The new draft submitted to the forum by Germany and Rwanda received 84 votes in favor, 19 against and 68 abstentions.
After its approval, July 11 was established as the International Day of Remembrance of the Srebrenica Genocide, in allusion to the events that took place in 1995 in that Bosnian city during the Balkan wars, where nearly 8,000 Muslims were killed after the breakup of Yugoslavia.
Shortly before the vote, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic assured this measure will only open old wounds and create complete political chaos.
Vucic called the proposal highly politicized and added that it would not contribute to reconciliation in Bosnia and the region, but would open a Pandora’s box.
However, he did not deny the killings in Srebrenica and said he bowed his head to all the victims of the Bosnian conflict.
The text assuresthe blame for the events is “individualized and cannot be attributed to any ethnic, religious or other group or community as a whole.”
However, Serbian authorities warned that dealing with “historically sensitive issues only serves to deepen division and may bring additional instability to the Balkans.”
“The divisions will become deeper and deeper and the resolution will lead to instability in the region,” Vucic said.
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