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SARAJEVO, October 20 (FENA) - As part of the marking of the 19th anniversary of the death of the first Chairman of the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Alija Izetbegović, an academy was held in the National Theater in Sarajevo, which brought together eminent names from social, cultural, political and academic life, diplomatic corps in BiH and from the region.
The attendees were welcomed by one of the founders of the "Alija Izetbegović" Foundation, Sabina Berberović, daughter of Alija Izetbegović, who thanked everyone for attending the memorial evening.
- In fact, this is an evening of remembering the values that the late Alija Izetbegović lived and fought for. This reminder is very important because in the third millennium we are witnessing unimaginable injustices and violence around the world, even on European soil. The collapse of all values on which humanity should rest - she said.
She added that Alija Izetbegović performed historically significant political and statesmanship roles even in the circumstances of changing government systems, aggression, and war conflicts, but despite the severity of those circumstances, he persisted in his loyalty to the values of freedom, justice, and human dignity - rejecting the exclusivity of violence and radicalism, which was the way he conducted statesmanship.
The former president of the Republic of Slovenia, Milan Kučan, who knew Alija Izetbegović well, said, among other things, that the film "Sarajevo Safari" deeply carries the terrible history of war, and he emphasized that what is unacceptable in peace must not and cannot be allowed in war either.
For most of his life, as Kučan said, he was a companion of Alija Izetbegović, a man who was deeply aware of the responsibility, a man who did not want war, did not start it, but had to accept it. He also said that condemning aggression and supporting sanctions were not enough.
He emphasized that Dayton did not remove the threats of war, that the agreement was not enough, and that the peace that followed was not just, but it was better than the sufferings of war.
Kučan welcomed BiH's status as a candidate for the EU, even though it does not meet the requirements, stating that Slovenia also contributed to obtaining that status. He said that the EU as it is is still attractive to the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He believes that although the status was adopted under very demanding conditions, BiH cannot carry the burden alone, but also that the European Commission has committed itself to help BiH fulfill those conditions.
- Alija Izetbegović's goal was BiH, an equal community of Bosniaks, Serbs, Croats, and all citizens. BiH is not just a piece of heaven in the Balkans, but the idea that everyone can live together. He turned differences into creativity and he was an inspiration for entire generations. He was not a man without mistakes, but he knew how to fix them - said Kučan.
Also, the president of the Jewish community in BiH, Jakob Finci, reminded of his meeting with Alija Izetbegović and his concern that the Sarajevo Haggadah must be preserved, its protection, but also its first appearance in the "New York Times".
The longtime director of the Institute for Missing Persons of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Amor Mašović, recalled his first meeting with the late President Alija Izetbegović, in the autumn of 1992, during the war.
Among other things, Mašović emphasized that Alija Izetbegović is one of the most significant figures in BiH history and that he secured a place in world history, as well as that he was presented as a sage, a statesman, a supreme commander, a sincere believer.
The public institution "Alija Izetbegović Museum", as the organizer of activities marking the anniversary, also set up a photo exhibition called "Alija Izetbegović - between East and West".
Delegations from all levels of government in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and representatives of the diplomatic corps, paid their respects to the late Alija Izetbegović at the Kovači Shaheed's Cemetery by laying flowers, observing a minute of silence and reciting the Fatiha.
On that occasion, SDA president Bakir Izetbegović said that during his life Alija Izetbegović fought with, at first glance, hopelessly stronger forces than himself. As a young man, he opposed a system that seemed very powerful and stretched from the Balkans to Siberia.
Also, the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Šefik Džaferović, among other things, said on that occasion that "the name of Alija Izetbegović evokes an inexhaustible number of topics, because he is a peculiar person and one of the most significant people in the history of this country - certainly the most significant person in recent BiH history."
(FENA) L. N.
