The European Union (EU) rejects and condemns any denial, relativization or misinterpretation of the Srebrenica genocide, European Commission spokeswoman Ana Pisonero said Monday.

Last Friday, Montenegrin Justice, Human and Minority Rights Minister, Vladimir Leposavic, said that he was ready to recognize that the crime of genocide was committed in Srebrenica when it is unequivocally established while answering the parliamentary questions in the Parliament of Montenegro.

Pisonero pointed out that last year marked the 25th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, one of the darkest chapters in modern European history.

“It is high time that all political leaders in the region lead the way in respecting the victims and promoting reconciliation,” Pisonero stressed.

The Commission said that the EU is a union of values, assessing that the denial of well-documented and established facts regarding the war events, including war crimes, or revisionism contradict the most basic of those values, the RTCG Portal reported.

“Every country aspiring to join the EU is expected to respect and promote the EU’s values of democracy, human rights, tolerance and justice. That includes treating the victims of genocide with the utmost respect and dignity,” Pisonero concluded.

Minister Leposavic’s statement was condemned by the US Embassy in Podgorica, the British and German embassies, with the message that it is unequivocal that genocide took place in Srebrenica.