Becirovic Accuses Serbia of Glorifying Mladic at UN

Denis Becirovic, the chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, accused Serbia’s leadership of institutionally glorifying convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic. Speaking from the podium of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, he said Belgrade has not abandoned an ideology that, in his words, leads to aggression and genocide. The response from Republika Srpska came quickly. Milorad Dodik accused Becirovic of lying that same evening, and Prime Minister Savo Minic said today, September 23, in Bijeljina, that Becirovic is working to dismantle Bosnia and Herzegovina. For Serbia, the target of the speech’s harshest accusations, this is a fresh reason to answer claims made from the world’s highest podium.

Becirovic spoke on Tuesday evening, September 22, during the general debate of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. He recalled that the same assembly adopted a resolution in May 2024 declaring July 11 the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica, and called that decision a highly moral and civilizational act. He described the institutional glorification of Mladic, a man an international court convicted in a final ruling, as an anti-civilizational act, and said:

The monster Ratko Mladic is not a hero, but a war criminal convicted by a final ruling.

Becirovic went on to say that Serbia has not abandoned the ideology and policy that leads to aggression and genocide. He also warned of three moves by Republika Srpska’s authorities that, in his assessment, threaten the Dayton Peace Agreement: weakening the mandate of the international community’s high representative, undermining the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and attempting to seize state property. According to him, those tearing down the Dayton Peace Agreement are trying to create the conditions for the secession of the Bosnian entity. He also accused the Republika Srpska police of pressuring Srebrenica survivors and staff at the Srebrenica Memorial Center, saying they have faced what he called unacceptable pressure in recent months.

Dodik reacted to the speech that same evening on X. The SNSD leader said Becirovic does not speak for the entire Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and that his New York address was not coordinated with either the Serb or the Croat member of that body:

Becirovic lied at the UN. Serbs, and I believe the legitimate representatives of the Croat people as well, do not stand behind a single word he said.

He added that Becirovic’s shameless and baseless attacks on Serbia prove that Bosniak politics is the cause of the region’s disagreements and conflicts.

Minic told reporters in Bijeljina today, September 23, that Becirovic spoke on behalf of Bosnia and Herzegovina without coordinating that with the country’s Presidency, and said the Serb member of the Presidency, Zeljka Cvijanovic, would refute those claims. Republika Srpska’s prime minister also said that representatives of political Sarajevo use every opportunity to show their attitude toward Serbs while at the same time seeking a shared life in the same state:

This looks most like a married couple who should get divorced but live in separate rooms.

He concluded that Becirovic is doing a very good job of dismantling the very Bosnia and Herzegovina he claims to swear by.

This is not the first time this month that statements about the Dayton Agreement have sharpened relations between Banja Luka and Sarajevo. Dodik has said before that Republika Srpska is only interested in the Bosnia and Herzegovina defined by the Dayton Peace Agreement, and by the end of the day it remained an open question whether, and when, Zeljka Cvijanovic, the Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, would respond to Becirovic’s UN speech.