prijava
SARAJEVO, July 10 (FENA) - The international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina has sent a strong message: "We are preserving the memory of the genocide committed in Srebrenica!" stated the Srebrenica Memorial Center on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the genocide committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina in July 1995.
Within the joint project of the Srebrenica Memorial Center, the Center for Post-Conflict Research and artist Aida Šehović, representatives of the international community in BiH contributed to the art installation 'Where are you'?' with a symbolic donation of coffee cups. The cups symbolize the waiting for the innocent people killed in the Srebrenica genocide.
Representatives of the international community used this campaign as an opportunity to send a message before July 11, the Day of Remembrance for the victims of genocide.
“We sympathize with the families who lost their loved ones, killed in the genocide. Let us pay homage with remembrance and by choosing justice for the victims, love and not hatred; unity and not division,” said the Ambassador of the United States of America to BiH Eric Nelson.
“While we pay tribute to the victims, we also express our solidarity with the numerous victims of war torture, who are still waiting to exercise their rights. On the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, we call on the authorities to take concrete steps to improve the environment for reconciliation in order to overcome the legacy of the war,” said the Head of the European Union Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina Johann Sattler.
“We must never forget the loved ones, killed in Srebrenica and the lessons that their deaths teach us about the terrible consequences of hatred,” said in his message the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to BiH Matthew Field.
Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to BiH, Haldun Koç, said in his message that the genocide committed in Srebrenica must not be forgotten.
"Lessons learned from the past are the only reminder that tolerance is the only way to live together in peace," he said.
“While we remember those who lost their lives in Srebrenica, it is imperative for us to help create a society that will respect life and build peace. Srebrenica is our warning for both the present and the future,” said the Ambassador of Italy to BiH Nicola Minasi.
“We must not allow the victims of the Srebrenica genocide to be forgotten. By understanding the past, we can create a better present and a better future for all people, based on empathy and tolerance,” said the Ambassador of Sweden to Bosnia and Herzegovina Johanna Strömquist.
“The Srebrenica genocide, a tragedy of humanity, should not have happened. The memory of Srebrenica of 1995 strengthens our determination not to experience anything like that anywhere again.
The 25th commemoration is an opportunity to give impetus to overcoming trauma and to lead the memory to sustainable reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” is the message of the Austrian Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Ulrike Hartmann.
“Forgetting the victims would mean, on the one hand, as if we were killing them for the second time,” stated the High Representative of the international community in BiH, Valentin Inzko.
“Remember that those who were killed in the Srebrenica genocide and the loved ones who remained behind them never had a choice. Remember that those who committed murders had a choice - to kill or not to kill.
Let Srebrenica serve as a warning that human freedom in choosing one’s behavior can have dire consequences for others. Let Srebrenica be our motivation for creating a society in which our actions will be guided by concern for the well-being of all,” said the Head of the mission of the International Organization for Migration in Bosnia and Herzegovina Peter Van der Auweraert.
(FENA) S. R.
