Hungary to Oppose UN Resolution on Srebrenica Genocide, Citing Balkan Tensions

Hungary's Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced the country's opposition to a UN resolution commemorating the Srebrenica genocide of 1995, arguing that it would inflame tensions in the Balkan region.

Hungary's Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has declared that Hungary will vote against a United Nations resolution commemorating the 1995 Srebrenica genocide of Bosnian Muslims, claiming that it would escalate tensions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the surrounding region.

During a meeting with Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik in Budapest, Szijjártó accused the UN and the high representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina of destabilizing the country. He argued that the resolution, proposed by Germany and Rwanda, would designate 11 July as the "International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica," but that it would "demonize the entire Serbian nation."

Szijjártó emphasized that Hungary believed international actors should end the escalation of tensions in Bosnia, cease threats of sanctions, and halt interference in its internal affairs.

The resolution has garnered support from Bosniak politicians in Bosnia, several European countries, and the United States. However, it faces strong opposition from Bosnian Serbs and neighboring Serbia, who argue that it would brand the Serbs as a "genocidal nation." These objections are backed by Russia and China.

International courts in The Hague have categorized the Srebrenica massacre as genocide, recognizing it as Europe's first since World War II. Bosnian Serb military leaders and political figures have also been found guilty of genocide by UN judges.

Despite this, Dodik, the Bosnian Serb separatist leader of the Serb-majority entity of Republika Srpska, has denied that the Srebrenica massacre was genocide. He was sanctioned by the United States in 2022 for "corrupt activities" that destabilize the region and undermine a US-brokered peace accord from over 25 years ago.

Dodik expressed gratitude for Szijjártó's stance against the resolution, stating that the Serbian side "does not dispute that a terrible crime took place in Srebrenica," but that the resolution would "destabilize the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina to the extent of completely paralyzing any possible relations."

However, Emir Suljagić, the head of the Srebrenica Memorial Center, criticized Hungary's position as "deeply troubling." He denounced the influence of Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, for aligning the country "with forces of denial and revisionism, undermining international efforts to acknowledge and learn from this tragedy."

Suljagić further noted that Orbán's opposition to the Srebrenica resolution aligns with a broader pattern of rejecting international consensus on human rights issues. He emphasized that by refusing to acknowledge the genocide, Hungary, under Orbán's leadership, is sending a dangerous message that historical truths can be conveniently ignored for political expediency.