Türkiye won't forget nor allow Srebrenica genocide to be forgotten: Erdogan
Türkiye rejects moves aimed at belittling the crime of genocide, ignoring suffering of our brothers, says Turkish President Erdogan.
Bosnia and Herzegovina marked the anniversary by bidding farewell to 50 newly identified victims of the 1995 massacre at a memorial service.
The Turkish president has expressed his strong support for Bosnia and Herzegovina on the 27th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.
"We reject with sadness moves aimed at belittling the crime of genocide, ignoring the suffering of our Bosnian brothers and insulting the memory of our martyrs," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday in his video message to the commemoration ceremony held in Potocari, eastern Bosnia.
"Our pain is still as fresh as it was on the first day. With every discovered mass grave, with every martyr that we see off, our grief and our pain grow," he added.
Erdogan said Türkiye provides all the necessary support for the security, well-being, and brighter future of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"Ensuring the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a strong and prosperous country is our duty to the martyrs we lost in Srebrenica and other parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina. There is no doubt that generations of young people are the guarantee of a peaceful and prosperous Bosnia and Herzegovina," the president said.
He added that Türkiye will neither forget nor allow the Srebrenica genocide to be forgotten.
Bosnia and Herzegovina marked the anniversary by bidding farewell to 50 newly identified victims of the 1995 massacre at a memorial service.
READ MORE: Dozens more genocide victims laid to rest on Srebrenica anniversary
Srebrenica genocide
Every year on July 11, newly identified victims of the genocide are laid to rest at the memorial cemetery in Potocari.
After this year’s funeral, the number of burials in the cemetery rose to 6,721.
The youngest of the victims buried this year was Salim Mustafic, who was 16 when killed, while Husejin Krdzic, 59, was the oldest.
More than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed when Bosnian Serb forces attacked the eastern town of Srebrenica in July 1995, despite the presence of Dutch peacekeeping troops.
Dutch troops failed to act as Serb forces occupied the area, killing some 2,000 men and boys on July 11 alone.
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