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Edward Ferguson

British Ambassador to the Republic of Serbia

23rd December 2014

Punjenje baterija

Danas odlazim kući u Ujedinjeno Kraljevstvo, za Božić, da se pridružim Caroline i djeci, koji su već tamo. Ovo će biti moj prvi pravi odlazak kući od kada sam u julu došao u Bosnu i Hercegovinu i radujem se što ću se vidjeti sa porodicom i prijateljima.

Dok gledam svoj kalendar, primjećujem da je mojih prvih pet mjeseci ovdje bilo ispunjeno nevjerovatno različitim događajima. Život ambasadora je privilegija, najviše zbog velikog broja ljudi koje imate priliku upoznati te različitih događaja na koje ste pozvani.

Neke stvari su inspirativne – naročito naš rad sa mladima i djecom koji često provodimo u partnerstvu sa Britanskim savjetom, kao što su bili Big Dance u septembru ili naš nedavno održan fudbalski turnir. Turnir je na jednom mjestu okupio 8 škola iz različitih dijelova BiH, kako bi se obilježilo Božićno primirje iz 1914. godine. Zaista je bilo sjajno vidjeti djecu iz različitih zajednica i različitih etničkih pripadnosti kako se druže i natječu u najboljem duhu igre i nadam se da ćemo održati još takvih turnira u novoj godini.

Neka iskustva su uzvišena. U septembru sam posjetio Srebrenicu sa jednom od brojnih grupa pojedinaca koji rade na izgradnji odnosa između različitih zajednica u UK a kojima Britanska Vlada svojim sredstvima omogućava da dođu u BiH kako bi učili o lekcijama iz evropskog genocida nakon Drugog svjetskog rata. Razgovor sa ožalošćenim majkama te polaganje vijenca na mezarju u Potočarima bilo je potresno iskustvo. Shvatio sam koliko je važno promovirati pomirenje između svih zajednica ove zemlje i raditi zajedno na sigurnijoj, stabilnijoj i prosperitetnijoj budućnosti u kojoj se ovakvi događaji nikada ne smiju ponoviti.

Ovo je i fokus rada mog tima ovdje u Ambasadi. Politički, bio je ovo fascinantan period. Prvo smo imali izbore a predizborna kampanja je bila deprimirajuća i usmjerena na podjele. Ali, u periodu koji je uslijedio, došlo je do promjene tona u nekim sjedištima i ranih pregovora o formiranju koalicija usmjerenim na konkretne reforme. U ovom kontekstu objavili smo britansko-njemačku inicijativu, koju sada sa zadovoljstvom mogu nazvati novom strategijom EU. Nadamo se da će ona pružiti potreban poticaj da se podrže i ubrzaju reforme na širokom političkom, ekonomskom i socijalnom planu koje ova zemlja očajnički treba.

Postoji osnova za optimizam. Politički lideri mi govore da vide zahtjeve javnosti za promjenama i da znaju da na iste moraju odgovoriti. Ali, istovremeno, formiranje vlade i dalje ide presporo. Još uvijek nema dovoljno usklađene diskusije između stranaka o sadržaju reformi kojima će se poduprijeti program vlade i na kojem bi se zasnivala pismena obaveza koju tražimo.

Po dolasku u Ambasadu imao sam jako puno posla pa naredne dvije sedmice planiram provesti “puneći baterije” kako bih se početkom nove godine vratio “spreman za juriš” – ovaj put pod liderstvom Evropske unije – da što hitnije i konkretnije krenemo sa planom promjena.

Svima koji slave, želim srećne Božićne praznike, a svima u BiH želim bolju 2015. godinu.

About Edward Ferguson

Edward Ferguson took over as His Majesty’s Ambassador to Serbia in July 2023. Before coming to Belgrade, Edward served as the Minister Counsellor Defence at the British Embassy in Washington…

Edward Ferguson took over as His Majesty’s Ambassador to Serbia in July 2023. Before coming to Belgrade, Edward served as the Minister Counsellor Defence at the British Embassy in Washington DC in September 2018. Together with the Defence Attaché, he led the British Defence Staff (United States), a network of 1,000 people spread across 28 States. As the UK’s senior policy adviser on defence relations with the United States, he was responsible for UK-US collaboration on strategic planning, nuclear policy and programmes, trade and acquisition, and science and technology. He was the US Network’s lead on HMG’s Integrated Review and AUKUS, and the senior champion for the Race, Ethnic and Cultural Heritage Group.

Previously, he served as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2014 to 2018, where he created and led a new international strategy, co-launched by the British and German Foreign Ministers, that re-energised Euro-Atlantic integration after years of stagnation while stimulating economic growth and reducing high levels of youth unemployment.

A former Exhibitioner and Choral Scholar of Trinity College, Oxford, where he was also Treasurer of the Oxford Union, Edward graduated with First Class Honours in Classics in 2001. Joining the Graduate Fast Stream of the Ministry of Defence, he started out in the Naval Staff before joining the Iraq Secretariat during the build-up to and subsequent execution of Operation TELIC. In 2003, he was involved in financial and requirement scrutiny of the Department’s future helicopter procurement programme.

From 2004 to 2006, he managed a national award-winning £300-million programme to consolidate the MOD estate in Greater London and to redevelop RAF Northolt. In 2006, he volunteered for an operational tour, serving as Political Advisor to a British Battlegroup in Maysaan Province, Iraq (while his brother was a troop leader with the British Army in Basra). On his return, he took on responsibility for the strategic management of the UK’s bilateral defence relations with the United States, Canada and Western Europe.

From 2007 to 2009, he worked as Private Secretary to three Defence Secretaries, acting as their closest adviser on issues relating to operations in Iraq, the £6-billion defence equipment programme, science & technology, counter-terrorism and counter-piracy.

In 2009, he was appointed the Head of Afghanistan and Pakistan Policy, responsible for advice to the National Security Council on the policy, financial, legal, parliamentary and presentational aspects of the UK military contribution to operations in Afghanistan, and on the long-term defence role and interests in Pakistan.

From 2011 to 2014, he was Head of Defence Strategy and Priorities, leading two teams, one responsible for leading the MOD’s contribution to developing the 2015 National Security Strategy and the Strategic Defence and Security Review, and the other for prioritising the MOD’s international defence engagement activities. In 2013, he graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science with an MSc with Distinction in Strategy and Diplomacy. He has been a member of the RCDS Strategic Advisory Panel, a member of the US Air Force Grand Strategy Advisory Board, and is a graduate of the PINNACLE Command and Staff course.

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