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Dear members of the families of Srebrenica genocide victims,
Esteemed citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Dear Mr Džaferović,
I am truly sorry that, due to well known reasons, I am not in the
position to be with you today in Potočari in the capacity of the
President of Montenegro and to pay homage and respect to the victims
of the Srebrenica genocide on behalf of the citizens of Montenegro
and in my own name; to express sympathy with those who today, after
a quarter of a century, are burying the remains of their beloved; to
express deep respect toward the families of all Srebrenica massacre
victims for their persistence in fighting for justice and truth
about the ordeal of more than 8000 unarmed, innocent people and
children.
It has been twenty-five years since the Srebrenica genocide, the
worst plight on the European soil after World War 2. This monstrous
crime against the Bosniak nation raises the same questions today as
it did then: Why? How is it possible that in this territory at the
end of 20th century the monstrous thought about the extinction of a
nation could be born?
There is no single answer to that question. It would be most
accurate to say that the Srebrenica genocide can be explained by the
history that preceded it. The criminal ideas of that kind have the
strongest foundation in the ideologies of “greater” nations. Such
ideologies did exist and unfortunately still do in our region. They
are the source of evil and plight, and the platform for the
criminals to join around. As long as such ideologies live, as long
as they have the followers who negate the crimes committed and call
for new crimes, the danger of new plights will persist. The genocide
in Srebrenica is a disgrace for all those who did not prevent it -
both us and the international community. It is a testimony to the
terrible reality of a bloody war. It is an eternal admonition and a
reminder for all our nations that without the truth about the past
there is no secure future.
I consider the commemoration of the crime that happened in
Srebrenica to be an invitation to continue searching for truth, and
not to forget that justice is our duty. Srebrenica is a synonym for
crime, but we have to do our best for it to become a synonym for
justice too.
We are proud of the fact that 11 years ago Montenegro was the first
country in the region to adopt the Declaration on accepting the
European Parliament Resolution on Srebrenica. We are determined to
contribute strongly through our activities to cherishing the memory
of the Srebrenica victims and the victims of all crimes committed in
the conflicts in the territory of former Yugoslavia. It is the only
way to reach true reconciliation, which is the only guarantee for
stability in the Western Balkans and for our common European future.
May the Srebrenica victims rest in peace. |
