H.E. Ms. Anna Katarina Boda, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to the Republic of Croatia, visited the University of Rijeka Rectorate on Monday, December 4, 2023, where she was welcomed by the Rector, Prof. Snježana Prijić-Samaržija, Ph.D.
At the beginning of the meeting, Rector Prijić-Samaržija briefly presented the University of Rijeka, mentioning membership in important European networks and alliances (YERUN, YUFE) and internationalization as one of the priorities, but also the desire to continue fruitful cooperation with the Embassy.
Rector Prijić-Samaržija and Ambassador Boda discussed the problem of brain drain in the region and the increasing number of (young) scientists who are leaving the Balkan countries despite all the activities and negotiations as part of the Berlin Process. Since Rector Prijić-Samaržija assumed the presidency of the Western Balkans Rectors’ Forum in September this year, she hopes to find a solution to the demographic challenges in cooperation with other universities in the region. The Ambassador continued by emphasizing that science and scientific diplomacy, education and research are the key common factors that can help us resolve frozen conflicts and overcome the issues of the past.
Ambassador Boda arrived in Croatia at the end of August, and she wanted to visit Rijeka because, as she said, she had heard only the best things about our city and the academic community from a well-known Croatian roboticist with a Swedish address, Danica Kragić Jensfelt, an honorary doctor of the University of Rijeka and a former member of the International Science Council. Upon her arrival in Rijeka, the Ambassador immediately pointed out the harbour as one of the similarities with Stockholm. She believes that ports are usually very dynamic places with a high circulation of people of different stories and backgrounds, and Rijeka is very open in this regard, which of course is helped by its geopolitical position.
With a Master’s degree in Law, Ms. Boda started her career as a desk officer at the Department of International Law and Human Rights, Ministry for Foreign Affairs. After that, she spent several years as a counsellor and/or advisor at Swedish bodies in Buenos Aires, Vienna, and Budapest. Before coming to Croatia, she was the Head of Section for South-Eastern Europe and EU Enlargement, Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
