ZAGREB, 11 July (Hina) – Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, stated on Friday that he arrived in Srebrenica to pay tribute to the victims of the genocide committed against Bosniaks in 1995, and warned that such evil must never be repeated.
“We came first and foremost to show respect to the victims, to the families of the 8,000 Bosniaks killed in the genocide that took place here in 1995. We want such crimes, the gravest crimes, to never happen again,” said Plenković to journalists upon his arrival at the memorial complex in Potočari.
He reminded that last year, Croatia supported the resolution in which the UN General Assembly declared 11 July as the International Day of Remembrance for the Srebrenica Genocide, and that both Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina were victims of the aggression of Slobodan Milošević’s regime.
When asked by journalists how he comments on the controversial statements of some officials regarding the nature of the crime in Srebrenica, Plenković stated that there is no doubt in his mind, and that he has always been clear about the genocide that was committed.
“My statements have always been clear and based on the factual situation,” said the Croatian Prime Minister.
He added that without truth there can be no genuine reconciliation, as reconciliation must be built on facts, a principle confirmed throughout history.
PM: Croatia has always stood by Bosnia and Herzegovina
Plenković emphasised that Croatia has always stood by Bosnia and Herzegovina and is its strongest advocate on the country’s path to European integration.
He stated that the proper functioning of Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with its European path, is by far the best way forward, not only for its development and political stability, but also for the process of reconciliation.
Croatian Minister of Veterans’ Affairs, Tomo Medved, accompanied the Prime Minister in Srebrenica.
Respects were also paid today by the President of HDZ BiH, Dragan Čović, who stressed that such evil must never be allowed to happen again.
“United in lasting remembrance of the suffering and death of thousands of innocent and brutally murdered victims, we mark together the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. Once again, we commit ourselves to preserving the truth about Srebrenica and ensuring that such pain never again befalls our homeland, Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Čović said in his message.
He appealed for a shared confrontation with the past and the preservation of truth, to prevent such horrific events from ever recurring.
