13.02.2025.

Ceremony to mark Statehood Day of Republic of Serbia and Statehood Day of Republika Srpska

A ceremony to mark the Statehood Day of the Republic of Serbia and the Statehood Day of Republika Srpska was held tonight in the Borik Sports Hall in Banja Luka under the slogan "Unity and Pride". Presidents Aleksandar Vučić and Milorad Dodik were in attendance at the ceremony.

The holiday celebration was attended by Minister of Defence Bratislav Gašić and Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff General Milan Mojsilović.

The event was also attended by the Speaker of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, Nenad Stevandić, prime ministers of Serbia and Republika Srpska Radovan Višković and Miloš Vučević, His Eminence Bishop Jefrem of Banja Luka, government ministers, representatives of the diplomatic corps and institutions, public figures and numerous citizens. In his address,

President Vučić expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome and said that he had never been ashamed to say how much he loved Republika Srpska. He said that “every year we try to extend a hand to those who never wanted it” and added that “nothing of what was allowed to them was allowed to us and nothing of was forgiven to them was forgiven to us”.

- We have always talked about respecting the Dayton Agreement and preserving the integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska as part of BiH. When it came to the integrity of Serbia, nobody cared. Territorial integrity is only important when it comes to them. When we bow our heads in respect of Bosniak victims, it is never enough, whatever we say or do is not enough - said President Vučić, adding that the world has always had double standards.

According to him, the Serbs are not “a rag or a handful of oats that everyone can peck at”, we do not allow our people to be attacked, we are not enemies to anyone and we want peace and stability, which we will safeguard.

- I have always said that I love Republika Srpska. We love and respect Bosnia and Herzegovina. We share the same first and last name, the Serbian first and last name, we belong to the same Serbian nation, we share the same language, the same alphabet and culture and we are called simply - Serbs and nothing else. We will not let anyone take it from us - stressed President Vučić.

Speaking about the past 100 days, the President of Serbia said that it was a difficult time and a heavy burden.

- We could not believe how much money was given from outside to overthrow the Serbian government. But we understood the message, the message of political opponents and many from outside who do not want Serbia to be free and strong. I wonder what I have done badly for Serbia, when I look at healthcare, education, military, police, roads, railways, science parks, today we have everything that we did not have before. Salaries are three times higher than before, pensions are twice higher. Nothing is late, the dinar is stable for the first time in history, and it never was before. Then I ask myself, what is it that would suit everyone, especially those who do not like Serbia and the Serbian people. That is why they have harnessed all their forces to bring down Serbia - said the President of Serbia and thanked the President of Srpska for not "turning his back" on Serbia in difficult moments and said that Serbia would never "turn its back" on him or Republika Srpska.

According to the President of Serbia, we have a good future ahead of us, and nothing and no one can ever defeat the strength of one's ideas, one's fighting spirit and the willpower to rise up each time one falls, one's love for freedom and homeland.

- I am sure that Serbia and Srpska will continue to strengthen the ties between them without disturbing anyone, that we will continue to connect via highways and railways, that we will continue to connect in every possible way, preserving the international legal order, while at the same time preserving and protecting our Serbian name and our Serbian last name - said President Vučić, adding that "even in the most difficult times, the greatest support for everyone comes from Kosovo and Metohija and Republika Srpska”.

According to President Vučić, we had one of the most modern constitutions in 1835, but we were never given full freedom, everyone else could do whatever they wanted, but we could never do half of what others could do.

- Times are changing globally, we should never go against anyone. We have many Bosniaks in Serbia and they are our citizens. But we will not allow their politicians to humiliate us. We will not allow them to use us as a punching bag without saying anything. We will know how to protect our dignity, our Serbian pride, our first and last name, and we will fearlessly respond to every political provocation and lie – said President Vučić, adding that “today there is a lot of talk about territorial integrity as the most important principle for everyone in the world, but this does not apply to Serbia”.

The Serbs will fight through peace, stability, economic strength, unity, and the fact that they cannot break us, he said.

- We have learned our lessons. Harmony, togetherness and unity are words that must apply to all of us - President Vučić concluded.

In his address, President of Republika Srpska Dodik praised President Vučić for his decision to organize the All-Serbian Assembly where it was determined that every national holiday in Serbia was the holiday of every Serb, wherever he or she may live, especially in Republika Srpska.

- This is Republika Srpska’s first time celebrating Sretenje as its Statehood Day. And it is so normal and logical. For a long time, we were forbidden to do that. Serbia did not have a national day for many years, until Sretenje was declared the Serbian Statehood Day - said President Dodik and added that “Sretenje is a day when we gather” and that “we are one nation and we have the right to celebrate all our holidays together”.

He said that "we will not give up what is written in the Sretenje Constitution - our freedom" and added that freedom was a sacred word for the Serbian people.

The joint celebration of Sretenje on February 15 is one of the conclusions of the Declaration adopted at the All-Serbian Assembly held last summer in Belgrade. The Statehood Day celebrates the day when the First Serbian Uprising started in 1804 and the day when the first modern Serbian constitution was adopted in 1835.