Speech: Queen’s birthday celebration 2019 in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Ambassador’s speech

Ladies and gentlemen, Dame i gospodo, dobrodošli u britansku rezidenciju, welcome to the British Residence, on this beautiful, dry day.

My sincere thanks to all of you for joining us today to celebrate the birthday of a remarkable woman. Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth the Second is turning 93 years of age. Devedeset tri godine! Ona je naša najdugovječnija vladarica.

Since taking to the throne in 1952, she has witnessed the birth of the modern world. Theresa May is her 13th Prime Minister. And Donald Trump is her 11th US President. Sve je vidjela.

This Queen’s Birthday Party we mark a special anniversary in the relationship between the UK and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Danas obilježavamo posebnu godišnjicu.

It is 25 years since the UK first opened a full diplomatic presence in this country. During those 25 years, countless Britons have come to serve their country in this country. Neki su tu službu platili svojim životima. There is a memorial to our fallen soldiers in this very garden. More recently, we have said goodbye to another solider, the one and only Lord Paddy Ashdown. Doživotnom prijatelju Bosne i Hercegovine.

U tih dvadeset pet godina prijateljstva i partnerstva, malo toga bi se postiglo da nije bilo neumornog rada i kreativnosti naših bh. uposlenika u ambasadi i Britanskom savjetu. Mnogi od njih, bivši i sadašnji, su danas ovdje. They have heard this speech many times before, ali i dalje imaju osmijeh na licu. In the case of Senad Žoljić, who was there when the first office opened, 25 times. I have a certificate from our Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt to prove this.

Please join me, on behalf of Her Majesty’s Government, in showing our appreciation to all of our staff .

In my first Queen’s Birthday Party, I want to take the chance, on behalf of myself, Martina and our family, to thank you for the extraordinarily warm welcome. Drago mi je što je tako veliki broj poznatih i prijateljskih lica danas ovdje.

The reason we feel so lucky to be here in this country, is because we believe in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mi vjerujemo u građane ove zemlje. Ono što vidimo, kao i ono što građani rade da bi imali bolju, pravičniju i otvoreniju zemlju – daje nam inspiraciju.

Of course we have and will make mistakes. Ko radi, taj i griješi. As anyone who follows me on social media knows.

And we almost made it to the end of the speech without mentioning Brexit.

Anyone who has met me, seen my interviews, read my blog, or bumped into me in the shops, will have heard that the UK is doing more not less in BiH. Napuštanje EU to neće promijeniti, i neće nas spriječiti da i dalje budemo blizak prijatelj i partner BiH.

This year we have seen the return of BBC to BiH. We have contributed more troops to EUFOR – vojnika, ne špijuna. We hope soon to have a direct flight again. We are doing more business together.

We have major investors such as Eastern Mining, and our main sponsor today. We continue to bond over our love of drink, thanks today to Banjalučka Pivara, Stock, Boreas-Stanić and Coca-Cola. I hope you will enjoy your leaving gift today courtesy of Stanogradnja, just one of the Tesco range now available in Bingo supermarkets. Svi mi u ambasadi smo uzbuđeni zbog mogućnosti koje su pred nama u ovoj godini. We are committed partners in creating opportunities and a future here. No one should have to leave this wonderful country to fulfil their potential. A, inspiriše nas prilika što ćemo raditi zajedno sa svima vama.

I would ask you to raise your glass, in marking 25 years of the UK in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Obilježavamo dvadeset pet godina Ujedinjenog Kraljevstva u Bosni i Hercegovini. And in toasting Her Majesty The Queen. Njenom veličanstvu Kraljici. Cheers. Živjeli.