The Western Balkans 6 Strategy Group visited the Srebrenica Memorial Centre in Potočari and met with its Director, Emir Suljagić.
Members of the group paid respect to the victims of the Srebrenica genocide and reaffirmed the importance of preserving their memory as an essential part of addressing the legacy of wars and building lasting peace in the Western Balkans.
Thirty-one years after the genocide, the Srebrenica Memorial Centre remains one of the rare places where survivors and victims’ families themselves are entrusted with safeguarding memory, documenting the truth and ensuring that remembrance is shaped by those who experienced the atrocities firsthand.
The visit underlined that the memory of the Srebrenica genocide is not only a national or regional responsibility, but an international one. Sustained international engagement comes as essential to safeguarding facts, supporting memorial institutions and resisting historical revisionism, in particular through cooperation and exchange of practices. We also call on local and national authorities across the region to support the work of the Centre, as they share the responsibility of ensuring that future generations can learn from the past.
Education, particularly of younger generations across the Western Balkans and Europe, remains one of the strongest tools for prevention and fact-based learning about the consequences of genocide and mass atrocities is indispensable for preventing the recurrence of violence.
The delegation also underlined the importance of countering genocide denial and revisionist narratives which come as an instrument to those misusing it for politicization of the victims, genocide and the Memorial itself.
While Bosnia and Herzegovina have existing legal framework (imposed by OHR) prohibiting genocide denial, its consistent and diligent implementation remains yet to be seen. Equally important is strengthening public narratives grounded in facts, judicially established truths and the voices of survivors, as these are fundamental to reconciliation and lasting peace.