SARAJEVO, APRIL 15 (ONASA) – General of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH) and Vice President of the FBiH Refik Lendo said on the occasion of the ARBiH Day that it is the duty of the authorities, institutions and every individual to teach future generations about the honorable and crucial role of the ARBiH and its members in defense against aggression.
For the MINA Agency, General Lendo spoke about the memories that the Day of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina awakens in him, the role of the Army, the construction of the homeland today, but also other significant issues.
“Army Day of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina is filled with a sense of pride and gratitude. I remember with pride the firm and indomitable determination of the citizens and people of Bosnia and Herzegovina to defend the territorial integrity, political sovereignty and constitutional order of the sovereign and internationally recognized state of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina from aggression, organized into the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. I remember with respect and gratitude our best daughters and sons, our martyrs and fallen fighters. Those who gave the most valuable thing they had, their own lives, for the freedom and independence of our only homeland”, General Lendo said.
Speaking about the role of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lendo reminded that, as the only legal and legitimate armed formation of the sovereign and internationally recognized state of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it had the task of defending territorial integrity, political sovereignty, constitutional order and the lives of all its citizens from aggression. citizens.
“Thanks to the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its members, today, as an internationally recognized state within its historical borders, Bosnia and Herzegovina has acquired the status of a negotiator for full membership in the European Union. I am sure that soon we will receive the negotiation framework and open the negotiation chapters. Therefore, the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina fulfilled its basic task, defended the country from aggression and created the conditions for a better and more prosperous future”, he stressed.
He also referred to whether those who made an immeasurable contribution to the defense of the homeland have been forgotten today.
“As a general of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, I can testify to the bravery and self-sacrifice of its members. The way they expressed themselves in battle, society should express itself in peace, and allow them to enjoy the rights and status they deserve. The authorities must do everything in their power to fulfill the obligation morally and legally entrusted to them. If there is a need to adopt some kind of regulation, or to grant compensation, or to increase some amount, or to grant some right that belongs to it, that should be done without delay,” he said.
The culture of memory is awareness and knowledge about people, events and processes whose actions are embedded in history with consequences for the decisions we make today, believes General Lendo, and says that nurturing and raising awareness of the culture of memory of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina is of particular importance for the state.
“In this regard, it is the responsibility of the authorities, institutions and each of us individually to teach future generations about the honorable and crucial role of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its members in defense against aggression. It is my personal belief that for the purpose of developing and affirming the culture of memory, it is always possible to raise awareness and invest additional funds”, General Lendo said.
Patriotic forces defended the homeland, which was followed by a period of construction. We also talked with General Lendo about whether we have strayed from that very path – building the homeland, and how to respond to today’s challenges.
“Each time brings its own challenges. During the period of aggression, the task was the defense of the state, and after the end of the aggression, its restoration and construction. Of course, the circumstances change, but the goal remains the same, the construction of a legal state with the highest degree of legal certainty and the rule of law, whose laws and other regulations are harmonized with the legal acquis of the European Union. “Strengthening economic potential, creating a favorable environment for the influx of foreign investments, building traffic infrastructure, diversifying sources of energy and investing in green and renewable energy sources”, he emphasized.
General Lendo also commented that the General Assembly of the United Nations proposed the adoption of a resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica, which, among other things, will mark July 11 as an international day of remembrance for the victims of genocide.
“After the end of the Second World War, the legal intelligentsia of the free world took time to think about how and in what way to punish criminals who planned and committed serious crimes against international law. The idea of the Nuremberg court was best described by one of the chief prosecutors, at that time the judge of the Supreme Court of the United States, Robert H. Jackson. In his introductory speech, he said, among other things, ‘that the act in which the victorious states stopped the hand of revenge and left the criminals to the court of justice, is the greatest respect that power has shown to reason'”, he stated.
He added that on the basis of the idea of Nuremberg, the International Criminal Court for the former Yugoslavia established with the force of final court judgments the fact that the genocide against Bosniaks was planned and carried out in Srebrenica.
“The verdicts contain the entire architecture of planning and execution of genocide with the role of each individual. The importance of material evidence, especially forensic evidence, is evidenced by the fact that DNA analysis of the remains was piloted in Srebrenica with the aim of their identification. So, the criminal-legal and factual aspects of the genocide in Srebrenica are thoroughly documented, and the strength of court rulings protects them from revisionism,” said Lendo.
On the other hand, he pointed out, the resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica that will be included in the work of the United Nations General Assembly concerns the victims and the memory of the victims of the genocide in Srebrenica.
“The International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Genocide is a day on which the whole world, which accepts civilizational values as the basic norm of life in a democratically organized society of the free world, will be the voice of those who are no longer there. The adoption of the resolution is a show of respect for the victims and families of the victims of the genocide committed in Srebrenica,” Lendo emphasized in the interview.
Finally, he delivered a message for the challenging and fraught times in which we find ourselves.
“In complex and challenging times, both in the country and in the world, it is necessary to gather and unite all political, intellectual and other capacities with the aim of protecting the best interests of the country. The state has no alternative, and the interests of the state must not have opposition”, said General Lendo, and he congratulated all members of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the families of martyrs and fallen soldiers and all citizens on Army Day of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.