Two leading Coventry councillors represented the city at the West Midlands’ celebrations for Bosnia and Herzegovina Statehood Day.
The day is marked every year to mark the moment when Bosnia and Herzegovina was recognised as a unified and indivisible state, with equality for all its people. It is a day that celebrates the resilience, identity, and shared commitment to a better future – for the country and its people.
Cllr Abdul Salam Khan, Deputy Leader of Coventry City Council, and Cllr Dr Lynette Kelly, who previously worked for the Council as a Bosnian Refugee Resettlement Officer, attended on behalf of Coventry.
They joined leaders from around the region, along with the Chair of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zeljko Komsic, and Honorary Consul of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the Midlands, Anes Ceric.
Mr Komsic said the friendship the United Kingdom has shown toward the country is permanently inscribed in the collective memory of its people, and thanked the Bosnia and Herzegovina UK Network Association and the Remembering Srebrenica, organisation for all they do for the country.
He told guests the day carries deep historical, identity-related, and emotional significance for all citizens, and symbolises the tradition of multiethnicity and unity, and thanked the people of the UK for their long-standing support of people from Bosnia and Herzegovina who found refuge, safety, and the opportunity for a new beginning in this country.
Coventry is twinned with Sarajevo, the capital of the country, and holds an annual event to mark the Srebrenica Genocide during the Bosnian War, when more than 8,000, mainly Bosnian Muslim, men and boys were killed, Countless women were raped and over 25,000 people were forced from the area, suffering terrible abuse.
The city has a strong Bosnia and Herzegovina community that plays an active part in city life and its work as a city of peace and reconciliation.
Cllr Khan said: “Coventry has long-standing ties with the country and people of Bosnia and Herzegovina and we were honoured to represent the city on such an important day for so many.
“Our Bosnia and Herzegovina community and the Remembering Srebrenica charity do so much to spread a message of peace and reconciliation and help us learn from the tragedies of the past, and the day itself encourages us all to honour the ideals of multiculturalism and unity – messages so dear to our city’s heart.”
Cllr Kelly added: “The people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, sadly like so many around the world, have endured so much. This day is a symbol of new beginnings and fresh hope for a united and peaceful future.
“Coventry is very proud of our friendship, and we promise to continue to work with those who have forged new lives in our city, and those in their homeland, to build a better future for all.”
The event was held at the newly restored Bosnian House in Birmingham, which has become a symbol of friendship, solidarity, and humanity in the city.