Ankara: The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Monday held a Srebrenica genocide commemoration ceremony in Ankara to mark the 31st anniversary of the genocide. The event, held at the ministry, was attended by Deputy Foreign Minister and Director for EU Affairs Ambassador Mehmet Kemal Bozay, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina's Ambassador to Ankara Mirsada Colakovic.
According to Anadolu Agency, Bozay noted that on May 23, 2024, the UN General Assembly designated July 11 as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica. Bozay also noted that, under a presidential circular, July 11 is observed in Trkiye as Srebrenica Genocide Remembrance Day and that commemorative ceremonies have been held at the ministry since 2024. He said the participants had gathered to preserve the truth, support the pursuit of justice, and pass on to future generations a memory entrusted to humanity's collective conscience.
Bozay emphasized that the Srebrenica genocide is a significant event in the history of both Bosnia and Herzegovina and the shared memory of Europe and humanity. He pointed out the atrocity committed on July 11, 1995, in a city declared a UN safe area, demonstrated the destructive consequences of hatred, discrimination, and extreme nationalism. Bozay underlined that, according to the rulings of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, what happened in Srebrenica was legally and indisputably genocide.
He further stated that denying this truth or presenting it as a "symbolic victory" harms humanity's collective conscience. "The newly identified victims buried in Potocari every year remind us once again that justice, even when delayed, remains a responsibility that must never be abandoned," he said. Referring to rising hate speech, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and ethnic discrimination in different parts of the world, as well as genocide in Gaza, Bozay said humanity had failed to draw necessary lessons from the past.
Bozay reiterated Trkiye's commitment to peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina as a key factor for stability in the Balkans, emphasizing principled and unwavering support for the country's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and constitutional order. He added that Trkiye was closely following recent developments in the country that had complicated the functioning of state institutions, challenged the constitutional order, and damaged public trust. Bozay warned that divisive rhetoric, unilateral steps, and attempts to gain political benefit from the wounds of the past served no one's interests.
Ambassador Colakovic expressed Bosnia and Herzegovina's gratitude to Trkiye, highlighting the joint commemoration of the Srebrenica Genocide as a meaningful example of support. Colakovic noted that more than 8,000 people were killed in Srebrenica 31 years ago simply because they were Bosniak Muslims, despite the town having been declared a UN safe area. She criticized efforts to portray the perpetrators as "heroes" and to build monuments in their honor.
Colakovic underlined that the Srebrenica genocide had been confirmed by numerous pieces of evidence, witness accounts, forensic examinations, and DNA analyses. She argued that genocide denial is not freedom of expression; it is the continuation of the crime by other means and asserted that no crime could become a source of political pride, and no court ruling could be changed through propaganda.