EU cancels visit to Serbia for Mladic's funeral

In his written statement, Wigand noted that what happened in the Balkans in the 1990s were the "darkest periods" in the recent history of Europe and gave a message of solidarity with all victims, survivors and their families who were subjected to war crimes in the countries of the former Yugoslavia.

Reminding that Mladic committed war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity, and that he is also a convicted war criminal, Wigand said, "Glorifying war criminals, denial of genocide and attempts to revise history contradict the most fundamental values ​​of Europe and there is no place for them in the EU or EU candidate countries." he said.

Wigand noted that reconciliation and good neighborly relations in the Western Balkans are fundamental elements for the construction of a common future.

84-year-old Mladic, who had long-term health problems, died on August 27 in the prison in The Hague, Netherlands, where he was serving a life sentence for crimes against humanity.

The fact that Mladic's body was welcomed with a ceremony in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, and that he would be buried with a state ceremony was met with reaction by many country leaders in the Balkans.

Marta Kos, Member of the EU Commission Responsible for Enlargement, announced on September 4 that she canceled her planned visit to Serbia, stating that the decision to hold a high-level funeral for Mladic was incompatible with EU values.

Who is Mladic, the war criminal who hid for 16 years?

Ratko Mladic was born in 1942 in the village of Bozanovici near Kalinovik in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. He received his military training in Belgrade and served on active duty in the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA).

In May 1992, he was appointed Chief of Staff of the newly established Republika Srpska Army in Bosnia and Herzegovina and remained in this position until 1996.

Mladic, for whom an indictment was first prepared by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on July 24, 1995, fled to Serbia after the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and hid for about 16 years.

Despite the statements of the Serbian authorities that they could not find Mladic, allegations that he was protected by some people in state institutions for years came to the fore.

In the local television program, Mladic was seen meeting with people in crowded places, having fun and taking photos while he was wanted.

Mladic was captured in the village of Lazarevo near Zrenjanin, Serbia, on 26 May 2011 and was sent to The Hague on 31 May 2011.

Mladic, whose trial started on May 16, 2012, did not accept the charges against him.

Mladic was considered the main responsible and instigator of the Srebrenica Genocide, in which 8 thousand 372 Bosnian civilians were murdered in July 1995.