President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday said Türkiye rejects all statements that seek to deny the Srebrenica genocide or “glorify war criminals” in defiance of international court rulings.
Erdoğan's remarks came in a video message marking the 30th anniversary of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, which claimed the lives of thousands of Bosnians.
Erdoğan also reiterated Ankara's continued and unconditional support for Bosnia-Herzegovina's territorial integrity, sovereignty and constitutional order.
Touching on Israel's relentless ongoing attacks on Gaza, Erdoğan said that decades ago, the international community remained silent on Srebrenica, and now, in recent years, it is a mere bystander to the oppression taking place in Palestine.
Erdoğan vowed that the Israeli government will be held accountable "sooner or later" before the law and history for its genocide of nearly 58,000 Palestinians.
Hakan Fidan, Türkiye's foreign minister, also marked the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide with a message shared on social media.
"This profound tragedy, whose pain remains deeply felt in our hearts, has left an indelible mark on humanity's conscience," he said. "Remembering it and ensuring it is never forgotten is a collective responsibility we all share."
Also on Friday, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş officially opened the Srebrenica Genocide Victims Memorial Museum in Bosnia-Herzegovina in a poignant ceremony.
The museum, established through a joint initiative between the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and the Srebrenica Memorial Center, stands as a stark reminder of the 1995 genocide that claimed the lives of over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys.
The museum is located in a former battery factory in Srebrenica – the very location where victims were held before being executed. Speaker Kurtulmuş was welcomed at the site by Bosnian Presidential Council members Denis Bećirović and Željko Komšić.
During his visit, Kurtulmuş toured the museum’s exhibits, which include remains of genocide victims, personal belongings, harrowing photographs and video footage from the 1992-1995 Bosnian War. He received a detailed briefing from museum officials and signed the memorial book dedicated to the victims.
Kurtulmuş was accompanied by a Turkish delegation and Bosnian officials, emphasizing the significance of Turkish-Bosnian cooperation in preserving the memory of the genocide.
“This museum is not only a memorial to the victims but also a call to humanity to never forget the horrors committed here,” said Kurtulmuş during the opening ceremony.
On July 11, 1995, Serb forces under the command of Ratko Mladić seized the town of Srebrenica. Thousands of Bosnian civilians, seeking protection from Dutch U.N. peacekeepers, were ultimately handed over to Serb forces.
While women and children were sent to territory held by Bosnian government forces, an estimated 8,372 Bosniak men and boys were systematically murdered in forests, factories and warehouses. Their bodies were buried in mass graves, many of which remained undiscovered for years.
Today, identification efforts continue, with remains being recovered and reburied annually at the Potocari Memorial Cemetery every July 11, the anniversary of the massacre.
The new museum aims to educate future generations, honor the memory of the victims and reinforce the global call to prevent genocide in any form.
