What did Denis Bećirović of Bosnia and Herzegovina say at the UN General Assembly (UNGA 81)?

He addressed the general debate on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, as the fifth speaker of the afternoon session.

The speech in brief

• Republika Srpska. He accused its leaders of undermining the Dayton peace agreement and preparing to break away, and asked the UN to stop it.
• Srebrenica. Bosnia is the only European country since the Second World War where genocide took place. He praised the 2024 UN resolution marking July 11 as a day of remembrance.
• Mladić. He called the honors given to the convicted war criminal in Serbia unacceptable.
• Europe. Joining the EU and NATO remain the country’s goals: “Bosnia and Herzegovina stands at the doors” of both.
• The world. He named Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the war in the Gulf, Sudan and “genocide in Gaza”.

In his own words

He spoke in Bosnian. The English quotes are published translations or our own.

The current leadership of the BiH entity of Republika Srpska continues to threaten the peace and security of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“We must not allow the police and other institutions of Republika Srpska that committed genocide against Bosniaks to intimidate survivors.”

“BiH je nepokoriva država.” Bosnia and Herzegovina is an unconquerable state.

The reaction

• Milorad Dodik, the leader of Republika Srpska’s ruling party, said “Bećirović lied at the UN” and that he spoke only for Bosniaks. Republika Srpska’s government also rejected the speech.

Watch and read the full speech

The UN’s own video of the whole Day 1 session:

Watch Day 1 of the UNGA 81 general debate on the UN’s YouTube channel

The UN posts the statement on its general debate website.

Every Day 1 speaker, in order: What happened on Day 1 of UNGA 81.