​Teresa Lizaranzu, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain, visited the City of Bijeljina today. She met with Bijeljina Mayor, Ljubiša Petrović, and presented experiences of Spanish cities in solving utility and environmental problems. They also considered options for cooperation between the Embassy of Spain and the City of Bijeljina in the areas of sport, culture, and also experience exchange related to economy and agriculture.
 
“My main impression is that we share the same challenges, which can be solved in different ways, and this is the way to inspire others to follow our pattern. We talked about such examples in the cities in my country and how important it is to have transparency in decision making. We conveyed experiences from the City of Vitoria, which improved the lives of its citizens by building numerous pedestrian paths and green spaces. Also, it is important to preserve cultural events in every city, both for their citizens and to attract visitors”, said Ambassador Lizaranzu. She added that mutual interest should be better life of all inhabitants of local communities, including the minorities, like Roma.
 
“My country supports the candidate status of your country for the membership in the European Union and we believe that necessary reforms required by the EU can be implemented in BaH and in the cities like Bijeljina. Hopefully, as soon as next year when I come for a visit during the Saint Panteleimon Days, I will see how the mayor’s plans he talked about are implemented, such as greening the city, cultural projects and attraction of foreign investments”, announced the Ambassador of Spain.
 
Mayor Petrović mentioned the importance of engagement of Spain in preservation of stability in the region.
 
“We are grateful for everything the Kingdom of Spain is doing to preserve peace not only in BaH, but the entire Western Balkans, because they always respect the principles of equality and observe international law. We also talked about fruit and vegetables production in the two countries and realised that Spanish producers face similar challenges like our farmers. We informed our guest about the plan to build a park of ambassadors in the settlement Knez Ivo od Semberije, as well as about serious challenges like corruption and difficult functioning of public enterprises”, said Mayor Petrović.
 
Mayor Petrović said that the Embassy of Spain is a reliable partner and expressed his expectations for the City of Bijeljina to develop operational plans for specific projects, primarily in sport, culture and ecology, in cooperation with the Embassy.
 
Our nations have a long-standing friendship which was preserved even in the hardest periods, while respecting international law, justice, and all legal frameworks in which it is possible to preserve human dignity, to fight for the freedom, and of course, to preserve peace and stability in these challenging times”, concluded Petrović.