Landmark victory of ZAVNOBiH in the State Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina

At the session of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the proposal of Denis Bećirović on affirming ZAVNOBiH values and establishing the ZAVNOBiH award was adopted. This voting result in the highest legislative body of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina represents the first victory of ZAVNOBiH, anti-fascist and democratic values in the post-Dayton state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

- Through democratic voting, in accordance with the Constitution of BiH and the Rules of Procedure of the House of Representatives of the PA BiH, it has been definitively confirmed that there is no doubt that November 25 is the legal Statehood Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina and that in the coming period we should all together thoughtfully affirm this holiday. One of the ways of affirmation is the establishment of the Law on the ZAVNOBiH Award at the state level - announced by the SDP.

The SDP BiH assesses that yesterday's vote in the state parliament represents a new and unavoidable fact that in the coming period will not be able to be ignored or bypassed in any way. After such a voting outcome, any attempt by Milorad Dodik to challenge ZAVNOBiH and the Statehood Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina through an appeal will represent, to an even greater extent, a mere political absurdity and failure.

In the explanation of this proposal, Denis Bećirović, among other things, said:

- In the thousand-year history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, there is no event comparable to ZAVNOBiH. There is no historical parallel to ZAVNOBiH. There are no documents, by origin and provenance, of identical or similar content and significance, which in such a way confirm the historical-political individuality of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

No pre-ZAVNOBiH era can show such testimony. That is why today we proudly mark the most grandiose, brightest and most significant date in the long history of our state. ZAVNOBiH is more than a conference, more than a politically significant event. It is a date and event of the highest rank, an event that changes the direction of history and brings new social forces and new political ideas onto the historical stage.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is an unquestionable achievement of centuries-old history, which was not created by agreements of either internal or external factors, so for its survival and development it is important that it is free, and the freedom of its ethno-confessional communities is not ensured and strengthened by debates about which of them is the greater and decisive constituent of the state, but by a democratic legal order that guarantees them equality.

The ideas and messages of ZAVNOBiH point to tolerance, togetherness, peace and non-violence. That is why these ideas are more relevant today than ever. Some forget that hatred is dangerous for the one who is hated, and (perhaps even more) for the one who hates. The first session of ZAVNOBiH represents a shining example of protest against hatred, divisions, fratricide and genocide. With its philosophy and spirit of peace and togetherness, ZAVNOBiH, even after six decades, shapes the geopolitical territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The ideas and principles of ZAVNOBiH outlive all forms of destruction and disintegration of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The great historical meaning of the First Session of ZAVNOBiH lies precisely in the fact that in the Bosnian-Herzegovinian conglomerate of social, religious and national elements, it found a point of synthesis. The Bosnian-Herzegovinian anti-fascists, precisely through the First Session of ZAVNOBiH, demonstrated a sense of gathering and the policy of continuity of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian state. It can be freely stated that had it not been for those political forces, there would have been no ZAVNOBiH, nor would there have been the anti-fascist struggle that resulted in the restoration of the statehood of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

These facts, as well as numerous others, unequivocally show that the principles, philosophy and messages of ZAVNOBiH are still relevant today and represent an inexhaustible source and lasting inspiration for democratic and anti-fascist forces in our homeland - Bećirović emphasized.