He made the remarks in a message read by Iran's Special Representative Ebrahim Taherian at a ceremony commemorating the 26th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.
He also took the opportunity to salute the high spirit of the martyrs who fall victims to the horrific crimes in the city and expressed sympathy and solidarity with the government and people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially their bereaved families.
In 1995, more than 8,000 residents of the Muslim town of Srebrenica (in Bosnia and Herzegovina) were killed by the Bosnian Serb army in one day. This is the largest genocide in Europe since World War II. Earlier, the United Nations had declared Srebrenica a "safe haven". The 400 Dutch peacekeepers deployed to provide security in the area did not respond to the killings, he said.
Zarif: Iran has always stood by oppressed people of Bosnia and Herzegovina
He also stressed in his message that "the Islamic Republic of Iran is proud to have stood by the oppressed people of Bosnia and Herzegovina since the beginning of its independence and never hesitated to offer assistance to the nation and still remains committed to supporting the independence, territorial integrity and peaceful coexistence of all ethnic groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The events of July 1995 are one of the darkest chapters in the contemporary history of humanity, although this incident should not be the source of hatred between nations, but at the same time it should never be forgotten, he added.
The commemoration of this genocide reminds the international community of the need for a commitment to justice, non-violence and a sense of responsibility in defending the oppressed, and calls on the international community, especially the human rights and democracy advocates, to adhere genuinely to genuine human values," the Iranian Foreign Minister said.
Expressing his condolences to the families of the victims of Srebrenica who, he said, have worked tirelessly for twenty-six years to seek justice.
The funeral of 19 Muslim victims of the 1995 massacre, whose identities were determined by specialized tests, was attended by survivors and thousands of citizens of Srebrenica and other parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as representatives of foreign countries at the Potocari Cemetery.
So far, 6,652 victims have been buried at the Potocari Srebrenica Memorial Center, while another 237 victims have been buried elsewhere at the request of their families.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has also sentenced 47 people to more than 700 years in prison in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia.
According to indictments announced in The Hague, these individuals were convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and other criminal acts in July 1995.
Former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic and former Bosnian Serb President Radovan Karadzic were sentenced to life in prison at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
The European Parliament passed a resolution on Srebrenica in 2009 calling on EU member states and the Western Balkans to mark July 11 as a day of remembrance for Srebrenica.
On July 11, 1995, Serbian forces under the command of General Ratko Mladic entered and occupied the town of Srebrenica without resistance from Dutch UN forces.
According to available documents, General Mladic, who was the commander of the Bosnian Serb army during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, had ordered the massacre of Muslim men in the Muslim town of Srebrenica.
