Published on 10/28/2015

Mr. Ilko Ćorković (48 years of age in 2015) left the city of Banja Luka in 1993 as one among numerous Croatian refugees during the Serbian aggression on Bosnia and Herzegovina. Accompanied with his wife and a young daughter, one and a half years old at the time, he arrived to the island of Oland in Sweden. With innate optimism, strong will and hard work, he was subsequently able to enroll at the Faculty of Economy, which he successfuly completed in 2000. In 2015 he was elected Mayor of the town of Borgholm on the island of Oland.

Refugee from the city of Banja Luka in B&H now Mayor of the town of Borgholm in Sweden

Mr. Ilko Ćorković, Bosnian Croat and refugee from 1990s, now Mayor of the town of Borgholm in Sweden.

Mr. Ilko Ćorković

Mr. Ilko Čorković (48 years of age in 2015) left the city of Banja Luka in 1993 as one among numerous Croatian refugees during the Serbian aggression on Bosnia and Herzegovina. Accompanied with his wife and a young daughter, one and a half years old at the time, he arrived to the island of Oland in Sweden. Mr. Ćorković immediately started learning Swedish and English and began his struggle for survival practically from zero, doing various exhausting manual jobs to earn the daily bread for his family.

With innate optimism, strong will and hard work, he was subsequently able to enroll at the Faculty of Economy, which he successfuly completed in 2000. During that time, when he was still in a refugee camp in Sweden, his family was blessed with one more more daughter, and afterwards with two twin daughters. In other words, Mr. Ćorković and his wife now live happily with their four daughters.

But these were not the only miracles during the life Mr. Ilko Ćorković in Sweden. In 2015 he was elected Mayor of the town of Borgholm on the island of Oland. This is indeed a rare achievement, considering that the local Swedish population entrusted such a responsible job to a newcomer. He now tries to help Syrian refugees and plays soccer with their children.

Mr. Ćorković ragularly visits Croatia in summer, especially the city of Zagreb, where his wife was born and, of course, the Croatian coast. He also visits his elderly mother, who remained as a rare Croatian survivor in a village near the city of Banja Luka in the north of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where Croatian citizens have been decimated during the Serbian aggression on B&H in the 1990s.

We would like to express our gratitude to the citizens of Borgholm who have entrusted Mr. Ilko Ćorković with the role of the Mayor of the town, which is indeed an exceptional honour. Moreover, we would like to express our deep appreciation to the people of Sweden for their acceptance and integration of families in need who arrive to their country.

The family of Mr. Ilko Ćorković, Croatian refugee in Sweden, proud father of four daughters,
now Mayor of the town of Borgholm in Sweden.

Mr. Ilco Corkovic speaking in Swedish about his childhood, escape from the war in Bosnia, the fantastic support
he and his family received from the islanders and their love of the island of Oland: directory.libsyn.com

Formated for CROWN by Darko Žubrinić
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