He wrote in a post on X that nobody should deny or forget why the United States of America and its allies came to the defense of Kosovo.
Hovenier has said that he remembers well the day when the Reçak Massacre took place.
"I remember that day well. As the officer at the U.S. Mission to the OSCE responsible for Kosovo at that time, I received a call from then-Kosovo Verification Mission Head Ambassador William Walker just after he departed the scene of horror, already focused on his recommendations for the OSCE in response to the brutal murder of defenseless civilians", wrote Hovenier, among other things.
He went on to say that "In response to this atrocity and others, the United States, together with our NATO Allies, acted to protect defenseless civilians in the name of peace, freedom, and stability".
"Let me be clear about the United States’ commitment to the truth. As President Clinton said then, we reaffirm now: “This was a deliberate and indiscriminate act of murder designed to sow fear among the people of Kosovo.”
"Denying these incidents and glorifying war crimes dishonors the memory of the dead, reopens the wounds of survivors, and sets this region back in efforts towards democratic consolidation and full Euro-Atlantic integration. Peace and justice come from a clear-eyed acknowledgement of past crimes. This is vital to ensure these heinous crimes never happen again. But recognizing the truth of the past is just the first step towards justice".
