29.01.2024.

Veteran Commemorative Medals awarded to veterans, war-disabled and families of fallen soldiers from Apatin municipality

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Miloš Vučević and Minister of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs Nikola Selaković awarded today 433 Veteran Commemorative Medals to veterans, the war-disabled and the families of fallen soldiers from the Apatin municipality.

At the beginning of his address, Minister Vučević thanked the veterans for everything they had done for their country.

- It only remains for me to say three words on behalf of the state and the Ministry of Defence to all of you - thank you and sorry. Thank you for what you have done, thank you for loving your families, thank you for loving your country, thank you for loving your people, all the citizens, thank you for making us proud. And sorry that you had to wait to be thanked. I'm sorry that the country was weak for almost two decades and was ashamed of its bravest - said Minister Vučević.

According to him, the state was ashamed of its soldiers and heroes, ashamed of those who suffered and charged, because deserters and war profiteers led the state, which, according to him, is a fact and the truth.

- Such was the set of circumstances. We were ashamed of each other, we forgot about the victories and successes, we kept silent or spoke quietly about it here and there. They convinced us or tried to convince us that it was good for us, that, if we were ashamed of ourselves and the best of us, we would step into a bright future and we would all be better off. This continued year after year, but, of course, we were not better off. We felt a huge emptiness. We felt that we were missing something, and that something were our roots, what we are, because not everything can be expressed in numbers and tables. There are some things that are eternal and intransient, there are some things that define the life of each of us - said Minister Vučević.

Of course, we all wish, need and want to live better, Minister Vučević pointed out, and we all want our children and grandchildren to have even better living conditions in the future, but one cannot stifle one’s emotions in order to live better.

- One cannot renounce oneself, one’s relatives, friends, family, parents, grandparents, because if you renounce them, you also renounce your children in a way and their children's future. And that is why I am always honoured to be invited by Minister Selaković. All of this is to his credit, his department is responsible for all the activities with regard to the promotion of certificates of appreciation for veterans, commemorative medals. I am honoured to be part of this on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces and to be able to say that we are not preparing for any wars or conflicts. Serbia wants and needs peace. But we will be ready to defend Serbia. This must be clear to everyone. The time when Serbia cut up and melted its tanks and howitzers has passed. The time has passed when barracks were closed and when generations were created that do not know elementary things. They don't even know how to clear the snow in front of their houses. However, we then declared that it was super progressive and that things should be that way. Because a nation that doesn't know how to do anything is probably a successful nation, and a nation that doesn't feel the need to defend itself is probably the most successful nation - stressed Minister Vučević.

We do not cause trouble for anyone, he said, nor do we want any conflicts, but we must be prepared to defend ourselves, our people, our families and our country.

- I would also like to thank you who have prepared this introductory text. We have finally started to say that those were defensive wars. For once they tried to convince us that we were not supposed to call them defensive. Yes, they were defensive wars, because we were defending the country to which we swore an oath. We defended an internationally recognized country, the great Yugoslavia that our grandfathers and great-grandfathers had built - emphasized Minister Vučević.

We did not attack anyone, the minister of defence reminded, nor did we direct aggression towards anyone; we were just defending ourselves and our people.

- But, unfortunately, we paid the highest price as a people. We are being accused of ethnic cleansing and who knows what other war crimes. But the truth is that only our compatriots were expelled from ethnic areas. And that only our borders are violable. And that everyone else has the right to defend and protect themselves, except Serbs. But a new dawn is breaking in Serbia, new generations are coming, singing the anthem, but also our patriotic songs. They are not ashamed of their flag. Those generations have someone to learn from - you. So, long live the truth, and nothing but the truth. Not a word more, not a word less. Serbia is eternal as long as we are loyal to it, as long as we are in love with it. Long live Apatin and long live our only homeland, free and unconquered Serbia. Cheers! – said Minister Vučević.

Minister Selaković addressed the audience, saying that it has been seven months since the first Veteran Commemorative Medals were awarded, first in Kraljevo, and then in other cities.

- Over the past seven months, we have managed to increase the number of registered veterans in Serbia from 25,000 to 47,000. The question is why this was not done earlier. We cannot be held responsible for all the mistakes that were made by someone in the past, nor can we change the past, but we can do something good today, something good for the families of fallen soldiers, for the war-disabled, for our soldiers. One of the things we do is award them the Veteran Commemorative Medal. I would like to thank President Vučić for the support he has given us from the very start and on whose initiative this law was adopted, but also to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Miloš Vučević, who is with us today - said Minister Selaković.

According to Colonel General Vladimir Lazarević (retd), who addressed the audience, by giving veteran awards, Serbia is thanking all those who have sacrificed their lives for the homeland. It is an honour and a privilege, he pointed out, to talk about heroes, members of the armed forces and the police who participated in wars and defended their country in the most difficult times.

According to the President of the Apatin Municipality, Dubravka Korać, it is a great honour for Apatin to be the host of an event where Veteran Commemorative Medals are being awarded for the first time in the territory of Vojvodina. Apatin will continue to provide services for war veterans, she added, primarily in the domain of health care and social protection, but also in the fields of culture and sports.

Veteran Commemorative Medal was established by the Law on the Rights of Veterans, Disabled War Veterans, Civilian Invalids of War and their Family Members and the Decree on Veteran Commemorative Medal passed by the Government of the Republic of Serbia in March 2023. It is a special national award given to persons who have achieved warrior status in accordance with the Law on the Rights of Veterans, Disabled War Veterans, Civilian Invalids of War and their Family Members.