Head of Mission of 🇧🇦 to NATO, former ambassador of 🇧🇦 to 🇬🇧 and 🇮🇪 Mountain biker, hiker, skier, windsurfer. Private profile, views own!
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Joined April 2018
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🧵Today I've had the pleasure to meet with @natobih NHQSa Commander, Brigadier General James Fowler, accompanied by our Deputy MILREP, Colonel Elvedin Omić. We have discussed a number of topics, including the NATO 3.0 concept and how it will impact NATO partner countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina.
We have also discussed the ways that the BiH defense industries can increase the country's visibility and relevance through cooperation and investments with defense industries based in NATO countries, and that is something that should be further explored in a more coordinated way.
Shameless appeasement and relativization of evil as a policy ... one that unmistakenly reminds of 🇪🇺 and 🇺🇳 “posture” regarding the aggression on 🇧🇦 between 1992-95, especially to the days leading to July 11th 1995 and the Srebrenica genocide.
#Neveragain ?? Right….
Today’s statement by the European Commission’s spokesperson on the funeral of Ratko #Mladić, convicted by an international court of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, is something everyone following 🇪🇺’s enlargement policy should take a closer look at.
It reveals far more about Brussels than about Belgrade.
The Commission made two claims.
First, that the burial is 🇷🇸’s business alone: “It is up to #Serbia to decide how it will organise the funeral.”
Second, that the state honours announced beforehand had, by the Commission’s own assessment, not taken place: “We heard that a funeral with state honours was planned, but it did not happen.”
The facts say otherwise.
🇷🇸 flew Mladić’s remains home on a government plane, with the justice minister escorting the coffin from The Hague. Soldiers carried it wrapped in the national flag. Ministers and state institutions took part, and the army stood guard over the coffin.
So today’s real message is that some in the Commission would rather redefine what they plainly see than concede they have no answer. Its statement is a symbol of the 🇪🇺’s weakness, of its lack of leverage in 🇷🇸, and of the collapse of whatever remains of enlargement policy beyond 🇲🇪 and 🇦🇱.
Alas….
The public glorification of Ratko Mladić, a convicted war criminal responsible for the Srebrenica genocide and crimes against humanity, is unlawful under national and international law. All authorities must uphold accountability, protect victims’ rights, and defend justice.
Read my full statement ⬇️
coe.int/en/web/commissioner/…
Remembering Srebrenica's statement on the death of Ratko Mladic
@SrebrenicaUK
Vanja Filipovic retweeted
To our friends abroad: @SrebrenicaMC
finds itself under assault again by the Bosnian Serb police.
Twenty six individuals who have cooperated professionally with the Srebrenica Memorial Center at one time or another over the course of the last five years have been summoned for questioning by the Republika Srpska police. These individuals were engaged transparently and lawfully in the implementation of the Memorial Center’s educational, research, commemorative and outreach activities.
The scale and manner of this action raise serious concerns that legitimate cooperation with the Memorial Center is being treated as grounds for police scrutiny. Irrespective of the stated procedural basis, summoning such a large number of associates inevitably creates an atmosphere of intimidation and sends a disturbing message to survivors, returnees, researchers, educators, young people and others who contribute to the preservation of the truth about the Srebrenica genocide.
This development must also be understood in the broader context in which the Memorial Center operates. Our institution is entrusted with preserving the memory of the victims, documenting the genocide, supporting survivors and educating future generations. We carry out this mandate in an environment where genocide denial, the glorification of convicted war criminals and political pressure remain persistent realities.
The Memorial Center is a state-level institution of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Attempts to intimidate its associates or discourage members of the local community from participating in its programmes directly undermine its institutional mandate and threaten the space for remembrance, research, education and freedom of expression.
We remain fully committed to transparency, accountability and cooperation with all competent institutions acting within their lawful authority. At the same time, we cannot remain silent when administrative or law-enforcement mechanisms appear to be used in a manner that creates fear among people connected to the Memorial Center and places additional pressure on an already vulnerable returnee community.
We therefore respectfully call upon our diplomatic and international partners to follow these developments closely and to reaffirm their support for the independence, integrity and uninterrupted work of the Srebrenica Memorial Center. International attention and solidarity are particularly important at moments when those committed to remembrance and truth are made to feel unsafe or exposed because of their cooperation with our institution.
Thank you for standing with us.
Vanja Filipovic retweeted
This week, the United Kingdom came together at Church House, Westminster, to mark the 31st anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.
Survivors, bereaved families, parliamentarians, international leaders, faith and civic leaders, and communities from across the country gathered to remember more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys murdered in July 1995.
This year’s theme, We Are Here, centred the voices of survivors, the strength of the Bosnian community, and the responsibility we all carry to remember. It was a reminder that survivors are here. Their families are here. The Bosnian community is here. And our responsibility to remember, to learn, and to challenge hatred remains with all of us.
#Srebrenica31 #WeAreHere
Vanja Filipovic retweeted
Today at the UK National Srebrenica Memorial Day Ceremony, we honoured the victims of the 1995 genocide.
Having visited Bosnia and Herzegovina, the immense courage of the Mothers of Srebrenica will remain with me forever. London stands against hatred, always.
ALT London Mayor, Sadiq Khan and two guests pose for a photograph at the formal reception in a wood-panelled hall.
ALT London Mayor, Sadiq Khan among Denis Bećirović and Željko Komšić for a group photograph during a formal reception in a wood-panelled venue.
ALT London Mayor, Sadiq Khan addresses attendees from a podium beside a Remembering Srebrenica banner at a commemorative event.
ALT Attendees gather in a large auditorium for a commemorative event featuring a speech and presentation.
Vanja Filipovic retweeted
One of the most haunting moments of the Srebrenica genocide was when Bosnian Serb soldiers forced Ramo Osmanović to call his son, Nermin, out of hiding with false promises of safety.
Nermin surrendered, and both father and son were later executed.
Vanja Filipovic retweeted
I was deeply moved to visit Srebrenica last week.
Today, as we stop to remember the victims and families who mourn them, we must also commit ourselves to fighting violence, and dehumanisation wherever we encounter it, and stopping hatred from taking hold.
Today, on the 31st anniversary, we remember Srebrenica.
On 11 July 1995, 8,372 men and boys were murdered simply for who they were.
Fathers, sons, brothers.
Their lives were stolen, but their memory lives on - in the silence of graves, in the strength of survivors, the generations since who have rebuilt and remembered, and in our promise to never forget.
We remember their stories and know that when we listen, when we learn, when we speak out, we too say: We Are Here.
And together we say: never again means never again.
#Srebrenica31 #Srebrenica #SrebrenicaGenocide #RememberingSrebrenica
Vanja Filipovic retweeted
The Srebrenica genocide is among the darkest episodes in Europe’s history.
We honour the victims by upholding historical truth, preserving their memory, and ensuring that the lessons of Srebrenica endure for future generations.
There is no place in Europe for genocide denial, revisionism, or the glorification of convicted war criminals.
The European Union remains firmly committed to Bosnia and Herzegovina's European future as a sovereign, united, multiethnic and democratic country.
Read the full statement by HR/VP @kajakallas and Commissioner @MartaKosEU ⬇️
ec.europa.eu/commission/pres…
Today, Bosnia and Herzegovina marks 34 years of membership in the United Nations. On this day in 1992, the flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina was raised at UN Headquarters, marking one of the most significant moments in the country’s modern history and affirming its place within the international community.
Since becoming a member on 22 May 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina has remained committed to multilateralism, dialogue, and international cooperation. Over the years, our country has contributed through mandates in the United Nations Security Council, engagement in the United Nations Human Rights Council and the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission, as well as participation in UN peace operations worldwide.
Guided by the values of peace, respect for international law, and shared responsibility, Bosnia and Herzegovina remains committed to contributing to a stronger, more cooperative, and more resilient international community. 🇧🇦🇺🇳
🇧🇦🤝🇧🇪
🇧🇦My mission to the Western Balkans ended with a visit that reminds us that stability and security in the Balkans are essential: Srebrenica, sadly known for the genocide that took place there in 1995.
I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to remember, support international justice, and reject any form of denial or glorification of war crimes.
Diplomacy is not only about institutions and agreements; it is also a question of humanity. Acknowledging suffering, listening to communities, and recognising the dignity of every identity are essential steps toward rebuilding trust. In a region where memories remain vivid and identities are often politicised, continuing to connect people and perspectives is indispensable for reconciliation.
Supporting regional stability in the Western Balkans is not merely a strategic priority; it is a responsibility we share to ensure that peace, coexistence, and mutual understanding remain the foundations upon which the region can continue to build.
As conclusion of my mission, let me underline it again: the Western Balkans deserve our attention and support. Let’s work together to make their European integration work, for the good of our continent’s future.🇪🇺
@BelgiumMFA
