‘UK commemorates Srebrenica genocide at state, local level’

By Gurhan Kartal and Talha Ozturk

LONDON, BELGRADE (AA) - The UK commemorates the Srebrenica genocide both at the state and local level to highlight the “terrible” facts about it, the chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina said on Wednesday.

Sefik Dzaferovic attended the commemoration of the 27th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica in the building of the British Parliament on Tuesday evening.

The ceremony was also attended by Lindsay Hoyle, the House of Commons speaker as well as many other British officials.

"The United Kingdom is practically the only country that commemorates the anniversary of the genocide in such an organized way. It is not only at the state level, but also at the local level in schools, in the communities where people live. The goal is for as many people as possible to learn the facts about the genocide. That's how it needs to be done across the world. Because that is the best guarantee and the best prevention so that Srebrenica never happens again to anyone,'' Dzaferovic told Anadolu Agency.

Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday marked the 27th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, bidding farewell to 50 newly identified victims of the 1995 massacre at a memorial service.

Every year on July 11, newly identified victims of the genocide are laid to rest at a memorial cemetery in Potocari, eastern Bosnia.

More than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed when Bosnian Serb forces attacked the eastern town of Srebrenica in July 1995, despite the presence of Dutch peacekeeping troops.

Dzaferovic said that the UK is a great friend of Bosnia which provides strong support when there are serious internal problems.

"The United Kingdom firmly stands by Bosnia Herzegovina. It stands by the protection of all the reforms that we implemented in Bosnia Herzegovina, as well as by the European and NATO path. We are grateful to them for that," he added.

He added that Türkiye also plays a very constructive and stabilizing role in the Western Balkan region.

"Türkiye is a great friend of Bosnia Herzegovina, it plays a very constructive and stabilizing role in the Western Balkan region. The Republic of Türkiye and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan support BiH (Bosnia and Herzegovina) on its European and NATO path, and that support is very important to us," said Dzaferovic.