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SARAJEVO, January 22 (FENA) - Minister of Civil Affairs of BiH Adil Osmanović and German and French ambassadors to BiH, Christiane Hohmann and Guillaume Rousson, visited today the Regional Youth Cooperation Office for the Western Balkans (RYCO) in Sarajevo.
The minister and the ambassadors thus emphasized their support to RYCO, which has been modeled and established with the support of the German-French youth office.
Minister Osmanović noted the support of the ministry for the establishment of this office, and said that the budget of the institutions of BiH allocates an amount of about 150,000 euros for this purpose. The seat of the office is in Albania, and one of its offices is in BiH.
“The budget of the Youth Regional Office amounts to 2 million euros annually. About ten percent is allocated for financing employees’ salaries, the rest is intended for various projects that will be implemented by young people through offices in the six countries whose prime ministers signed a document on the establishment of these offices,” he stressed.
Osmanović says that one public call has already been completed, and young people from BiH have submitted some 150 projects.
“We expect our projects to be well-evaluated. I am convinced that they have been done properly and that certain funds will be withdrawn, which would, above all, be aimed at establishing better cooperation among young people both in BiH and among the other signatory states, " said Osmanović.
At the Summit of the Western Balkans countries in Paris in 2016, the prime ministers of the six countries signed an agreement on the establishment of the Regional Youth Cooperation, Office and made an important step towards improving the dialogue among young people in the Western Balkans.
Today's visit marked 55 years since the signing of the Elysee Agreement between Germany and France, which marked a new stage in the relations between the two countries.
According to this model, the German and French Youth Office was established, and now the Regional Youth Office for the Western Balkans.
Ambassador Guillaum Rousson reminded that this agreement has achieved significant success, and that this has never been just about the diplomatic relations between France and Germany.
“Remembering our friendship helps us to overcome the difficulties in relations between the two countries, but also to mark the moments when we progress together,” he said.
Ambassador Christiane Hohmann said that German-French friendship, as it is today, took a lot of work and effort. This implies the work of RYCO in BiH and the Western Balkans, because, as she said, only with intensive work, cooperation and reconciliation, it will be possible to have a fruitful cooperation.
Head of the local RYCO Office in BiH, Berina Bukva said that this is an independent institutional mechanism with international status.
They appreciate the support and cooperation they receive from the BiH institutions and emphasized that the work for young people and with young people with the support of government institutions is important for the European path of BiH.
The goal of RYCO is to support young people in the process of reconciliation and intercultural dialogue among in the Western Balkans and increase their mobility and working abilities. This year, BiH chairs the RYCO Steering Committee.
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(FENA) S. R.
