Speeches and Interviews of the Permanent Representative

Statement by Alexander Lukashevich, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation,

at the 1154th meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council

on the anniversary of the tragic events in Srebrenica

13 July 2017

Mr. Chairperson,
The eleventh of July is a sorrowful date connected with the tragedy in Srebrenica and the surrounding area during the armed conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995. It once again offers us the possibility of paying tribute to the memory of the victims of this terrible crime and of expressing our condolences to their friends and relatives.
Without a doubt, the events in Srebrenica were one of the symbols of the massive tragedy that took place in the Western Balkans at the end of the twentieth and start of the twenty-first centuries and the whole series of terrible crimes that took the lives of thousands of peaceful Bosnians, Croats, Serbs and Albanians – people of different nationalities and confessions. We have consistently called for all of the perpetrators of the countless tragedies during the years of the Balkan crisis to be brought to justice, regardless of their ethnic or religious affiliation. We consider artificial attempts to place the blame for the events of those years on one nation to be extremely dangerous.
At the same time, we believe that it is extremely important to attempt to bring about lasting reconciliation in the region. The memory of Srebrenica should not prevent the grave legacy of the war in former Yugoslavia from being overcome as quickly as possible. We welcome the measures undertaken by the leaders of the States in the region to strengthen relations between States and to promote inter-ethnic and inter-confessional harmony. We are convinced that only a forward-looking approach based on co-operation has any historical perspective in the Balkans.
Thank you for your attention.