Thursday, July 11th 2019, Potocari
ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT DJAFERI ON THE MARKING OF THE 24TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GENOCIDE IN SREBRENICA
Distinguished representatives of the international community,
Distinguished representatives of the Presidency of B&H,
Distinguished representatives of the foreign delegations,
Distinguished president of the Organizational Council,
Distinguished representatives of the victims of Srebrenica,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentleman,
To be here today, in this sad place, a place that echoes with silence which is louder than the largest rumbling is a painful feeling. The sorrow and the pain are felt in each breath taken, on each step made on this ground. Still, one has to be strong and make a dignified step, to pay respect to the victims, to the known, to the unknown, to the revealed and still unrevealed to show with deed that we are aware of the huge human tragedy, to show that we do have a human and moral responsibility and respect, to encourage and urge ourselves never to forget, never to forget so it never happens again!
Distinguished friends, all of us whose ancestors have lived here, and we who live and create on this piece of land of the planet Earth and whose children and grandchildren we hope will continue giving life to this region, unfortunately, live marked with the notion that the Balkan is a "Powder keg", a constantly boiling pot and there can always start e conflict. Sadly, the history has confirmed this with the horrible war conflicts which kept the attention of the public focused on us. Too much blood has been shed; too many tears have been welled. Too many irreversibly lost human lives, unlived youths, joys, family happiness's and loves… And, there is so much we can do! We know each other so well; we are famous for our hospitality, our warm and carrying relation, even unusual for some parts of the planet Earth; we know how to rejoice together and how to grieve, because, above all, we are human, neighbors, friends and maybe even relatives… I have hope and I am optimistic that the region is changing for the better,things are now seen through a different prism, the new generations of politicians are with open minds, clear worldview, they speak of a world without boundaries, countless opportunities for learning, searching, working and developing of the youth, for wings widely spread and high picks to achieve.
Thus, my message and appeal to all that are actively engaged in decision-making, in orienting the public opinion and contribute towards building and developing of the relations between the countries in the region, to devote maximum towards building true relaxed democratic societies, with rule of law and respect of human rights and freedoms, respect for the diverse with considerations for the weaker, to devote sincerely and maximally to this mission, because we have all the needed conditions to be an example for the region and for the world. An example for the good neighborly relations, for the regional cooperation, for joint advancement of each state individually and of the region as a hole, together with respect of the sovereignty and territorial integrity иof each state individually because, as I mentioned in the beginning, we have human and moral responsibility not to allow to forget, never to forget so it never happens again!
Thank you for the attention!