Embassy of India

Budapest

India – Bosnia & Herzegovina Bilateral Relations

Relations between India and Bosnia & Herzegovina (BiH) are warm and friendly. Diplomatic relations with BiH were established in 1995. BiH opened its resident Mission in Delhi in 1997. Indian Ambassador in Hungary is concurrently accredited to BiH.

High level visits

From BiH

In February 2024 Mr. Elmedin Konakovic, Foreign Minister visited India to participate in the Raisina Dialogue.

Dr. Ahmet Santic and Dr. Suad Arnautovic, members of Central Election Commission, visited India in January 2017.  An MoU between Election Commission of India and Central Election Commission of BiH was signed during the visit.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, Mr. Mato Franjicevic, led delegation to India in December 2016 and held a meeting in the Department of Commerce in India.

Dr. Zlatko Lagumdzija, Foreign Minister, accompanied by a business delegation, visited India in March 2013 and met with EAM.

BiH Minister for Justice as well as Minister for IT and Transport visited India in 2009 and 2010. Mr. Edin Dilberovic, Assistant Minister of BiH, visited India for 2nd Foreign Office Consultations in April 2011.

The first ever visit by a Bosnian Foreign Minister took place in May 2003. FM Mladen Ivanic visited India and had meetings with PM, EAM, Commerce Minister. An interactive session with CII was also held.

From India

Smt. Preneet Kaur, the then Minister of State for External Affairs, accompanied by a high-level CII business delegation, visited BiH in July 2012 on a first-ever Ministerial visit.

The first ever visit at the Cabinet Minister level took place in July 2016 when Shri Suresh P. Prabhu, Minister of Railways, visited BiH. He had meetings with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, Mr. Mirko Sarovic, with Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Amer Kapetanovic, and also with the Prime Minister of Federation of BiH, Mr. Fadil Novalic.

Institutional Cooperation

Foreign Office Consultations – The 1^st FOC was held on December 19, 2002 in Sarajevo and the second round of FOCs was held in New Delhi on April 5, 2011.  The Third FOCs were held in Sarajevo on 21-22 April 2014. The Fourth FOCs were held in Sarajevo on 28th November, 2024. Discussions were  focussed on progress made in political relations, trade and investments, cooperation in S&T, cultural relations and people-to-people contacts through students and youth exchange and  promotion of tourism between the two countries.

Joint Committee on Trade and Economic Co-operation  - A Joint Committee on Trade and Economic Co-operation at Joint Secretary level has been set up to oversee trade and investment. The 2^nd Joint Committee Meeting took place in Delhi in September 2006 when status of trade & economic cooperation was reviewed.  The 3^rd Meeting of the Joint Committee on Trade took place in Sarajevo after a gap of six years on 25 September 2012. Mr. Mato Franjicevic, Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH, Co-Chair of the Joint Committee from the BiH side, led a delegation to India in December 2016 and held a meeting with the Co-Chair from the Department of Commerce in India.

Important Bilateral Treaties and Agreements:

• Agreement on Trade Cooperation signed in 2002;
• Agreement on Establishment of Joint Business Council signed between the Foreign Trade Chamber of BiH & FICCI in 2003;
• Bilateral Investment Promotion & Protection Agreement signed in 2006; (a new BiT has been proposed)
• Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty signed in 2009;
• Air Services Agreement signed in 2010;
• Agreement on Transfer of Sentenced Persons in December, 2012. [The Instruments of Ratification have been exchanged in May 2017].
• Memorandum of Understanding between Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Foreign Trade Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FTC BiH) in 2013.
• MoU on Cooperation between the Central Election Commission of BiH and Election Commission of India, signed in January 2017.

Commercial and Economic Relations:

The bilateral trade figures, USD million, are given below:

[Source: Trademap.org and Bosnia Statistical Agency]

Some of the items of BiH exports to India are mineral fuels, articles of paper, aluminium structures, articles of wood, inorganic chemicals, toys, sports equipment, wool, animal products, and glass and glassware. From the Indian side, some of the articles of export are Coffee, Tobacco, Stone products, Aluminium, Textile articles, Footwear, Articles of Iron and steel, Glassware, Organic chemicals, Carpets and other textile floor coverings, Motor Vehicle accessories etc. Business opportunities exist in areas of automobile components, metal processing, hydro-energy, wood processing, mining, food-processing, tourism, traditional medicine, higher education (IT and Medicine), pharmaceutical and construction industries.

India participated in the 39th Sarajevo Tourism Festival in October 2017, as a Partner Country. The inaugural ceremony was attended by Prime Minister and other Ministers of Federation of BiH. In 2018, India Tourism Frankfurt represented India. Embassy also participated at the 8th and 9th Scholarship Fairs organized at the University of Sarajevo in 2017 and 2018. The Embassy of India participated in the 22nd International Economic Fair in Mostar (9-13 April 2019). Embassy had also participated in 2016 and 2018 editions of the event.

Cultural relations:

There are two associations, ‘BiH – India Friendship Society’ based in Sarajevo and ‘BH-Indian Association’ based in Mostar, which organize various cultural events regularly. The Amrita Sher-Gil Cultural Centre (ASCC), Embassy of India participated in the Sarajevo Winter Festival in the years 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019. During these events, ASCC, Embassy of India showcased various facets of Indian culture through dance and music performances, as well as Yoga and Ayurveda presentations and workshops.

6th Indian Film Festival was organised in Bosnia & Herzegovina in collaboration with leading TV Channels in 2021. The Embassy also organised AYUSH Days in Mostar and Sarajevo in 2018. In 2019, the Embassy promoted Ayurveda and States of India on the sidelines of the Republic Day in Sarajevo.

International Day of Yoga (IDY):   The first International Day of Yoga (IDY) was celebrated in Sarajevo on 21 June 2015. Since then, ASCC, Embassy of India has marked the occasion annually across various key cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). In 2024, the celebrations of the 10th International Day of Yoga were organised in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the support of the BiH-India Friendship Society, featuring yoga sessions across three cities—Sarajevo, Banja Luka and Mostar. This year (2025), the 11th International Day of Yoga was celebrated in Bosnia & Herzegovina with the support of the BiH-India Friendship Society. The events were organized in three cities—Sarajevo, Banja Luka, and Mostar. The celebrations helped enhancing people-to-people connections and brought forth the global appeal of yoga as a timeless tradition for wellness and harmony.

Indian Community:

There are around 300 Indians in BiH, which includes Indian students and a few Indians, mainly working for Arcerlor Mittal comprise the Indian community in Bosnia & Herzegovina.

July 2025