Gasic voices disappointment over cause of cancellation of Sarajevo reception

BELGRADE - Serbian Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic has voiced his deepest disappointment over extremely inappropriate and hostile statements by some Bosniak politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina about a Serbian Statehood Day/Serbian Armed Forces Day reception that had resulted in the cancellation of the event, which was to be hosted by the Serbian embassy in Sarajevo.

"By attending events hosted by foreign diplomatic and consular representative offices, senior officials of the Republic of Serbia honour those countries, which is also the case with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Every time, receptions marking the day of the Bosnia and Herzegovina armed forces are attended by Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces representatives, indicating our readiness to build understanding and good-neighbourly relations. That was also the case on November 27 last year, when a reception was hosted at Belgrade's Crown Plaza Hotel to mark the occasion. This is not only about respect for the Vienna Convention, but about the decency of the host country, which we have unfortunately not experienced in Sarajevo," a statement released by the MoD quoted Gasic as saying.

In spite of the fact that diplomatic and military-diplomatic representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina are always respected in Serbia, some ministers in the Bosnia and Herzegovina government and other high-ranking Bosniak politicians strive to deepen the divisions between nations living in this region by irresponsible and incendiary rhetoric against Serbia and its army, Gasic noted.

"Evidently, they are governed by the logic that, in that way, they will gain the support of the part of the public that harbors an animosity towards Serbia. However, the damage they inflict to their country's international credibility in that manner is far greater," Gasic said.

Earlier in the day, the Serbian embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina said Sarajevo's Hotel Hills had cancelled the reception due to a security risk.

"The Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Bosnia and Herzegovina hereby informs the public that a reception to mark the Statehood Day of the Republic of Serbia and the Serbian Armed Forces Day, which was to be held at Hotel Hills on February 13, 2025, has been cancelled by the hotel due to yesterday's reports in local media outlets and a resulting security risk," the embassy said in a post on X.