Statement by DPM and Foreign Minister Ibrahimović following the 89th Cabinet session

Dear citizens,

The Montenegrin Cabinet has just concluded its 89th session, with the first item on the agenda dedicated to marking the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.

Today, Montenegro stands alongside the world’s leading democratic nations that uphold the highest standards of human rights and civilizational values.

Last year, the United Nations adopted a resolution calling on all member states to promote a culture of remembrance and to officially observe 11 July as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica. Montenegro supported this resolution and committed to its implementation, including full respect for the verdicts of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, which legally established that the crime committed in Srebrenica was genocide.

Our state commitment was previously reaffirmed through the 2021 Resolution of the Parliament of Montenegro. Today's Cabinet session, the exhibition in the Government building, and a series of commemorative events—culminating with the official delegation to Potočari, which I will lead—represent a clear expression of Montenegro’s national commitment to building a better future through remembrance and learning from the past.

The genocide in Srebrenica was the gravest crime committed on European soil since World War II. Over the course of just a few days, at least 8,372 people were murdered—simply because they were Bosniaks. It was a horrific triumph of madness over reason, one that must never be repeated.

It is our moral and civilizational duty to remember, to learn, and to do everything in our power to ensure that such evil is never repeated.

Confronting the past is a prerequisite for reconciliation.

That is why, from this place, I call on all people to uphold our shared humanity—to remember and honor the victims, to speak out, and to build a shared future free from hatred, suffering, crimes, and genocide.