Government: Attending the commemoration in Potočari is a continuation of showing respect for the victims

The Ministers of European Affairs, Education, Science and Innovation and Labor and Social Care, Maida Gorčević, Anđela Jakšić Stojanović and Naida Nišić, will be in the delegation of the Government of Montenegro at the commemoration of the 29th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica.

This was announced by the Government after a telephone session.

As the government said, the Montenegrin delegation will also include the state secretary of the Ministry of European Affairs, Bojan Božović, and the chargé d'affaires at the Embassy of Montenegro in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Satka Hajdarpašić.

The decision states that the Government received an invitation from the organizing committee for the celebration of July 11, 1995, to attend the commemoration and funeral in Potočari.

It is recalled that in July 2009, Montenegro adopted the Declaration on the acceptance of the Resolution of the European Parliament (EP) on Srebrenica, as one of the first countries to do so, after that Resolution was adopted by the EP.

It is added that on June 17, 2021, Montenegro adopted the Resolution on Srebrenica in which "it is confirmed that genocide took place on European soil after the Second World War in which more than eight thousand civilians of Bosniak nationality perished".

The resolution condemns attempts to attribute responsibility or blame to Serbs, Bosniaks, Croats or any other people for genocide, crimes against humanity or other crimes.

"Because responsibility can be exclusively individual, and no nation can be labeled as genocidal or criminal," the Resolution states.

As stated in the announcement, the Government delegation will attend the commemoration of the anniversary of the genocide in Potočari, whereby Montenegro, as before, will honor the victims and their families and convey a message of peace and compassion to all the innocent victims.

It is added that the delegation will point out the position of Montenegro, which condemns the genocide in Srebrenica and other war crimes committed on the territory of the former Yugoslavia.

As the Government said, attending the commemoration in Potočari represents the continuity of showing respect for the victims.

"And the commitment of Montenegro to give its full contribution to the preservation of peace and reconciliation in the Western Balkans, so that similar crimes do not happen again", added the Government's decision.