Citizens and the city hall of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, have celebrated President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in US elections.
People in their cars poured into the streets of Sarajevo on Sunday, holding US and Bosnian flags and cheering for Biden.
The city hall decided to cover the facade of the building with virtual flags and portraits of Joe Biden and Alija Izetbegovic, former Bosnian President and leader in the war against the Serbian regime of Slobodan Milosevic.
“Unity over Division” and “Bosnia Remembers”, the messages of support read.
Biden has been a vocal voice in condemning the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992-1995.
In a letter titled “Joe Biden’s vision for America’s relationship with Bosnia and Herzegovina”, the President-elect wrote that he was “a proven friend of Bosnia and Herzegovina – from the country’s darkest days of war and genocide to the continued struggle for stability and justice”.
Asking their vote in the US election, Biden reminded Bosnian-Americans that he worked for the US intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina and “to stop Slobodan Milosevic’s brutal campaign of genocide”.
In July, Biden also issued a statement to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide, in which Serb troops killed 8,372 Bosniaks in an operation that lasted 10 days. He promised to focus his work on holding accountable those who have committed war crimes, and to strengthen the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The leader of the Republika Srpska – one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina – Milorad Dodik, who has repeatedly called for the dissolution of the country, called Biden “a Serb hater” when he rallied Serbian-Americans to vote for President Donald Trump a few days before the US election.
