Press release

Foreign Secretary condemns disturbances at Srebrenica Memorial

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond expresses disappointment at the disturbances at the Srebrenica Memorial and underlines the importance of the peoples of the Western Balkans moving forward together in reconciliation and cooperation.

This was published under the 2015 to 2016 Cameron Conservative government

Following news that a small number of people had thrown stones at the Serbian Prime Minister who was attending the memorial, the Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said:

People from across Bosnia and Herzegovina, the region and the international community gathered at Potocari today to commemorate the genocide in Srebrenica and victims on all sides of the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I welcome in particular Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic’s attendance at the Srebrenica memorial and deplore the way a few individuals have sought to ruin the solemnity of today’s commemoration. Their action should not be allowed to detract from the sentiments felt by a majority; that the countries and peoples of the Western Balkans need to move forward together in reconciliation and cooperation.

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Published 11 July 2015