Janković: "Storm" is a genocide

In an interview for the Frankfurt News, on the occasion of the Remembrance Day of the Serbs killed and expelled in Operation "Storm", Janković pointed out that crimes committed against Serbs at the very end of the 20th century are among the most serious crimes against a nation and cannot be viewed isolated from the context of the suffering and genocide committed against the Serbian people in the Second World War.

"The embodiment of this machine of evil, which is difficult for the human mind to imagine, from the period of the Nazi NDH is the Jasenovac concentration camp, whose horrible story is still shrouded in a veil of silence and is the subject of the most reckless revisionism. The "Storm" is a terrifying reminder of all the former suffering of the Serbian people and a tragic warning that history lessons must be learned more carefully and more wisely", Janković emphasized.

She reminded that in the operation of the Croatian Armed Forces on 4 August 1995, more than 220,000 Serbs were expelled, while 1,872 of our compatriots are on the list of dead and missing.

According to her, the Serbian people rightly perceive as a great injustice and hypocrisy the fact that the crimes against Serbs in the "Storm" and similar operations are not talked about at all or to a much lesser extent than the victims of other peoples from our area.

Therefore, as she says, we have an even more important duty and obligation to remember them and testify about their suffering.

Asked whether the use of the term "pogrom" or "ethnic cleansing" is in the sphere of diplomatic vocabulary, Janković said that there is no right term or word in any dictionary for the hatred that led to these crimes, nor for the extent of suffering and the pain of those who lost their loved ones in the most terrible way or those who were expelled from their centuries-old hearths.

She reminded that the "Storm", in the Hague indictment against Croatian generals Ante Gotovina, Ivan Čermak and Mladen Markač, was characterized as a joint criminal enterprise with the goal of permanently and forcibly expelling most Serbs from the territory of the former Republic of Serbian Krajina.

"No one from the Croatian military and political leadership has been held accountable for this endeavor and has not been convicted", she underlined.

Contrary to that and such justice, the demographic picture of the Serbian people in Croatia shows that, according to the 1991 census, there were 582,663 Serbs living in the Republic of Croatia, while according to the 2011 census, there were 183,633 of them, the ambassador added.

"After the civil war and the mass exodus, the number of Serbs dropped by two thirds. It is, therefore, the greatest ethnic cleansing after the Second World War and a pogrom of the most terrible proportions, in which everyone died without distinction, women and men, children and the elderly, with the systematic erasure of everything that bore the mark of Serbian", said Janković.

To the statement that Serbia is marking Remembrance Day today, while Croatia will celebrate tomorrow, and the question of whether that image can change at all and how, she answered that Serbia and the Republic of Srpska have been celebrating that Day together since 2014 and that the glorification and celebration of the "Storm" is incomprehensible, as well as the presence of representatives of the international community and the diplomatic corps at such "celebrations", since in that way they participate in the celebration of ethnic cleansing.

"That picture can change when everyone is ready to show reverence for the Serbian victims, the same reverence that is expected to be shown for victims of other nations", Janković pointed out.

She also pointed out that improving the position of Serbs who remained in Croatia, and who are too often exposed to discrimination and denial of basic rights to their own language, culture and, above all, safe and dignified life, would be a sign of a sincere desire to overcome the legacy of the past and to reconcile.

"Even though all of this is missing, Serbia not only pursues a responsible policy with a focus on reconciliation and good neighborly cooperation in the region, but is also a leader in creating a positive atmosphere and strengthening ties and trust, in order to change the image of a region torn apart by war, strife and hatred for the better", the ambassador said.

When it comes to Kosovo and Metohija, Janković emphasized that finding a permanent and sustainable solution to that issue is a topic of greatest importance not only for our country, but also for preserving peace and stability in the entire region.

She added that Serbia and its leadership have shown at every opportunity that they are always ready for talks, which is another confirmation of the responsible policy we are pursuing and on which we are given credit.

The current dynamics and atmosphere in the dialogue, however, are not encouraging and are an indicator of immaturity and unwillingness of political leaders in Pristina to make any concessions, Janković said, adding that Pristina's unconstructive approach narrows the space for compromise, which the European partners see as well.

Janković says that despite everything, Serbia remains committed to dialogue with Pristina, but insists that what has been agreed must be implemented.

Speaking about the Berlin Process, she said that it was an important and useful format of regional cooperation, which brought and brings concrete benefits, such as the abolition of roaming in the Western Balkans from 1 July, strengthening youth cooperation, but stated that it is not and should not be seen as a substitute for full EU membership.

"On the contrary, we could say that this is a kind of a preparation of the region for the membership", the ambassador stated, adding that EU membership is one of the key foreign policy priorities and the strategic goal of Serbia.

The current stalemate in the enlargement policy, she is convinced, will not affect our reform efforts, because Serbia is on the European path and because of the transformational power of the negotiation process. Our goal is to enable a better life for our citizens and to be a prosperous and attractive country for everyone living in it, to keep our young people and to provide them with an orderly state, in which they will have the opportunity to realize their potentials.

When it comes to the "Open Balkans" project and when asked how Germany views this initiative of the President of Serbia, Janković said that the initiative testifies in the best way that, following the achievements and values ​​of the European Union, we are ready and able to shape our own future.

It is natural, she adds, that no one can know the problems and needs of the region better than ourselves, stating that she hopes that the entire region, encouraged by concrete benefits, will express its readiness to join it.

"Serbia sees the 'Open Balkans' initiative as complementary to similar projects, such as those within the Berlin Process, which are very close to Germany and which should better connect the participating countries, use all their development capacities, raise attractiveness for foreign investments and improve the living conditions of our citizens, so that we would be more ready to achieve a common goal, which is to join the EU", Janković explained.

When it comes to economic cooperation between Serbia and Germany, she reminded that Germany has been among Serbia's most important economic partners for years, the first foreign trade partner and one of the five largest foreign investors and bilateral donors.

German companies have invested more than 2.53 billion euros in Serbia in recent years.

"It is especially encouraging that German businessmen are mostly satisfied with doing business in Serbia, as well as that over 400 companies with German capital are active in our country, which employ 70,000 workers. Our goal is to, in cooperation with German institutions, contribute to that number soon reaching 100,000", she added.