On October 17 and 18, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Elmedin Konaković participated in the 52nd session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Baghdad, at the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq, Fuad Hussein.
The theme of the 52nd session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of OIC member countries in Baghdad is “Dialogue and solidarity: two key pillars for promoting peace and sustainable development.”
Konaković spoke on the second day of the session before the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
In his address, the head of BiH diplomacy thanked the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and its member states for their support for United Nations General Assembly Resolution 78/282, which established July 11 as the International Day of Remembrance and Commemoration of the 1995 Srebrenica Genocide. He reminded that the Resolution also condemns denial of genocide and glorification of persons convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Speaking about recent events, he stated that a commemoration of Ratko Mladić was held in the Serbian Army House in Belgrade, and two days later his funeral with military honors, which was attended by six current ministers of the Government of the Republic of Serbia and high-ranking officials of the Republika Srpska entity. He assessed that these procedures turned private mourning into public and institutional rehabilitation of a person convicted before the United Nations court.
He emphasized that Ratko Mladić was not sentenced for defending the Serbian people, but was sentenced to life imprisonment for genocide in Srebrenica, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
He recalled the judicially determined responsibility for terrorizing the civilian population of Sarajevo and the campaign aimed at the permanent removal of Bosniaks and Croats from the areas where they lived. Final verdicts also established the participation of high-ranking army officers and members of the police forces of the then self-proclaimed and internationally unrecognized Republika Srpska in the crimes committed during the genocide in Srebrenica, and several high-ranking military officers were convicted of genocide or complicity in genocide. He pointed out that death can end the execution of the sentence, but it cannot erase the facts established by the court or turn criminal responsibility into a national virtue.
He said that Bosnia and Herzegovina does not attribute collective guilt to the Serbian people, because criminal responsibility is individual. The presentation of Ratko Mladić as a symbol of Serbian patriotism, as he stated, harms the Serbian people by associating national honor with convicted crimes and marginalizing citizens who defend truth and justice. It also humiliates survivors, intimidates returnees, undermines the Dayton Peace Agreement and encourages mutual radicalism.
In his address, Konaković expressed the hope that the Baghdad Declaration and the relevant resolution of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will reaffirm support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina and reject the denial of genocide, the glorification of convicted war criminals, Islamophobic rhetoric and secessionist agendas. He emphasized that it is not directed against any nation, but represents the defense of the victims, international justice and lasting peace.
Konaković strongly condemned the suffering of Palestinian civilians and the expansion policy of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in the occupied Palestinian territories. He emphasized support for an independent Palestinian state and a two-state solution.
He emphasized that Bosnia and Herzegovina understands the suffering of the people of Gaza better than most other countries. He reminded that during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the international community needed too much time to act decisively and that it is known how many lives are lost when the world hesitates. He said that the Palestinian people must not wait so long and that concrete steps are needed, not just statements of condemnation.
At the end, he said that the future of the world does not lie in destroying those who are different, nor in exploiting the fear of others in order to create monolithic societies, but in mutual understanding, learning to live together and mutual respect, the Public Relations Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina announced.
