Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission, and Štefan Füle, EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy made the following statement today:

«The Srebrenica commemoration is a day on which great pain is felt by many both inside and outside Bosnia and Herzegovina. Our thoughts are with all those who lost loved ones in the July 1995 genocide.

Srebrenica remains a silent memorial to unspeakable crimes against humanity. 

Today’s commemoration underlines the responsibility of those in positions of authority both inside Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the region to contribute to the process of justice, reconciliation, and recognition of what happened. We look to them to make further progress towards a future in which events like those in Srebrenica are unimaginable and the victims of past crimes are honoured by all.  

For the survivors of Srebrenica, their pain and their grief will remain till the end of their days. Remembrance and the delivery of justice through the courts will bring consolation at best. But reconciling for the future, a better European future, is a promise that we must pursue for the next generation. »