Ingenuity and Investment
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I was particularly pleased to accept Minister Alkalaj’s invitation to take part in this gathering because as a professional diplomat I feel at home among you and as a professional diplomat whose career has been directly connected to the fortunes of Bosnia and Herzegovina perhaps I will be able to offer some insights on strategic and practical challenges faced by ambassadors and heads of mission representing this country around the world.
Small Can Be Beautiful
One thing on which we can all agree, I think, is that the job of representing
The resources available to BiH ambassadors are modest. There are sound financial reasons for this. It’s worth remembering, too, that resources available to ambassadors from small countries are generally modest – I know, because I’m also from a small country.
However, some small countries have been able to leverage the advantages that come from modest size into substantial influence in international relations.
It can be done.
And I believe it can also be done by
This isn’t to pretend that BiH diplomats aren’t hamstrung by severe practical constraints, but to argue that the constraints can be overcome, or at least circumvented. At the same time, I can assure you that the International Community will continue to lobby strenuously in order to ensure that the Foreign Ministry and other State institutions are properly resourced. But even as the key issue of resources is being addressed, the work of the Foreign Ministry has to continue and that requires creativity.
Ingenuity and Investment
One of the many things that impressed me when I came here immediately after the war was the ingenuity that seems to be woven into the fabric of BiH society. In the most difficult circumstances people found – and still find – remarkably inventive solutions. It is ingenuity in diplomacy that allows small countries to compete with large ones.
But this only works if it goes hand in hand with good organization.
Perhaps the area of investment promotion offers a good example of this.
Why has this not been translated into desperately needed jobs in villages and towns across the country?
In my view, at least part of the answer lies in a lack of organization – and among those who must address this are the responsible staff in international missions.
BiH embassies are not properly connected to the municipal offices through which investment can be turned into new jobs on the ground.
Making this connection doesn’t require money or other scarce resources.
It simply requires organization. The embassies need up-to-date data on investment opportunities in
This is considerably less glamorous than, for example, tackling the issue of
Let’s say I am an Austrian with ten million marks to spend – (well, the part about being an Austrian is true!) – and I’m thinking about putting my ten million into a new business in rural
You should have this information, and with proper liaison among the Foreign Ministry, FIPA, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and the municipalities, this information could be collated and supplied, and regularly updated.
Not a matter of resources but a matter of organization. Not a matter of international prestige or recognition, but a matter of creating new jobs in
Reflecting a Complex Political Reality
It may be that the practical challenges of representing
All of us understand the particular difficulty of reflecting the aspirations and demands of a political system as fractious as this country’s. Indeed, as High Representative and EU Special Representative I have several times found myself making the case for Bosnia and Herzegovina at an international forum while political representatives of the country have publicly squabbled at the very same forum.
This makes my job difficult – I can understand how hard it must make the job of ambassador or head of mission.
But it does not make the job impossible.
In the final analysis, the ambassador represents the country not a particular part of its political establishment, and if necessary the ambassador has to represent the country despite the political establishment.
The French dramatist, Corneille, famously remarked that, “He who plays advisor is no longer ambassador.”
Well, I think Corneille was wrong (and, interestingly, in political terms Corneille is perhaps best remembered for his insubordination to Cardinal Richelieu, his political master.)
I believe that BiH ambassadors must be advisors – they must advocate as well as implement policy and the reason for this is that they understand
Two things perhaps illustrate this point.
The first is the extraordinary performance of the BiH negotiating team in the run up to the signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement. The diplomats completed their work more than a year before the politicians completed theirs, even though the time difference could have been – and should have been – a matter of weeks. The diplomatic establishment completed its tasks efficiently, creatively and in a timely way. The political establishment squabbled and backtracked.
The second example concerns the visa regime. We have, as everyone is bitterly aware, just experienced a major set-back – but it should be stressed that it was the effective manner in which BiH representatives in Brussels and in European capitals lobbied for the country to be moved to the Schengen White List that prompted the EU to agree the terms of the Visa Liberalisation Roadmap in the first place. It was the politicians, not the diplomats, who were unable to implement the Roadmap requirements.
On this issue, happily, we have witnessed an encouraging political response to the set-back: with the recent passage of four laws related to visa liberalization which had previously failed in the parliamentary assembly, we saw evidence that BiH political representatives can work out their differences.
On visa liberalization and other elements of the EU integration agenda the international community will continue to support positive and progressive political forces, and that should make the lives of BiH diplomats considerably easier.
I have launched, together with the European Commission, a process of sustained and focused dialogue with State and Entity authorities designed to facilitate steps that will take the country closer to
See, Know, Believe, and Be Undeceived
There is another quotation from Corneille that can be usefully applied in diplomacy. It is this: “I see, I know, I believe, I am undeceived.”
I see – I see that some of
I know: I know that in
This is not ideal, but it’s a fact of life and we have to deal with it.
As a diplomat I have often found that the best way to solve a problem is to shine a light on it. If an individual or a group of individuals is vigorously opposing a policy to which all are publicly committed, let’s let everyone know about this opposition and let’s let everyone know what’s behind it.
The phenomenon is not unique to
Privatisation and free trade, for example, are dirty words in
This is the principle that underpins the prosperity of the European Union, and it is this principle that underpins the economic regeneration of Southeast Europe being orchestrated by the Regional Cooperation Council – which as many BiH citizens may not know has its headquarters in
Privatisation and free trade will bring new industries, new companies, new jobs and new possibilities to this country. That is what it has done elsewhere on the continent. How do you protect domestic industries? By making them more competitive, not by shielding them from competition – and, believe me, we tried that in
But this is a two-way street. BiH producers are right to complain when they are asked to compete against imports while their own products do not enjoy a level playing field in foreign markets – and this is clearly an area where the Foreign Ministry and Ministry of Foreign Trade must set in motion a politically-backed, properly organized and focused campaign. The bottom line is this – it isn’t BiH consumers who should be urged to buy Bosnian, but consumers in BiH’s natural export markets who should be urged (and able) to buy Bosnian.
I believe. I believe in
But I chose instead to accept a job that, of its nature, has no security of tenure, where instead of following the clearly prescribed strategy of my own Foreign Ministry I have to decipher the shape of an evolving supranational strategy, and where my living quarters are comfortable – but not palatial.
I chose the second option because I believe that
I believe the OHR and the EUSR, working with
I believe in
It may be presumptuous to say this, but I think this belief should constitute the principal motivation of every member of staff in every one of this country’s diplomatic missions.
Not only will
How will a seat on the UN Security-Council raise living standards in BiH?
Let me conclude with two topical issues.
The first concerns the possibility of
I believe this would represent a further important step in the country’s resumption of full sovereignty, and I will do whatever I can to support the initiative.
But while securing a Security Council seat would be an important diplomatic coup that would raise the international profile of
And why shouldn’t they?
Citizens will rightly ask: how many jobs will this create in
There are good answers to these questions – not the least of which is that a higher international profile will mean more investment which in turn will mean more jobs – but let’s be honest: that’s not an argument that will cut much ice with people who have been promised jobs for a decade and watched the promise broken year after year.
So at the same time that I lend my support to the effort to secure a Security Council seat for Bosnia and Herzegovina I will advocate a closer and more productive connection between the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Trade, FIPA and the municipalities – so that diplomacy can start delivering material benefits – in the form of investment and jobs – sooner rather than later.
Let me also mention, here, that to secure a successful participation in the Security Council, BiH will not only need to be able to formulate a unified position on key issues at the political level (BiH Presidency), but give itself the means to carry it out at the ‘technical’/diplomatic level. In other words, your Representation (UN) needs an adequate staffing and funding to carry out this demanding task.
Europe , NATO and the Future
The second topical issue is the EU integration agenda over the next six months or so. Before the end of 2009, this project requires an orchestrated and highly demanding series of diplomatic steps. As I mentioned earlier, we are starting to see a serious political response to the task of fulfilling the remaining tasks on the Visa Liberalization Roadmap. As you know, not only did BiH politicians lose credibility domestically as a result of their failure to take necessary steps in time to have visa restrictions lifted at the end of this year, the country as a whole lost credibility internationally. Over the last two or three months there has been a spate of negative reporting on Bosnia and Herzegovina, highlighting political gridlock, the re-emergence of nationalism and the profligacy of the country’s inefficient administration. It is a matter of the utmost urgency that we start to reverse these negative perceptions. The fact is that there is now some progress, however limited, on visa liberalisation – BiH embassies must begin to communicate a more accurate, and more positive picture of the country.
The same applies in regard to
There are a number of ways in which
It also goes without saying that the more regional momentum towards European integration builds, the better it will be for each country. We must therefore foster maximum cooperation among countries in the region so that progress in one benefits the others. In this regard, it has to be said that the delay in appointing a BiH ambassador in
Energy and talent
I have spoken at some length, but that’s because I believe each of the points I have outlined today is crucial for the wellbeing of
Two things are indisputable –
Thank you