Members of the Joint Collegium of both houses of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PABiH) received a delegation from the International Secretariat of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy

Members of the Joint Collegium of both houses of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PABiH) – Speaker of the House of Representatives Nebojša Radmanović, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Marinko Čavara, Deputy Speaker of the House of Peoples Dr Nikola Špirić, Delegate in the House of Peoples Zdenko Ćosić, on behalf of the Speaker of the House of Peoples Dr Dragan Čović, Member of the House of Representatives Ermina Salkičević – Dizdarević, on behalf of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Dr Denis Zvizdić, and Delegate in the House of Peoples Džemal Smajić, on behalf of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Peoples Kemal Ademović – received a delegation from the International Secretariat of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO) today, led by the Secretary of this multilateral parliamentary organization, Maximos Charakopoulos.

Expressing gratitude to the leadership of the PABiH for their hospitality and the excellent organization of the Autumn Meeting of the International Secretariat of the IAO, the members of the International Secretariat of the IAO delegation, which included Deputy Speaker of the Greek Parliament Athanasios Bouras, Member of the Cyprus Parliament Panikos Leonidou, and Member of the Serbian Parliament Aleksandar Čotrić, briefed the PABiH leadership on the activities of the IAO, an organization focused on promoting shared Christian values, as well as interparliamentary and interreligious dialogue and cooperation.

The members of the International Secretariat of the IAO delegation emphasized their strong support for Bosnia and Herzegovina's European path and stated that the countries of the Western Balkans are capable of strengthening the common European vision and European identity.

Wishing success in the further work of the IAO and its International Secretariat, the PABiH leadership assessed that the IAO represents a bridge among parliamentarians and religions, and an important factor in addressing the problems and challenges faced by the world. They expressed gratitude for the support of the IAO member states in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European integration process, highlighting that interfaith dialogue, respect, and tolerance are European values that Bosnia and Herzegovina aspires to.

The members of the IAO delegation accepted the invitation to participate once again in the international conference "Members of Parliaments and Religious Leaders for Peace and Coexistence", jointly organized by the PABiH and the Muslim World League, noting that the participation of IAO representatives in the first conference, held in February this year, was an exceptionally valuable experience in the mission of fostering better understanding and strengthening interreligious dialogue. (End)