The commemoration of March 1, the Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina, began this morning with the raising of the national flag on Hum Hill above Sarajevo. The ceremony was attended by the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Željko Komšić, member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Denis Bećirović, members of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and representatives of other levels of government.
After the ceremony at Hum, the delegations laid flowers and paid their respects at the memorials of the Eternal Fire, the children killed during the siege of Sarajevo in 1992-1995, the Kovača cemetery and in the Great Park.
Officials recalled the importance of March 1 for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Komšić: Bosnia and Herzegovina will not disappear, there is room for everyone in this country
Chairman of the BiH Presidency Željko Komšić emphasized that BiH, as an independent and internationally recognized country with status in the United Nations, is still fighting against those policies and people who would like this country to not exist.
“There is room for everyone in this country. Let’s see what we can do to make it better,” said Komšić.
He pointed out that he is consumed by claims that Bosnia and Herzegovina will disappear:
“We are spending time on things that are impossible to happen. It is impossible for this country to fall apart. It is better to dig up potatoes than to deal with such topics. So Bosnia and Herzegovina will not disappear. Not because I say so, but there are many people who think so”.
Bećirović: BiH’s entry into NATO means the end of divisions and a secure future for the country
After the ceremony at Hum, the delegations laid flowers and paid their respects at the memorials of the Eternal Fire, the children killed during the siege of Sarajevo in 1992-1995, the Kovača cemetery, in the Great Park and at the Vraca Memorial Park.
The member of the BiH Presidency, Denis Bećirović, said that BiH’s entry into the NATO alliance represents the end of the story of any divisions and a safe harbor for the country.
Congratulating the citizens on the Independence Day of BiH, Bećirović said that March 1 is a holiday of freedom and dignity, emphasizing that “those who mark it as a day of mourning represent the protagonists of the ‘Greater Serbia’ project”. He emphasized that without the referendum BiH would not have avoided such a project, but also that the citizens had resolutely prevented it.
Bećirović said that March 1 has a special place in the history of BiH and emphasized that the vast majority of citizens, in accordance with the highest European and world standards and under international supervision, decided that BiH should be an independent, sovereign and unique state.
The Chairman of the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, Kemal Ademović, said that independence is the most important value of every country and that its preservation is a long-term process that never ends.
He said, among other things, that the generations that represent Bosnia and Herzegovina today have an obligation to continue fighting for the preservation of independence, while the generations to come should learn from the past, educate themselves and be ready to take on that responsibility.
Helez in Srebrenica: The price of freedom and the state can be seen nowhere more clearly than here
Deputy Chairman of the BiH Council of Ministers and Minister of Defense Zukan Helez marked BiH Independence Day in Srebrenica by honoring the victims of genocide at the Srebrenica – Potočari Memorial Center.
“The price of freedom and the state can be seen nowhere more clearly than here. Srebrenica is the gravest wound of our homeland. The genocide committed in July 1995 taught us forever that the state is not only a territory and an institution, the state is a guarantee of the life, safety and dignity of its people. When the state weakens, people suffer. That is why it is our permanent responsibility to be vigilant, united and determined in protecting the sovereignty, territorial integrity and constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” he said. Helez.
He emphasized, among other things, that today, our obligation is not only to defend, but also to build and that we must work, progress and develop our homeland, strengthen its institutions, economy and society, and create opportunities for new generations.
He especially pointed out that only a strong, orderly and prosperous Bosnia and Herzegovina can be permanent and secure.
Tonight, a reception will be held in the Sarajevo City Hall, organized by the Chairman of the BiH Presidency, Željko Komšić, and the member of the Presidency, Denis Bećirović.
From 8:00 p.m., BHRT will broadcast a special program dedicated to BiH Independence Day, and will also broadcast the ceremonial reception from the Town Hall.
Today, Bosnia and Herzegovina marks 34 years since the citizens decided by an almost two-thirds majority in a referendum that they wanted to live in an independent state. The referendum was announced for February 29 and March 1, 1992. Citizens voted in response to the question: “Are you for a sovereign and independent BiH, a state of equal citizens, the people of BiH – Muslims, Serbs, Croats and members of other nations who live in it?”.
2,073,568 voters took part in the referendum, and 99.44 percent voted for independence. 6,037 of them voted against. The turnout was 63.7 percent.
Barricades were erected before the referendum. There were incidents at the polling stations. On March 6, the Assembly accepted the results of the referendum and anti-war protests began.
On April 4, the Presidency changes its name to the Republic of BiH. Instead of peace, independence and freedom, armed attacks, war casualties and destruction followed, and on April 6, the siege of Sarajevo began, the longest siege of a city in modern history.
The results of the referendum enabled the international recognition of Bosnia and Herzegovina as an independent state.
The first recognition of independent BiH was given by Bulgaria at the end of January 1992. After Germany recognized the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina on April 6, it was followed by the recognition of other European countries, the recognition of the European Community, and a day later the United States of America.
On May 22, 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina joined the United Nations organization, thus receiving the highest international recognition.
The war lasted from 1992 to 1995, causing mass casualties, destruction, expulsions, crimes and genocide.
On March 6, 1995, the President of the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Alija Izetbegović, signed the decree on the promulgation of the law declaring March 1 as the Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina and a national holiday.
The end of the war was followed by the signing of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in BiH agreed in Dayton on November 21 and signed in Paris on December 14, 1995, which confirmed the internationally recognized borders of BiH, its territorial integrity, sovereignty and international subjectivity, but also the administrative division into two entities – the Federation of BiH and the Republika Srpska.
By the decision of the International Court of Arbitration, on March 8, 2000, the Brčko District was established as part of BiH under its sovereignty.
In the Republika Srpska, March 1, the Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is not marked or celebrated. To political and institutional representatives, this date represents the announcement of war and all the paradox of existence, as they often state, “such and such Bosnia and Herzegovina”.
Yesterday, the Government of Republika Srpska declared March 1 as the Day of Mourning in that entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Government has issued a Conclusion stating that flags will be lowered to half-mast at all institutions of the Republika Srpska today, all cultural manifestations will be canceled, and sports events will be adjusted to the Day of Mourning.
