800 km long journey: Pahor receives cyclists who set off for Potočari on Sunday

President of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor received a team of cyclists who will ride 800 km to Srebrenica to pay tribute to the victims of the Srebrenica genocide on July 11, writes the Bosnian news agency Patria.

This is the fourth year that this cycling marathon has been organized, and cyclists from seven Slovenian cities set off on Sunday and will ride to Bihać, from where they will continue together with others towards Potočari.

In this way, they will also pay tribute to the eighteen miners who took leave from the Velenje mine in 1995 and went to help their families in Srebrenica. They were captured and killed there. The Slovenian team includes numerous Bosniaks who live and work in Slovenia, as well as Slovenians.

President Pahor said he is honored to be the patron of all activities in Slovenia related to the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.

"I am especially honored to be a speaker in Potočari. This is not only recognition for me personally, but also for Slovenia, which aims to help Bosnia and Herzegovina - a country that faced war and today is a country with a European perspective and hope for a better future," said Pahor and wished the cyclists a safe journey.

On behalf of the cycling team, Mersad Dervišević expressed gratitude to the Slovenian president, saying that in this way they want to spread a message of peace and that the Srebrenica genocide should never be forgotten or repeated.

We recall that at the end of April, Pahor hosted the Mayor of Srebrenica Municipality Ćamil Duraković and the President of the Association "Mothers of the Srebrenica and Žepa Enclaves" Munira Subašić, and even then he confirmed his attendance in Potočari on July 11, 2015.