Mahmutbegović: The destruction of the Old Bridge will certainly be the subject of extensive and substantive analyses

We remember with great sadness November 9, 1993, when the symbol of Mostar, Herzegovina, and the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina – the Old Bridge – was destroyed. Future generations will probably still for decades find it incomprehensible that the political and military leadership of a para-state entity on the territory of a sovereign, internationally recognized state made the decision to destroy one of the most significant cultural and historical monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This fact will certainly be the subject of extensive and substantive analyses – it was announced from the Office of the Vice President of the FBiH, Melika Mahmutbegović.

The concern is all the greater because this architectural gem cannot be identified with just one confession, but rather it is a stone arch that certainly symbolizes connection and togetherness, i.e., those values on which the most advanced states of today are based.

It is undeniable that the Old Bridge and other cultural-historical and religious objects were deliberately destroyed in the name and for the goals of certain ideals that will never be able to take root on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. People lived, live, and will always live in Bosnia and Herzegovina in a community permeated by respect for the other and the different – this practically means 'living with each other, not next to each other,' as many Hague indictees wished for and their followers today try to glorify.

Followers must know and always keep in mind that civilized citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina who strive for democratic values and the prosperity of overall socio-political movements and events will always be in the majority, that they will vigorously oppose all attempts to create any form of segregation and will work to preserve and improve what our neighbors and Europe can envy us for – the existence and proximity of mosques, churches, and synagogues.