“I learned of the death of Richard Holbrooke this morning with great sadness and I would like to express my heart-felt condolences to his family and friends and to our partners in the US.
In Richard Holbrooke global diplomacy has lost one of its most distinctive and dedicated figures. He has left a deep impression in many parts of the world and especially here in the Balkans. He was the huge dynamic force behind the negotiations that led to the Peace Agreement initialed first at Dayton and then signed in Paris exactly 15 years ago today. This is a legacy of enormous value — because the agreement brokered by Holbrooke ended three and a half years of bloody conflict, affirmed the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina and has shown itself to be a durable mechanism for maintaining peace in this country and giving the four million people of Bosnia and Herzegovina an opportunity to rebuild their lives.
That rebuilding is still underway, as Bosnia and Herzegovina charts a course towards full Euro-Atlantic integration as a prosperous, secure and fully functioning state, and we in Bosnia and Herzegovina can honor the memory of Richard Holbrooke in a very particular and meaningful way by renewing our commitments to the full rehabilitation of this country by completing the work that was made possible through the peace agreement reached fifteen years ago.”