EU condemns 'genocide denial' ahead of Srebrenica anniversary

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos on Friday condemned genocide denial ahead of the 31st anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, paying tribute to the more than 8,300 Bosniak men and boys killed in the July 1995 atrocity.

No place for denial

In a joint statement issued ahead of the July 11 commemoration, the two officials described the Srebrenica genocide as "among the darkest episodes in Europe's history" and said it serves as a reminder of the need to protect human life and dignity. "There is no place in Europe for genocide denial, revisionism, or the glorification of convicted war criminals," they said.

Appeal for dialogue

Kallas and Kos called on leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina and across the region to "choose responsibility over division, dialogue over confrontation," and to support efforts to identify the remaining victims. "Our thoughts are with the families of the victims of the genocide. We share the grief of those who endure the anguish of uncertainty about their missing loved ones, and we continue to stand by the survivors whose lives were upended in July 1995," the statement added.

International commemoration

The officials noted that the UN General Assembly designated July 11 as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica two years ago. The EU remains committed to Bosnia and Herzegovina's European future as "a sovereign, united, multiethnic and democratic country," they said.