As we commemorate the 18th anniversary of Srebrenica genocide, we are being reminded of the importance of collective conscience, individual sacrifice and community activism. Srebrenica signifies a national tragedy and a deep and lasting human injury. We must, thus, ensure that aggression against BiH and its people never occurs again and that any attempts at the revision of history are averted.
While the U.S. was instrumental in stopping the war in BiH, it is now up to Bosnians to choose the leadership that will work not only in their interest, but also in the interest of universal moral values of humanity, prosperity and pluralistic democracy. It is therefore my hope that the next decade will be marked as a time of political maturity in BiH, and to that end we will continue to support all efforts for early membership of BiH in NATO.
Over the past seven years, through personal financial contributions, thousands of hours of expert and community voluntarism, and partner organizations funding, we have managed to secure a respectable, alert, and effective representation of Bosnian American interests in Washington D.C. I stand humbled in front of you, and proud of the steadfast commitment of ACBH to serve as a unifying force among our diverse communities in the United States.
As we move forward, defining and promoting the collective strategic interests of Bosnian Americans is critical to improving the quality of the strategic partnership between the United States and BiH. I am confident that with the groundwork already in place, the next decade will prove to be transformational for the institutional growth of our organization and its increased effectiveness. I trust that by the end of 2013, with your continual support, ACBH will be able to secure the operational and strategic expansion-funding model for the next decade of its existence.
As I leave ACBH after seven year of service, I wish to thank you for your direct support and advice, especially the invaluable support that I received over the years from many community leaders and their constituencies throughout the United States.
On behalf of the Advisory Council for Bosnia and Herzegovina, I would like to extend our most sincere gratitude for all of your hard work in your respective communities and I am confident that ACBH will continue to work closely with you in the future. Your support and involvement are pivotal. With your individual support and our collective efforts, we must continue to ensure that aggression against BiH and its people never occurs again; and if it does, that its negative effects are minimal and averted in short order.
Lastly, I am confident that under the leadership of newly elected President, Ms. Mirzeta Hadzikadic and Vice President and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Mr. Vehid Deumic, ACBH will continue to grow. The groundwork has been set, yet there is much to be done to advance the interests of BiH and of Bosnian Americans.
I look forward to continuing to serve our diverse communities and I ask you all to join me in helping build a strong, united, multiethnic and pluralistically democratic BiH; a lasting friend of the United States.
With gratitude,
Haris Hromic, B.B.A, M.P.A, MA, FRSA
Founding Member of the Board of Directors (2006-2013)
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
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ACBH is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the interests of Bosnian Americans and works to improve relations between the United States and BiH. ACBH advocates for a democratic, multiethnic, and indivisible BiH with a primary goal of advancing the integration of BiH into the EU and NATO.