Brussels, 26 July 2018
Dear members of the association Srebrenica Mothers,
It is with great sadness that I have learnt of the passing away of Hatidža Mehmedovič, president of your association. On behalf of the European Commission, I would like to express my sincere condolences to those closest to her.
I was very impressed and touched when I met Hatidža three years ago, during her visit to Brussels to attend the opening of the photographic exhibition “The Women of Srebrenica” at the European Commission to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.
The genocide of Srebrenica scarred Europe as a whole. It left innumerable deep wounds. It imposes the moral obligation on us all never to forget. Reconciliation remains the fundamental objective of our activities, which requires finding all missing persons and bringing war criminals to justice, thus bringing justice and closure to the victims and their families. The EU has supported these efforts throughout the last two decades, and will continue to do so.
We have been fortunate to have Hatidža among us as an inspiration for our work on justice and reconciliation. We must keep her legacy alive by continuing our efforts for a common future, built on truth, for Bosnia and Herzegovina and all the Western Balkans in the European Union.
Yours sincerely,
Johannes Hahn
