Turković spoke at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva: The rights of Ukrainians are under attack

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The Deputy Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of BiH and Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH Bisera Turkovic addressed the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council, held in Geneva, on March 1, 2022.

"Today marks 30 years since the restoration of my country's independence in its thousand-year history. Today, we are not the Kingdom of Bosnia nor part of Yugoslavia, but the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. 30 years ago, we were internationally recognized as a sovereign and independent state. And immediately after declaring independence, aggression against my country began. In the capital city of Sarajevo alone, 11,541 people were killed, including 1,601 children. Around 50,000 people were wounded, while the total number of shells fired at Sarajevo was about half a million. All this happened in the heart of Europe. Then we said never again. So, where are we today?" Turković stated. She recalled the words of the German philosopher Hegel, who said: "The only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history."

"War is raging again in the heart of Europe. The fundamental rights of people in Ukraine are under attack and threatened. Do we have the right to do nothing? The war in Bosnia and Herzegovina left deep scars and a constant fear of renewed conflict. The war in Ukraine increases that fear and concern that this could now be the beginning of a larger trend in Eastern Europe. The model of action we see now in Ukraine is similar to what we see in my country. Blocking state institutions and secessionist policies. It cannot be ruled out that it could receive external support to cause unrest and conflicts in Bosnia and Herzegovina once again, in order to further destabilize Europe," she emphasized.

All of this, as she stated, has caused the most serious political and security crisis in the country since 1995.

"One of the political players is threatening to call his 'friends' for help in case of resistance to his political positions, considering that the Russian Federation opposes Bosnia and Herzegovina's progress towards NATO and the EU," Minister Turković said, among other things.