BiH Presidency Members Komšić and Džaferović Send Messages on Independence Day

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Members of the BiH Presidency Željko Komšić and Šefik Džaferović sent messages and congratulations on the occasion of March 1, BiH Independence Day. 

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, members of the Presidency are unable to organize the traditional reception, and therefore sent a message to the citizens and peoples of BiH. 

Željko Komšić said "that 29 years ago we witnessed a great historical event, which will remain inscribed in golden letters in its long history."

"By the freely expressed will of the majority of its citizens, Bosnia and Herzegovina became an independent state. That act marked the beginning of the process of gaining independence, a process that, judging by everything, is still ongoing. Our state was not given to us, but was preserved with the greatest possible sacrifices and victims. Despite all the challenges we face today, with all the current problems, we must still fight for its integrity and survival," he said.

He emphasizes that "those who tried by all means to annul the majority expressed will of the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992, have not deviated one millimeter from their goals today."

"The same forces that militarily attacked and undermined the country because of its independence and sovereignty are still active and acting against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"Today they do not ride on the tanks of a renegade army, they do not shell cities and kill civilians, but they use institutions and all possible opportunities to hinder and set back the country. At first glance, it is difficult to compare these two ways of destroying our country, but the consequences of both persist and deepen. With the same fervor with which we fought for independence, freedom, honor and equality after March 1, 1992, we should today oppose the destructive forces that weaken our homeland, but this time through the very institutions of the state. I understand how some of our people have grown tired of waiting for that so-called better tomorrow, waiting for an orderly democratic responsible state. We have no choice but to continue the further struggle for our Bosnia and Herzegovina, relying primarily on ourselves. We have no other way! It will soon be three decades since the declaration of independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina. To put it very simply and comparing that period to a human life, one would say that we have entered an active and mature period of the life of an independent state," said Komšić.

He concluded that Bosnia and Herzegovina, unfortunately, in “its thirties”, since gaining independence, some offer to continue living as if it were a child.

"A child that, from East and West, they consider immature and unprepared for an independent life," Komšić stated in his message.

Member of the BiH Presidency Šefik Džaferović recalled that 29 years ago a referendum on the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina was held. In the context of the general uncertainty and crisis caused by the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina bravely and with dignity took their own destiny into their own hands.

"At that time, the vast majority of the citizens of this country, members of all its peoples, chose the path of freedom and dignity. The path of an independent and internationally recognized state was charted – a state of equal peoples and citizens. It was one of the most significant moments in our entire history. The democratic will expressed on March 1, 1992, was of crucial importance for the survival of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina then chose an independent and integral state, rejecting ideas about its division and annexation to other states. On this day, we must remember and pay tribute to all those who defended the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina with their lives and ensured its survival. Without their readiness to defend sovereignty and territorial integrity at any cost, there would be no Bosnia and Herzegovina today," Džaferović stated in his message.

He added that thanks to the legacy of March 1, Bosnia and Herzegovina is today an independent and internationally recognized state, striving to become part of the European and Euro-Atlantic family, as a global symbol of security and prosperity.

"The future of our state lies in integration, connection, understanding and joint efforts to ensure conditions for future generations to build a society based on European values and standards, in which dialogue and mutual respect for our differences will be the foundation of well-being for all. That is our debt to past, present and future generations. In that name, I once again extend my warmest congratulations to all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the occasion of Independence Day. May our only homeland – Bosnia and Herzegovina – live forever," Džaferović said.