EU Mission Deputy Head Babajide wrote to associations: We apologize, but we pay tribute to innocent victims on all sides

(Patria) - Chargé d'affaires of the EU Delegation to BiH Adebayo Babajide, who recently, with an EU delegation comprising representatives from several countries, paid tribute at the "Military Cemetery" in Bratunac to "innocent victims" even though soldiers and those who committed crimes against Bosniaks during the aggression are buried there, has sent a letter of apology to victims' associations. The Director of the Srebrenica Memorial Center, Emir Suljagić, whose family members were killed in Bratunac, was the first to react to this act by the EU Delegation. He clearly told the EU Delegation that they would pay for this.
After stormy reactions, Babajide addressed the Association of Victims and Witnesses of Genocide, the Movement "Mothers of the Enclaves of Srebrenica and Žepa", the Association "Women of Podrinje", the Association "Mothers of Srebrenica", and the Association "Women of Srebrenica", Vijesti.ba reports.

"Thank you for your letter of July 17, 2024. We express our deepest regret for the pain we have caused you, as witnesses and survivors of the most horrific crime of genocide. Allow me to clarify that this was by no means our intention when we paid tribute to innocent civilian victims in Bratunac," Babajide states.

He adds that "the European Union's position on the nature of the armed conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995 is clear".

"For its part, the European Union has consistently shown respect for established facts, above all regarding the genocide committed in Srebrenica in 1995. Likewise, the European Union's position on the events in eastern Bosnia between 1992 and 1995 is clear. Genocide was committed in Srebrenica in 1995, as confirmed by the judgments of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in 2004 and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2007. Furthermore, we condemn any attempts to deny, glorify, or relativize the Srebrenica genocide or the role of the perpetrators. We reject any attempts to contextualize or justify the Srebrenica genocide, including references to the suffering of innocent Serb civilian victims in the Birac region," he states.

He adds that "unfortunately, their recent visit to Bratunac was interpreted as equating crimes".

"We assure you that it was not our intention to equate the Srebrenica genocide with the suffering of innocent Serb civilian victims in the Birac area, neither in scope, nor in intent, nor in numbers. Likewise, we believe that this does not mean that we cannot pay tribute to innocent civilian victims on all sides. Every innocent civilian victim is, in itself, a tragedy of war and deserves empathy, respect, and recognition. At the Municipal Cemetery in Bratunac, we paid tribute to innocent civilians, and exclusively innocent civilians, as well as to the pain of those who remember and mourn them," he says in the letter.

He adds that the Municipality of Bratunac confirmed to them that innocent civilian victims from the last war are buried at the Municipal Cemetery.

"Furthermore, they provided us with council decisions confirming that the cemetery we visited is a local municipal cemetery. The monument on which the wreath was laid is a cross without any inscription. We acknowledge that those responsible for crimes are also buried in the Bratunac cemetery. We also acknowledge that you were hurt by paying tribute to civilian victims at that very same location. I repeat that it was by no means our intention, and we apologize for the pain we have caused you. We assure you that we will never, under any circumstances, pay tribute to war criminals. We unequivocally condemn the perpetrators of such crimes.

We consider you advocates of reconciliation through respect for all innocent civilian victims. We also hope that this clarification will help you better understand our intentions. As we regularly emphasize in our continuous engagement, we assure you that we remain fully committed to the truth about the Srebrenica genocide and justice for the victims, as well as the need to ensure justice and compensation for them, and a safe and secure environment for life and remembrance, in the entire eastern Bosnia region and beyond. If you wish for a more in-depth discussion on this matter, we are prepared to meet with you on a day and time of your choosing. Should you be willing, we are available to get acquainted with your views on the visit in more detail firsthand," Babajide states.