Bosnia stands up again, defies world

A beautiful view of a mosque in downtown Sarajevo, Bosnia. (AN photo)

SARAJEVO: From destroyed buildings and bodies on roads, to spa resorts, cafes, restaurants, hotels and many others tourist facilities, Sarajevo smiles again with a new Bosnian generation who have begun carving out their future in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Most young Bosnian men and women did not themselves witness the war in 1990s, but are eager to make their homeland just like other European states.
Bosnia and and Herzegovina is a rapidly emerging country in the Balkan region, seeking to attract investors and tourists to explore business opportunities.
The Balkan country has awoken from a destructive war with a new soul brought on by a new generation — many of whom lost their parents in the genocidal crimes committed by Serbian forces in the not-so-distant past.
Following a number of violent incidents in early 1992, the Bosnian War is commonly viewed as having started on April 6, 1992 and ended on December 14, 1995.
This conflict was part of the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. Following the Slovenian and Croatian secessions from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1991, the multi-ethnic Socialist Republic of Bosnia and and Herzegovina, which was inhabited mainly by Muslims Bosnians (44 percent), as well as Orthodox Serbs (32.5 percent) and Catholic Croats (17 percent), passed a referendum for independence on Feb. 29, 1992.
During the war, the Arab and Muslim world watched on with horror as images of slaughtered Bosnian Muslims filtered through international media. The whole Muslim nation announced its solidarity with their Bosnian Muslim brothers and sisters as a result, and major Arab and Islamic countries, especially Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE and Pakistan strongly supported the Bosnian people.
The war was brought to an end after the signing of the Dayton Accords in 1995. By and large, Serbian forces were accused of responsibility for 90 percent of crimes in the region, with the Srebrenica massacre remembered as one of the worst genocide crimes committed in modern history.
These youths confirmed their desire to look forward and to build their country. They said that all Bosnian people are now simply trying to put the war behind them and start re-building the country.
Amina Mustafice, a student at University of Sarajevo, told Arab News that Bosnian people do not like to discuss the history of the war in their country, but added that the Internet helps the new generation to know the history of what happened during the 1990s. It is important to know the history of the county and to draw a new map for the future.
However, Ahmed Abdul Rahman, an economic faculty student at the University of Sarajevo, thinks that the country has just started growing and has countless investment opportunities. He noted, however, that there are few investors who are actually coming to invest their money in the tourism sector.
“Bosnia and and Herzegovina received a particular kind of reputation as result of the war in 1990s. Now, few people in the world even remember that this country exists! Without the media, we cannot attract foreign investors and tourists. I am sure that my home could be one of the most advanced countries in Europe, but it is important to create a sense of awareness within the media to inform the world that we are still here,” he added.
In the 2000s, the Bosnian government took a series of measures to attract increased foreign direct investment (FDI), which resulted in a record amount of FDI in 2007, totalling EUR 1.5 billion in 2007 (14 percent of the country’s GDP). However, the economic crisis of 2008 led to a drop in FDI influx so that in 2010, FDI reached only EUR 174 million.
Since then the situation has improved; in 2014, FDI reached EUR 284 million and preliminary data for 2015 indicates further improvements.
Overall, the countries that invest the most in Bosnia are Serbia, Austria, the UK and Switzerland. The sectors that attract the most foreign investment are the manufacturing, banking and telecommunications sectors, although a significant portion of FDI is invested in trade, financial services and other services sectors.
Bosnia ranks 79th (out of 189 economies) in the World Bank’s 2016 ‘Doing Business’ report, an upgrade of three positions over the previous year, mainly due to improvements in obtaining broad electricity coverage and enforcing contracts.
Nonetheless, foreign investors still have to deal with problems like the non-transparency of procedures and weak judicial structures, as well as the dual nature of the state, according to Santander Trade Portal.
“Sarajevo could be a pioneering cities in the tourism secure. Mountains, green areas, rivers, forests and bridges decorate the whole country; it would be easy to create facilities to attract tourists. One of the best projects could be found in the country’s spa resorts. This kind of the business activity will bring a high number of foreign visitors who are hoping to relax — and Sarajevo can realize their needs!” Hasina Bigovitc, a cafe owner in Sarajevo said.
Despite the Islamic heritage in Bosnia and Herzegovina, you might be surprised to find that the western lifestyle imposes itself among the new Bosnian generation in Sarajevo. Most young men and women speak English along with a number of other European languages.
Western shops and cafes have taken over the streets of Sarajevo, and you will see many Bosnian women wearing western designs, for example. Bosnian men also try to imitate their counterparts in other western countries.
However, several mosques with Islamic style minarets are still in existence, and you can clearly hear the voice of the prayers calls coming from the old mosques.
This year, the European Union accepted Bosnia’s membership application and ordered the bloc’s executive leadership to prepare an assessment of the Balkan country’s readiness to join the union. However, there is talk that the EU’s political, economic and social tendencies could play a negative role in allowing Bosnia to join the union, which previously rejected Turkey’s request to join.
Goran Milice, director of news and programming at Al-Jazeera Balkans, told Arab News that Bosnians will not easily forget the war, but at the same time, they are not willing to reopen the wounds that were the result of the past conflict. As such, they remain cautious in dealing with their history and are keen to move forward to become one of the most rapidly developing countries in the world.