Press Release Regarding The 20th Anniversary Of The Siege Of Sarajevo, 6 April 2012 , 06.04.2012
No: 98, 6 April 2012
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the siege of Sarajevo, beginning of the war in Bosnia on 6 April 1992. The date of 6 April, which is traditionally commemorated as the “Sarajevo Day”, is also the anniversary of the liberation of the city from occupation forces at the end of World War II.
Approximately 200 thousand people lost their lives, 2.7 million people were forced to leave their homes and became refugees during the war in Bosnia, which is one of the most serious tragedies that Europe had experienced in the recent past since World War II. 74 thousand of these people are still homeless. The people of Sarajevo displayed an extraordinary struggle and a unique resistance for survival under extremely difficult conditions during the siege of Sarajevo which lasted for 44 months.
On this occasion, we would like to underline that we attach great importance to the peace, stability and prosperity of the friendly and brotherly Bosnia-Herzegovina, with which we have deep rooted historical relations, and to reaffirm our commitment to the preservation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of this country as well as to the acquisition of a functioning state structure within its internationally recognized borders. We strongly support the integration of Bosnia-Herzegovina with the Euro-Atlantic institutions.
We remind our determination to continue our efforts aimed at increasing the prosperity and well-being of the brotherly people of Bosnia-Herzegovina in all fields.