Galway West TD and Junior Minister Hildegarde Naughton is today representing Ireland at a commemoration marking the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Speaking ahead of her visit, Minister Naughton said, "The Srebrenica Genocide was one of the most horrific atrocities to ever take place on the European continent, when more than 8,000 men and boys were massacred and the lives of their loved ones and their communities were torn apart forever."
"I will represent Ireland at this solemn commemoration, where I will be paying respect to the victims, their families and those who remain missing”.
During her visit, Minister Naughton also presented medals to two members of the Irish Defence Forces.
The European Union Common Security and Defence Policy Medal for Operation Althea was awarded to Lieutenant Colonel Karl Connolly, the most senior Defence Forces member in the mission, and Sergeant Major Conor Kelleher.
Operation Althea is a European Union military operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, established to oversee the military implementation of the Dayton Agreement.
It began on December 2, 2004, taking over from NATO's peacekeeping mission in the region.