Dear President of the United Nations General Assembly, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen!
It
is a special honour for me to address the 79th session of the General Assembly
of the United Nations (UN), as the chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and
Herzegovina. Allow me, Mr. President, to wish you every success in these
complex and challenging times. Furthermore, I congratulate former President Mr
Dennis Francis for successfully presiding over the 78th session of the UN
General Assembly.
Dear President,
it is a great honour to serve the unvanquished state
of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the oldest European states.
We are proud of the fact that the country of Bosnia
has been mentioned in historical sources for 1,075 years. For centuries, my
country has shown resilience, courage and the strength of unity in diversity.
It was not created in Dayton in 1995, but the Dayton Peace Agreement did
confirm the continuity of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. These are
unquestionable historical and legal facts.
Since the end of the war in 1995 until today, Bosnia
and Herzegovina has made great progress.
We rebuilt the country destroyed by the war. We united
the defence system, the judiciary, the tax system and numerous other
institutions.
Today, Bosnia and Herzegovina is at the doorstep of
the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Bosnia and Herzegovina is actively working towards becoming a member of NATO
and the EU. These are our strategic foreign policy goals, which were
unanimously defined by the state authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Ladies and gentlemen,
the whole world is facing numerous challenges and
dangers.
Unfortunately, we live in a world of injustice,
insecurity and intolerance.
Never in history has man had more power and, at the
same time, never felt more insecure than he does today.
In the past two years, we have faced new difficult
challenges, especially those regarding security. The strengthening of
authoritarian populism, the aggression against Ukraine and the suffering of
Gaza have thrown humanity into a deep crisis, with a lot of uncertainty and
fear.
The world is seriously threatened by poverty, disease,
natural disasters, wars and injustice.
It is estimated that every four seconds, one person
dies of hunger. The fact that millions of children in the world live in extreme
poverty is particularly sad.
A justified question arises: why did we allow it to be
incomparably more investment in weapons than in eradicating poverty? It's time
for everyone to realize that human lives are more important than guns.
Otherwise, I fear that we are collectively headed for a global catastrophe.
Regarding climate change, Bosnia and Herzegovina is
fully aware of the global situation and is determined to contribute to global
efforts.
We are committed to the transition to renewable energy
sources and the reduction of harmful gas emissions.
Terrorism is a serious threat. Countering this danger
requires joint and determined efforts.
The world must have a consensus in the fight against
terrorism. Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to show a determined commitment to
the fight against terrorism.
Ladies and gentlemen,
without discovering
the cause, we cannot solve the problems of modern humanity.
We cannot stop the
movement of history, but we can have an impact on its direction. Therefore, I
suggest that we focus on:
- preserving the role of the UN as a global centre of coordination and cooperation;
- the importance of reaffirming the UN Charter;
- strengthening the multilateral system, in accordance with international law;
- intensification of the reform processes in the UN;
- joint action to strengthen the credibility of the UN;
- efficient implementation of Agenda 2030 and its sustainable development goals;
- restore trust and cooperation among nations on key global issues;
- providing a chance for mutual trust, inclusiveness and a democratic vision of leadership;
- and to strengthen preventive diplomacy in the time of geopolitical fragmentation of the world.
Together, let's open
space for creative global cooperation, instead of the geopolitics of rivalry
and conflict in the 21st century.
Conflicts and
destruction are not the essence of our civilization. We are building a culture
of dialogue, cooperation and peace. Peace and stability have no alternative.
Ladies and gentlemen,
humanity is
once again in a severe moral and political crisis. The UN did not react
adequately in Ukraine and Gaza, just the same as during the aggression against
Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995.
The Russian
Federation's aggression against Ukraine is a flagrant example of violation of
the UN Charter and international law. That is why we once again reiterate our
firm condemnation of Russian aggression and support for the independence,
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
The suffering
and suffering of Palestinian civilians and children is terrifying. Gaza is a
heavy defeat of collective humanity in the 21st century.
All human
lives are equally valuable. Civilized people must fight for the human rights of
all people, regardless of their racial, religious, ethnic or other affiliation.
Bosnia and
Herzegovina is the only country in Europe where genocide was committed after
World War II.
This was ruled
by the highest courts of the UN. The verdicts on the committed genocide against
Bosniaks have legal, historical, civilizational and moral significance.
Unfortunately,
the ideology, politics and media that led to the genocide are once again
threatening Bosnia and Herzegovina.
I especially
want to thank the UN General Assembly for adopting the Resolution on July 11 as
the International Day of Remembrance and Commemoration of the Srebrenica
Genocide on May 23 this year.
This
resolution is a highly moral and civilizing act of the UN General Assembly. The
adopted Resolution is equally important for the UN as it is for Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
Let's preserve
the truth about the genocides in Srebrenica and Rwanda for the sake of the
past, present and future.
Despite all
the injustices, Bosnia and Herzegovina remains firmly committed to regional
cooperation, as one of the main strategic foreign policy objectives.
Bosnia and
Herzegovina is a peaceful country, committed to strengthening regional
cooperation. That is why we actively participate in numerous regional
initiatives.
For the
peaceful future of the Western Balkans, it is of crucial importance that all
countries understand that there are no changes in national borders. Those who
try to question it risk a dangerous destabilization of the region, with unfathomable
consequences.
Ladies and gentlemen,
here, behind the podium at the UN General Assembly, I
want to publicly warn the world public that the leadership of the Republic of
Serbia is once again threatening the sovereignty and territorial integrity of
Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Expansionist claims by Serbia towards the territories
of other countries are the key reason why Bosnia and Herzegovina and the
Western Balkans are exposed to new dangers.
One of the pieces of evidence that speaks of this is
the destructive Declaration of the so-called All-Serb Assembly. I remind you,
the Declaration was adopted in Belgrade on June 8 of this year.
It is not an ordinary declaratory act, but a dangerous
expansionist program document, which threatens the Dayton Peace Agreement and
the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The content of this declaration is absolutely opposite
of:
- democratic and civilized world practices;
- international and national law;
- fundamental principles of the European Union;
- the principles on which the relations between UN members are based.
This declaration is a threat to regional peace,
independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Finally, as the chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia
and Herzegovina, I would like to point out that I am proud of my heroic and
dignified homeland, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Despite the genocide, crimes against humanity and
associated criminal enterprises, my country achieved a civilizational and moral
victory in the previous decades.
People in my country want peace and cooperation.
We affirm humanity and solidarity.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a global story of hope,
courage and togetherness.
We will protect Bosnia and Herzegovina and its unity
in diversity!
By doing that, we also contribute to global unity.
Thank you for your attention.