Elmedin Konakovic, Bosnia's Foreign Affairs Minister, strongly reacted to the statements by Israeli Ambassador to Serbia on Srebrenica, calling him a “human disgrace.” Pročitaj više

The reaction comes a day after ambassador Yahel Vilan told local media in Serbia that “Israel has never accepted calling the crime in Srebrenica a genocide” and that it is “wrong to use the term genocide for Srebrenica.”

“In the capacity of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, I feel obliged to strongly object the shameful statement of the Ambassador of Israel to Serbia Yahel Vilan, who said that ‘Israel has never accepted calling the crime in Srebrenica a genocide’. These words are not only profoundly wrong but are also offensive towards the victims and the Srebrenica genocide survivors as well as those in the international community who appreciate truth and justice,” said Konakovic.

He also said that comparing Holocaust and Srebrenica genocide, which the ambassador did, is not a matter of a “competition in suffering but recognising that each victim of a crime against humanity deserves equal honour and justice.”

“Diminishing the crimes in Srebrenica under the guise of ‘the importance of the term’ is not only intellectually unfair but is morally questionable. Mr Vilan, your words are not only irresponsible but are an offense for fundamental values that each and every diplomat should not only appreciate but also promote. You are a shame for diplomacy and a human disgrace,” Konakovic said.

He stressed that Bosnia and Herzegovina will continue protecting the truth about Srebrenica and genocide, ready to confront everyone who tries to diminish its importance or to deny this tragic truth of the recent history.

The ambassador addressed the issue amidst the ongoing discussion on the upcoming vote on the resolution on Srebrenica before the UN General Assembly.