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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Serbia remains committed to policy of stability and peace

Belgrade, 25 March 2016

The Serbian government concluded at today's session that a serious and responsible Serbia unambiguously remains committed to the policy of life, peace and stability and said that it will not let anyone deny the right to such a future to our people.

Serbia remains committed to policy of stability and peace

In a statement which Minister of Justice Nikola Selakovic read to the press, it is said that Serbia will not allow that the verdict to Radovan Karadzic be used against the Serbian people, and warned that it is impermissible to transfer collective guilt onto some nations for the crimes committed by individuals.

He said that every crime must be punished, as well as any individual who took part in them, but that any kind of politicisation and placing collective guilt on individual nations for the crimes committed by people with names and surnames is impermissible.

The Minister said that the Serbian government does not want to react to the content and explanation of any single verdict of the Hague Tribunal, but that, after many years of work of that court, a bitter taste remains due to the fact that the masterminds of the policy of crimes against Serbs have not been punished in any way.

Selakovic pointed out that a serious and responsible policy of Serbia according to its own citizens and Serbian nationals, wherever they may live, also entails care for Serbs in Republika Srpska.

The Minister said that the Serbian government expresses deep sorrow for all victims of the conflict in the former Yugoslavia and equally condemns the crimes committed by Serbian units, as those committed against Serbs in both Croatia and in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The policy of reconciliation will be the policy of the Serbian government, the Minister said and expressed confidence that this will be the policy of other governments in the region too.

That is why the Serbian government believes that the policy of punishing members of only one nation for the crimes committed by everyone is selective, the Minister said.

Selakovic added that the Serbian government is proud that the Serbian people managed to recognise victims of others and bow to them with dignity, but at the same time it feels sorry that the same thing could not be done in the region when it comes to Serbian victims.

According to the Minister, the Serbian people is a peace-loving nation that wants to look to the future.

What happened in the past belongs to the past and nothing good will happen for Serbia or for any other state in the region if we waste our time and energy trying to figure out who was right and who was wrong, he said.

The Minister stressed that despite the challenges, sorrow and disappointment, Serbia remains committed to the policy of life, peace and stability.

Only such a policy can and should be our strongest ticket to the future, in which we will have much more in common with our neighbours, in which we revive our economies, invest in our people, develop our states and the entire region, Selakovic stated.

Serbia will not give up on its strong desire and great efforts to build such a future and it will not give a chance to anyone to deny to our people the right to that future which, as the Minister pointed out, the Serbian people deserves.