STEVANDIĆ: REPUBLIKA SRPSKA CONSIDERS SERBIAN UNITY ITS DUTY

BELGRADE, 15 SEPTEMBER /SRNA/ – Republika Srpska considers the unity of the Serbian people its obligation, said Nenad Stevandić, Speaker of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, at a ceremonial academy in Belgrade on the occasion of the Day of Serbian Unity, Freedom, and the National Flag.

Stevandić conveyed greetings from the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, who was unable to attend, which was met with great applause. “Unity is best when it is understood implicitly, and when it is absent, our enemies exploit it. That is why unity must become an important part of national consciousness, just like our tricolor flag,” emphasized Stevandić. He added that this was surely the motivation of President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić and President Dodik of Republika Srpska when they proposed celebrating this date. “For the first time in our history, the Drina River became the throat through which two lungs breathe—the larger Serbia and the smaller Republika Srpska. Doctors say one can live with one, but only with two can one breathe fully, as we do tonight,” Stevandić noted. He reminded that September 15, 1918, the date of the breakthrough of the Salonika Front, demonstrated the exaltation of unity, as defeat and discord did not exist in the Serbian lexicon at that time. “Today, we must recognize that disunity tarnishes our honor and that our enemies sharpen their knives on it, which did not divide Serbian children by position, opposition, or region. Since we began celebrating this day, we have rejected the idea of Bosnian, Croatian, or Montenegrin Serbs, recognizing only Serbs living in Serbian lands. Therefore, let us fill our hearts and homes with harmony and unity, as this is a matter of national interest,” Stevandić stressed. He reminded that 24,000 volunteers from the then Banja Luka region answered the call and joined the Serbian army at the Thessaloniki Front, reaching September 15, while fewer than 800 returned to today’s Republika Srpska. “Nothing prevented us from being together when the idea of harmony, unity, and resistance carried us. Let every day be a day of unity, for when we are united, we are unbreakable, and when we are divided, we are easy prey. Let Serbian unity be a daily part of our lives and understood implicitly as our name, last name, and flag,” Stevandić said. At the National Theatre in Belgrade, a ceremonial academy was held to mark the Day of Serbian Unity, Freedom, and the National Flag, as well as the 150th anniversary of the Nevesinje Rifle, a symbol of defiance and freedom of the Serbian people. Attendees included Prime Ministers of Serbia and Republika Srpska Đuro Macut and Savo Minić, as well as His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Porfirije. Ministers from the governments of Serbia and Republika Srpska were also present.