President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik stated for SRNA that the commemorative gathering in Potočari was politically used to maintain a false narrative about what happened in Srebrenica in July 1995.
“When you add the fake Christian Schmidt to that, the entire untruth gains its full meaning,” Dodik said.
He pointed out that the Bosniak member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denis Bećirović, spoke at the event irresponsibly and angrily, fabricating various accusations against the Serb side.
“Following the old false narrative, he didn’t hesitate to accuse Serbia of alleged involvement, although the International Court of Justice stated that Serbia was not involved. Still, they don’t mind lying, believing that by constantly repeating the lie, they will impose something that didn’t happen,” Dodik said.
He noted that Bećirović constantly targets Serbia and the Serb people.
“Serbia is targeted as the most important country in the Balkans, a country that contributes to stability and peace and, under the leadership of Aleksandar Vučić, preserves that peace and eliminates any possibility of conflict. Serbia cannot remain silent and must say that a lie is a lie,” Dodik emphasized.
He stated that a terrible crime did occur in Srebrenica and that he regrets the loss of innocent lives.
“One day, Muslims must understand that those who died in Srebrenica were soldiers killed in armed conflict, not civilians. But they would prefer to portray every uniformed soldier as a civilian,” Dodik said.
He stressed that unlike Serb politicians who remained silent on a day when Bosniak families mourn—a day whose pain should not be touched—Bećirović touched that pain with lies and spoke falsehoods at a place of mourning.
“It would have been dignified if he had spoken about the pain of the families. Everything he said about the role of Serbs, about genocide, the role of Serbia, Vučić, and many other things was a lie,” Dodik said.
He clarified that he did not intend to offend anyone—not any Muslim victim or Muslim individual—but wanted to highlight that Bećirović is a politician who persistently and systematically lies.
He noted that Bećirović repeatedly mentioned Serbia and the alleged aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina, although nowhere was it determined that this was an act of aggression, and the Dayton Agreement defined the conflict as a tragic regional war.
“How can we Serbs be aggressors in our own country? They’re trying to attribute the activities of paramilitary formations that came from Serbia as the official stance of Serbia. They had the El Mujahid unit with 4,500 Islamic holy warriors—classic killers—who were promoted and inspected by Alija Izetbegović,” Dodik stated.
Furthermore, he said, Šefik Džaferović, former chief of the Security Center and a witness to the killing of Serbs, never initiated any proceedings against those responsible.
Dodik claimed that Bećirović is part of a chain of lies and never hesitates to slander and lie about Serbs—yet expects them to remain silent.
“What’s even more dangerous is that he holds the office of a member of the BiH Presidency and claims to be committed to peace and tolerance, yet he never mentions the quote from Ibran Mustafić’s book about how Naser Orić killed judge Slobodan Ilić. Do you think that isn’t enough to condemn Orić? Clearly, it’s not enough for the Muslims,” Dodik said.
Additionally, he pointed out that Bećirović never once attempted to uncover who and why someone tried to assassinate Vučić in Potočari.
“Years have passed and nothing has been done,” Dodik stated.
Commenting on the speech of Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković in Potočari, Dodik said it would have been more appropriate for Plenković to refrain from making declarations about genocide, considering unresolved issues regarding Jasenovac and other locations involving his own people.
“I said yesterday that I wouldn’t comment, but today I must respond to these political lies they are trying to establish as a narrative,” Dodik said.
He stated that over 8,000 people were not killed in Srebrenica.
“The fact is that in July 1995, there were 33,000 people in Srebrenica, of whom 28,000 left without obstruction, by bus, including women and children. General Ratko Mladić personally saw them off and told them they had nothing to fear. And indeed, they reached Muslim-controlled territory. That means the number of 8,000 killed, as they claim, is simply not possible,” Dodik said.
He emphasized that Republika Srpska has already stated its official position, which includes accepting the report of the Independent Commission that established the nature of the crime in Srebrenica and the number of casualties.
“Republika Srpska shares the pain and grief of the families,” Dodik added.
Regarding the religious part of the commemoration, Dodik stated that the head of the Islamic Community of BiH, Husein Kavazović, overstepped his role, turning the event into a political gathering.
“Kavazović cannot speak on political classifications of events. We respect every religious way of commemorating, as we respect the pain, the gathering, and the laying of flowers,” Dodik said.
Commenting on the fact that Serb media from Republika Srpska and Serbia were denied accreditation to cover the event in Potočari, Dodik said it reveals how open-minded and cooperative those organizers truly are.
Source: RTRS
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