Prince Filip extends condolences over Ratko Mladić's death, emphasizes Serbs' right to remember victims

Crown Prince Filip Karađorđević has extended his condolences to the family and friends of Ratko Mladić, the former Bosnian Serb general convicted of war crimes, who died on August 27 in The Hague. The statement conveyed the Prince's sincere sympathies.

“

On the occasion of the death of General Ratko Mladić, I extend my sincere condolences to his family and loved ones.

Prince Filip acknowledged that Mladić's name remains associated with one of the most challenging and painful chapters of the region's recent history. He noted that the consequences and memories of this period continue to deeply affect all peoples of the area.

“

His life and name remain inextricably linked to one of the most difficult and painful chapters of our recent history, the consequences and memories of which still deeply burden all the peoples of these areas.

In his statement, the Crown Prince highlighted what he described as the Serbian people's right and obligation to preserve their dignity, memory, and the truth about their own victims. He stressed that respecting the suffering of others does not diminish their own pain or disavow their national identity. Instead, he argued, it testifies to the values they wish to uphold: truth, justice, compassion, and peace.

“

We Serbs have the right and obligation to preserve our dignity, our memory, and the truth about our victims. By respecting the suffering of others, we do not diminish our own suffering nor do we renounce our people; on the contrary, by doing so we best bear witness to the values we wish to preserve – truth, justice, compassion, and peace.

He specifically emphasized the need to show respect for all innocent victims of the wars, regardless of their nationality or religious affiliation. The Prince called it a Christian and human duty to remember all innocent victims and to prevent the past from leading to hatred and division again. He offered a prayer for the deceased and urged the region's peoples to build a future free from new conflicts.

“

Therefore, it is our Christian and human duty to cherish with reverence the memory of all innocent victims, regardless of their name, faith, or nationality, and not to allow the past to lead us again down the path of hatred and division.