmen Christopher Smith from the State of New Jersey, Robert Aderholt from Alabama, Rep. Trent Franks from Arizona, and Keith Ellison from Minnesota, all excellent connoisseurs of the BiH situation...

Smith is the chairman of the Friends of Bosnia Caucus in Congress, which has nearly 40 members, and is the recipient of the Srebrenica Award in 1995 for his long-standing commitment to promoting human rights and stopping the aggression in Bosnia and Croatia.

During these meetings, I also spoke with Stan Holmes, president of the Core Fellowship organization, which has been behind the well-known National Prayer Breakfast in the US Congress for 30 years, known as the strongest bipartisan club in the American Congress.

The bond between BiH and the US is unbreakable

During the last day of my stay in the US, I had a working meeting at the Catholic University where we agreed to launch an educational program for visits to Auschwitz and Srebrenica together with the academic staff of this prestigious institution.

I concluded my visit to the US with meetings at the State Department. We discussed the main challenges facing BiH: fiscal unsustainability, moral questionable issues, and the incompatibility of democratic values and human rights that are structurally violated by the Dayton Peace Agreement, and what reforms need to be urgently started.

Before leaving, I visited the BiH Diplomatic/Consular Mission in Washington and met with her Excellency the Ambassador Jadranka Negić.

Leaving behind over a million Americans of Bosniak origin, who are connected to BiH by interest or origin, my stance was reaffirmed that the US, its people, and political leadership are truly the homeland of many Bosnians and Herzegovinians, and that for this reason, as well as for the selfless engagement of the US in stopping the aggression and genocide in BiH, the lasting bond between these two friendly countries is unbreakable.