Zapad i Istok u diplomatiji Alije Izetbegovića: Diplomatski susreti iz 1991. godine kao preduslov
West and East in the diplomacy of Alija Izetbegović: Diplomatic meetings from 1991 as a prerequisite

Author(s): Admir Lisica
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Political history, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), Post-Communist Transformation
Published by: Naučnoistraživački institut »Ibn Sina«
Keywords: Alija Izetbegović; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Diplomacy; East; West;
Summary/Abstract: The historical development of Bosnian-Herzegovinian diplomacy began significantly earlier than the declaration of independence of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its admission to the United Nations in 1992. By examining historical facts, it is clear that building a diplomatic network is a laborious and demanding task, which was often entrusted to individuals who, through their own connections, sought to build diplomatic networks worldwide. This paper will focus specifically on the diplomatic activities of Alija Izetbegović, the first President of the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Namely, in the period from 1991 to 1996, Izetbegović had a number of significant diplomatic meetings at the highest level with leaders from the West, but also with leaders from the East, which was extremely important for Bosnia and Herzegovina. The fact that Izetbegović met at the highest level on several occasions with the presidents of the USA, Iran, Arab states, and EU members, indicates a dynamic period of diplomacy at that time. The focus of the paper will be on 1991 and Izetbegović’s approach, and what the epilogue of such foreign policy activities was. In addition to the available literature, archival sources of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and institutions dealing with the legacy of Alija Izetbegović will be used. This paper does not aim to discuss in detail all of Izetbegović’s diplomatic talks and meetings from the latter period, which is impossible in the context of this kind of work, but rather aims to analyze certain important visits and examine their final impact in strengthening the international position of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the later period. Accordingly, the main assumption is that the diplomatic meetings from 1991 significantly shaped the foreign policy activities of Alija Izetbegović, as well as Bosnian-Herzegovinian diplomacy in the later period.

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