University of Sarajevo Library - A Modern Building as a Symbol of Bosnia And Herzegovina And The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia Friendship

The University of Sarajevo today hosted in its first official visit H.E. Mr. Osama bin Dakhil Al-Ahmadi, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Bosnia and Herzegovina. H.E. Ambassador Al-Ahmadi were addressed in a welcome address by Prof. Dr. Rifat Škrijelj, University of Sarajevo Rector, at the head of a numerous University delegation consisting of Vice-Rectors, as well as members of the University of Sarajevo team for the construction of the Library of the University of Sarajevo, as the largest post-war investment project at the University, which is financed by the Kingdom's donor funds of Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Development Fund (SDF).

In his address, Ambassador Al-Ahmadi thanked for the warm welcome and expressed his satisfaction for the opportunity to visit the University of Sarajevo, which was his intention since his arrival in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which he was unable to realize due to specific circumstances caused by the pandemic. H.E. pointed out that education, along with the security and health sector, is one of the key conditions for the progress and development of any society, which is why the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has decided to direct its support to the friendly state of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the construction of the University Library in Sarajevo. Ambassador Al-Ahmadi assessed that the construction of the Library will represent strong support for the University, i.e. its professors and students in their overall academic and scientific endeavors. Speaking about the activities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the ambassador highlighted the activities of the "King Fahd" Cultural Center, which is particularly notable for its offer of free language and other programs available to all interested citizens of Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Rector Škrijelj thanked for the support provided, and again emphasized that the construction of the Library of the University of Sarajevo is the largest post-war investment in university infrastructure, the realization of which will make the University of Sarajevo the owner of the most beautiful library building in the Balkans, which, apart from its undoubted social and cultural importance, will be also remembered as a symbolic feature of friendly relations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Ambassador Al-Ahmadi learned about the current level of realization of the project of the Library of the University of Sarajevo through the presentation of Prof. Dr. Tarik Zaimović, UNSA Vice-Rector for Finance, who pointed out that the start of construction work on this capital building now awaits only the formal signing of the construction contract, which is expected in the next few days and which, on behalf of the Saudi Development Fund, will be signed by H.E. Sultan Abdulrahman Al-Marshad. The deadline for the construction of the Library is 18 months.