The mission of the Maryland Bosnia and Herzegovina Exchange Council is to foster and deepen the partnership between Maryland and Bosnia and Herzegovina through strategic initiatives that promote cultural understanding, economic growth, educational advancement, healthcare improvement, and security cooperation. By cultivating meaningful opportunities and exchanges, we aim to build a resilient and mutually beneficial relationship that enriches the lives of individuals and communities in both regions.
The Maryland Bosnia and Herzegovina Exchange Council was established in November of 2023 with the aim to coordinating the non-military segement of the cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Maryland.
The Maryland National Guard’s State Partnership Program (SPP) maintains partnerships with two countries in Europe—Estonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The SPP was launched in Europe as part of the United States initial outreach toward new democracies in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The SPP brings together U.S. states and territories with partner nations through a range of military and civil-military activities under the Maryland Military Department auspices.
Soon after the Dayton Accords was signed, the Maryland National Guard began assisting BiH in accomplishing the document’s stipulations. MDNG attorneys Col. Thomas Hickman and Col. Benjamin Lucas deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1996 and again in 1998. They and other National Guard attorneys provided legal expertise to help ensure that the new governmental infrastructure at the federal and local levels included the required democratic processes. They also oversaw the country’s first democratic national elections in 1996.
Officially the partnership between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Maryland through the State Partnership Program has started 2003. When the partership was established there was a mixture of uncertainty and hope as to what the relationship would entail.
The mission of the Maryland Bosnia and Herzegovina Exchange Council is to foster and deepen the partnership between Maryland and Bosnia and Herzegovina through strategic initiatives that promote cultural understanding, economic growth, educational advancement, healthcare improvement, and security cooperation. By cultivating meaningful opportunities and exchanges, we aim to build a resilient and mutually beneficial relationship that enriches the lives of individuals and communities in both regions.
Our strategic focus is on activating and cultivating comprehensive partnerships that capitalize on the unique strengths of Maryland and Bosnia and Herzegovina. We are dedicated to bringing together a broad spectrum of stakeholders across key sectors such as commerce, academia, healthcare, agriculture, and public services, aligning with the strategic imperatives of both states. By spearheading these collaborations, we aim to uncover and leverage critical opportunities, initiate and support joint ventures, and encourage the exchange of expertise and resources to build capacity and stimulate investment.
The mission of the Maryland Bosnia and Herzegovina Exchange Council is to foster and deepen the partnership between Maryland and Bosnia and Herzegovina through strategic initiatives that promote cultural understanding, economic growth, educational advancement, healthcare improvement, and security cooperation. By cultivating meaningful opportunities and exchanges, we aim to build a resilient and mutually beneficial relationship that enriches the lives of individuals and communities in both regions.
Our strategic focus is on activating and cultivating comprehensive partnerships that capitalize on the unique strengths of Maryland and Bosnia and Herzegovina. We are dedicated to bringing together a broad spectrum of stakeholders across key sectors such as commerce, academia, healthcare, agriculture, and public services, aligning with the strategic imperatives of both states. By spearheading these collaborations, we aim to uncover and leverage critical opportunities, initiate and support joint ventures, and encourage the exchange of expertise and resources to build capacity and stimulate investment.
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