Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Denis Bećirović spoke at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, at the commemoration on the occasion of the National Day of Remembrance of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for the Srebrenica Genocide.
On behalf of the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, he expressed gratitude for the solidarity and respect shown towards the victims of the genocide committed against Bosniaks in and around Srebrenica this year in London.
“Your continued support is proof that truth, justice and the memory of Srebrenica have their permanent allies in the international community. I would also like to thank the United Kingdom for the proposed resolution on Srebrenica in 2015, especially for its great assistance in preparing and adopting the Resolution on the International Day of Remembrance and Commemoration of the Srebrenica Genocide, at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in May 2024,” he said.
As he pointed out, the adopted resolution has planetary significance. It represents a moral, historical and civilizational act of the UN.
“I would like to emphasize that Bosnia and Herzegovina has a large number of friends in the United Kingdom. I thank them all for their tremendous support. I would like to express my deep gratitude to the Chairman of the Remembering Srebrenica Foundation, Vaqar Azmi, and to our friends from that foundation. One great man will remain permanently inscribed in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina. His name is Lord Paddy Ashdown. On behalf of the citizens of my country, I express my great respect to this just man,” he emphasized.
According to Bećirović, the United Kingdom has recognized the fact that spreading the truth about the genocide against Bosniaks is not only important for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region.
“In times of complex global relations, it is important to know that the truth has its guardians. Therefore, it is important that we together strengthen the culture of peace, encourage advocates of justice, institutionally protect the legacy of the UN courts, affirm dialogue, condemn the policy of glorifying war criminals and strengthen education systems in the function of genocide prevention,” he said.
Bećirović points out that ‘unfortunately, at a time when we are marking thirty years since the genocide against Bosniaks, we are facing new threats to Bosnia and Herzegovina’.
“Eleven months ago, here in London, I said that the continued tolerance of the anti-Dayton and pro-Russian policies of the leadership of the entity Republika Srpska could lead to the destabilization of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Unfortunately, those words of mine have proven true. The brutal attack on the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Dayton Peace Agreement has been going on for almost four months,” he said.
Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Denis Bećirović also said in London that the current security crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot be understood without knowing the bigger picture.
“Moscow has been working to destabilize the Western Balkans for a long time, with the aim of diverting attention from Ukraine. Russia has been concretely and strongly supporting its proxies in the region, especially the leadership of the entity Republika Srpska. It is no coincidence that Putin has received the president of the entity Republika Srpska twenty-six times. Putin does not receive anyone by chance. Russia has exploited every weakness of the West. If the danger in Bosnia and Herzegovina is underestimated, Russia will seize this opportunity as well,” he stressed.
Bećirović says that the democratic world and Bosnia and Herzegovina must not allow the argument of force to be stronger than the argument of law.
“Thirty years after the genocide, crimes against humanity and other war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, my country is again under dangerous threat. The evil that we do not stop at the beginning, later becomes greater and more dangerous. Together, let us stop the new evil in Bosnia and Herzegovina. With the culture of remembrance, we fight for democracy and human rights. Thank you to the United Kingdom for preserving the truth about the genocide in Srebrenica. We are a country that remembers and values its friends and allies. May the friendship of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the United Kingdom live forever,” said Bećirović in London, at the commemoration on the occasion of the National Day of Remembrance of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for the genocide in Srebrenica, according to a statement from the Office of the Member of the Presidency of BiH Denis Bećirović.
