The EU on Friday called for the rejection of "genocide denial" and the glorification of convicted war criminals ahead of the 31st anniversary of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre.
In a joint statement, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos paid tribute to "over 8,300 Bosniak men and boys" who they said "were killed in the Srebrenica genocide 31 years ago."
"Our thoughts are with the families of the victims of the genocide. We share the grief of those who endure the anguish of uncertainty about their missing loved ones, and we continue to stand by the survivors whose lives were upended in July 1995," they said.
The two officials described the Srebrenica genocide as "among the darkest episodes in Europe's history" and said it serves as a reminder of the need to build peaceful societies, protect human life and dignity, and uphold the values on which the EU is founded.
They also referred to the UN General Assembly's decision two years ago to designate July 11 as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica.
"There is no place in Europe for genocide denial, revisionism, or the glorification of convicted war criminals," the statement said.
Kallas and Kos called on leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina and across the region to "choose responsibility over division, dialogue over confrontation," and to support efforts to identify the remaining victims.
They said the EU remains committed to Bosnia and Herzegovina's European future as "a sovereign, united, multiethnic and democratic country."
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