Number: 01/15/3-41-5399/23
Sarajevo, July 19, 2023
CITY OF CALGARY
Ms Jyoti Gondek, Mayor
Dear Mayor Gondek,
I would like to greet you on behalf of the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina and my own behalf as the Mayor of Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and express my deep appreciation and gratitude for the decision made by the City of Calgary to proclaim July 11 as Srebrenica Genocide Remembrance Day.
On July 11, 2023, we marked the 28th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, in which at least 8,372 innocent Bosniak civilians were executed and 30,000 were driven from their homes in the worst crime in Europe since the Holocaust.
With the proclamation of July 11 as Srebrenica Genocide Remembrance Day you have sent a message of solidarity with the victims and their families who are still mourning the loss of their loved ones.
Srebrenica serves as a reminder to reflect on historic injustice and we owe it to the victims and the future generations to remember Srebrenica and to ensure it never happens again.
Thank you again for your contribution to the culture of remembrance and for showing that the victims of the genocide in Srebrenica have not been forgotten in Canada.
Please accept the assurances of my highest consideration.
Benjamina Karic
Mayor of Saraievo