The Orbán cabinet rejects UN resolution about Srebrenica, Serbian leaders praises Hungary

The Hungarian government representative did not support the United Nations General Assembly’s recent resolution designating July 11 as the “International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica” fearing that it could revive serious conflicts posing a danger to the Western Balkans region, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said in Nyíregyháza, on Friday.

“There is no question that what happened in Srebrenica was an incredibly sad, tragic event… Every effort must be made to prevent that such a horrendous act should occur again anywhere in the world,” he said, according to a foreign ministry statement.

“But that was not the question. The question is whether, thirty years later, such a decision today will contribute to maintaining peace in the Western Balkans, or, on the contrary, could trigger conflicts that could pose a danger to the entire region, including Hungary,” Szijjártó said, calling the timing of the resolution “unfortunate”.

He noted that in Thursday’s vote, 19 UN member states rejected the resolution and another 68 abstained while 84 supported it. “This means that out of the 193 UN member states, 84 voted in favour which is the minority of the member states,” Szijjártó said.

On 15 May, Milorad Dodik, the President of Republika Srpska of Bosnia and Herzegovina, held a joint press conference with Szijjártó and said Hungary understood the Balkans the best and he was happy that Budapest would lead the European Council from this June.

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