UN declares 11 July Srebrenica massacre remembrance day

The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution designating July 11 as the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Srebrenica Genocide, UNN reports citing BBC Ukraine.

Details

Eighty-four states, including Ukraine, voted in favor of declaring July 11 an annual day of remembrance for the victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. There were 19 against, including Serbia's traditional partners, Russia, Belarus, Hungary, and China. 68 states abstained.

The resolution was initiated by Germany and Rwanda, which itself experienced genocide in 1994. Although Germany's UN representative Antje Lendertse stated that the resolution "is directed exclusively against those who committed genocide," the Serbian leadership argues that the entire Serbian nation will now be declared "genocidal.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has already stated that the resolution will open a Pandora's box. 

"This is not about reconciliation or memory, it will only open old wounds and create political chaos not only in our region but beyond," he said.

"Is this the only genocide? We hope that other genocides will be mentioned, including the genocides against Serbs," Vucic added.

The government of Republika Srpska, which occupies almost half of the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has announced that it will prepare an agreement on peaceful separation with the second entity of the state, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is predominantly populated by Muslim Bosniaks and Croats.

According to the newspaper, the key will be the development of events in Bosnia. "The leadership of Republika Srpska, led by Milorad Dodik, has been threatening to secede from Bosnia and Herzegovina for years, but these threats have so far looked like blackmail, and there has been no transition from words to actions," the newspaper writes.

Addendum

The document condemns "unconditionally any denial of the genocide in Srebrenica as a historical event."