03.08.2024.

Remembrance Day for killed, expelled Serbs in Operation Storm marked

Remembrance Day for all the people who were killed and expelled in Operation Storm, which was carried out by the Croatian armed forces on August 4, 1995, was marked in Loznica tonight.

The commemoration was attended by the President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces Aleksandar Vučić, Speaker of the National Assembly of Serbia Ana Brnabić, Prime Minister of Serbia Miloš Vučević, Minister of Defence Bratislav Gašić and Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff Gen. Milan Mojsilović.

The commemoration honouring the victims of Storm was also attended by Željka Cvijanović - Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik, Speaker of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska Nenad Stevandić and Prime Minister of Republika Srpska Radovan Višković.

President Vučić addressed the audience at the gathering. According to him, it has been 10 years since we solemnly remembered the horrific crime and the biggest ethnic cleansing on European soil since the Second World War.

- Every year for the past 10 years, we have gathered on August 3 or 4 to commemorate that great Serbian tragedy and misfortune. We have been doing it for 10 years without exception, although some might say that there are always more important things to do. I am grateful to President Dodik and Republika Srpska, and everyone else who has helped me to make sure that nothing is more important to us than this. The first days of August are filled with sadness, pain and remembrance of the people and children who were killed and the homes that were lost and that we will never be able to bring back. But these days are also filled with pride, because we are being attacked by those who are rejoicing at what they call their great victory. They will never be able to understand that it is not a victory if it is won by employing a tank, with US ambassador Peter Galbraith on it, against a convoy of tractors carrying women, children and old people - emphasized the President of Serbia.

According to him, when they threaten us by saying “you are going to hit tractors again”, they do not understand that tractor is a noun symbolizing martyrs, a noun symbolizing wonderful and honest people, who were forced to leave their homes.

- You are not all that brave and you did not carry out the crime yourselves. You were helped by "the great, most powerful ones". Do you know what we have done in these 10 years? We have managed to say to the whole world what we think and how we feel. And what the truth is. A month ago, they tried to humiliate us and, without even informing us, to adopt a resolution about a small nation, a nation that has gone through the greatest suffering, which is supported by historical evidence, to declare that very nation genocidal. They wanted to label us a genocidal nation and put a seal on it - emphasized President Vučić.

Twelve years ago, he said, our politicians did not even dare say that "it was not quite like that", but instead, they went to embassies and promised they would not hold any commemorations.

- At the United Nations, we stood up to the world's greatest powers and said - enough of the pressure and persecution of Serbs, the people who have suffered the most in the Balkans. We raised our voice in the name of all freedom-loving countries and peoples in the world. And we showed how a small country can defeat them, we showed that 109 countries do not vote for the entire Western world and Europe and America and the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Because people want to change the world. Because people will not be servants anymore. And we Serbs have never wanted to serve anyone - said Vučić and added that “there is no salvation if you serve others” and that we only serve "our people and our country and that will never change".

Every year you can hear that we are the aggressors, that we are to blame for everything, he said and added that today’s world cherishes distorted and anomalous values.

- We have a different set of values. We want to have our own country and our own values. We have to continue to develop our country, to develop Serbia. I am confident that the leadership of Srpska will continue to develop Republika Srpska. We have to change ourselves, to learn more, to work harder, so that we can continue to win and be more successful than other surrounding countries. In the previous period, every time Serbia grew, they attacked it more and more fiercely - said President Vučić and, commenting on the fact that Croatia is acquiring a "powerful weapon - Himars", he said that “we will have more and better quality weapons none of which will be aimed at them or anyone else."

The President of Serbia expressed pride in the fact that the commemoration is being held in Loznica, because the football stadium in Loznica is clear proof of how much Serbia has progressed and how much it has changed.

- It will change even faster and more significantly and we will tell ourselves that we must and can do more, because without our effort and struggle, there will be no progress for this country. I would like to thank the people from Krajina, who came to Serbia through force of circumstance, for always standing with our country and for contributing to the building of a modern society and state. Thank you for everything, for working hard, for loving Serbia as much as we do. There will never be any difference between Serbs - said President Vučić and added that there will be "no more pogroms, persecutions or tractors".

To those who arrest Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija on daily basis he said that "it is always darkest before the dawn" and added that “we will have to keep an eye on how things are changing around the world, and they are changing at a tremendous pace”.

- We will have to strive to preserve our country, to preserve peace, to preserve our children, to defend our future. We will have to become economically stronger by the day, and when we become economically stronger, we will be stronger in the military sense as well, we will deter anyone from trying to attack our country and our people. I want to tell you that I am proud of the fact that we have managed to make Serbia an independent and sovereign country. Today, Serbia is a proud country of dignified people, which makes its own decisions about its future. Serbia has changed and progressed a lot, it is much better to live in Serbia today, but we have to work hard to be able to live even better. We have to set ourselves big goals and great tasks in order to catch up with those who have been hundreds of years ahead of us and who have had a huge advantage over us. This must be our task - stressed the President of Serbia and added that we must unite, that we must understand the basic national goals and push our country forward.

President Vučić thanked everyone present for coming to support their Serbia and Srpska.

- Serbia will grow stronger and more powerful, we will never forget the terror against the Krajina Serbs. We will never forget the pogrom. Long live our Krajina Serbs and thank you to them for everything they have done for our country. This is a gathering of people who love Serbia, Srpska, Krajina Serbs and all other Serbs and will never stop loving them - said the President of Serbia concluding his speech.

His Holiness Porfirije, Serbian Patriarch, also addressed the gathering. According to him, we have gathered to strengthen ourselves through the peace of Christ and remember in our prayers the brutal expulsion of our people from their ancestral homes throughout Dalmatia, Lika, Kordun, Banija and Western Slavonia, where they had lived for centuries.

- And to stand against all violence, wars and so-called “storms” with that peace. To confirm our unyielding commitment to peace and freedom on this blessed piece of Serbian land paid for in blood. To remember just one in a series of tragedies in recent Serbian history - said Patriarch Porfirije.

According to the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, people have gathered tonight to mark the 29th anniversary of the pogrom, which he believes would have been forgotten had it not been for the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, who initiated this way of remembering that tragic event 10 years ago.

- I remember 10 years ago, when we agreed to commemorate together certain days in our history, which are mostly days when suffering was inflicted on our people. When I look at this gathering today, I feel pride, in addition to the sadness, which is eternal, for our people who have suffered greatly throughout history. Almost an entire nation was gone, fleeing in refugee convoys and being killed and thrown into pits and other places of execution – said Dodik.

He thanked everyone who believes in Serbia and Srpska and who gives them strength. Now that the world is in turmoil, he said, "only if we stand united, and have a strong Serbia, Serbian people and Republika Srpska, can we be part of the solution, and if we are divided, we will be easy prey again". Whoever is elected by the Serbian people "must expect pressures, difficult times and difficult decisions".

Nataša Basta-Đorđević addressed the audience on behalf of those exiled during the operation Storm. She spoke about August 4, 1995, remembering the agony of the people in the convoy, who had to go as far as possible from their homes, never to return, and emphasized that the pain had not diminished even after 29 years.