Salko Bukvarević (20 April 1967 – 29 July 2020) was a Bosnian politician and soldier who served as the Federal Minister for Veterans and Disabled Veterans. In 1990, Bukvarević was one of the founders of the

Party of Democratic Action The Party of Democratic Action ( bs, Stranka demokratske akcije; abbr. SDA) is a Bosniak nationalist, conservative political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina. History The Party of Democratic Action (SDA) was founded on 26 May 1990 in Sarajevo, ...

. During the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...

he served in the

Bosnian army The Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Oružane snage Bosne i Hercegovine, OSBiH, Оружане снаге Босне и Херцеговине, ОСБИХ) is the official military force of Bosnia and Herz ...

and was one of the founders of the Patriotic League paramilitary unit. Following the war he served in multiple positions before being appointed as the Minister for Veterans and Disabled Veterans, which he served as from 31 March 2015 until his death due to COVID-19 complications on 29 July 2020.

Early life and education

Bukvarević was born on 20 April 1967, in

Hrasno Gornje Hrasno Gornje (Cyrillic: Храсно Горње) is a village in the Municipalities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, municipality of Kalesija, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Demographics According to the 2013 census, its population was 627. References

Kalesija Kalesija ( sr-cyrl, Калесија) is a town and municipality located in Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, east of Tuzla. As of ...

SR Bosnia and Herzegovina The Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Bosna i Hercegovina, Социјалистичка Pепублика Босна и Херцеговина), commonly referred to as Socia ...

SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...

. In 1986, he graduated from high school in

Tuzla Tuzla (, ) is the third-largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the administrative center of Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 110,979 inhabitants. Tuzla is the economic, cultural, ed ...

. In 1996, he graduated from the Mining-Geological-Civil Engineering Faculty with an

undergraduate degree An undergraduate degree (also called first degree or simply degree) is a colloquial term for an academic degree earned by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. In the United States, it is usually offered at an institution of higher e ...

, with a Master's degree in 2004, and a Doctorate in 2011. He later married and had two children.

Career

Army

From 1992 to 1995, Bukvarević served in the

Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( bs, Armija Republike Bosne i Hercegovine or ARBiH), often referred to as Bosnian Army, was the military force of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established by the government of ...

. He was one of the founders of the Patriotic League paramilitary unit and received the unit's gold medal.

Politics

Bukvarević was one of the founders of the

in 1990. From 1996 to 1999, he served as a member of the Party of Democratic Action's presidency. From 1995 to 1998, he served as the Secretary of the

Tuzla Canton The Tuzla Canton ( bs, Tuzlanski kanton; hr, Tuzlanska županija; sr, Тузлански кантон) is one of 10 cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of two entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The cantonal seat is the ci ...

Committee inside the Party of Democratic Action. From 1998 to 2007, he served as the Director of the Public Facility Bosnian Cultural Center in the Tuzla Canton. From 2007 to 2010, he served as a representative in the Tuzla Canton Assembly.

Ministry

On 31 March 2015, Bukvarević was appointed to serve as the Federal Minister for Veterans and Disabled Veterans. In 2016, representatives of the Association of Demobilized Soldiers of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the

Croatian Defence Council The Croatian Defence Council ( hr, Hrvatsko vijeće obrane or HVO) was the official military formation of the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia, an unrecognized entity that existed in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1991 and 1996. The HVO wa ...

protested, calling for Bukvarević's resignation and created a resolution calling for the resolving of the existential issues of the families of martyrs, war invalids, demobilized veterans and winners of the highest recognition and decorations. Bukvarević refused to resign stating that the organization was representative of less than ten percent of veterans.

Death

On 22 July 2020, Bukvarević contracted

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina The COVID-19 pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The virus was confirmed to have reached Bosnia and Herzegovina o ...

, was placed on a ventilator on 28 July, and died on 29 July at the Clinical Center of the

University of Sarajevo The University of Sarajevo ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Univerzitet u Sarajevu'' / Sveučilište u Sarajevu / Универзитет у Сарајеву) is a public university located in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the larges ...

. On 1 August, he was buried in Džindić mosque in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

References

External links

Salko Bukvarević
at fmbi.gov.ba {{DEFAULTSORT:Bukvarević, Salko 1967 births 2020 deaths Bosniak politicians Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina soldiers Bosnia and Herzegovina politicians Party of Democratic Action politicians Politicians of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina