04.09.2016.
Marking Anniversary of the Battle of Deligrad
The laying of wreaths and paying high state and military honours today marked the 210th anniversary of the Battle of Deligrad, and Minister of Labour Aleksandar Vulin said that it is our obligation to leave to our children Serbia which is worth living in and worth fighting for.
"The Serbs want to help, to understand other people's anguish, distress and care, but cannot waive their right to be free. They are born with that", Vulin said. He led the state ceremony at Deligrad, near Aleksinac, in the memorial temple of the Holy Archangel Michael with the charnel house.
He said that it is the biggest lie which the Serbs revealed long time ago that only the submissive head would not be cut by sabre.
"The Serbs know that this is lie over lies, because they know that only free people give birth to free people and that a slave can never become a free man", he added.
Vulin pointed out that the Serbs and Serbia do not know how to live in the lack of freedom accepting other country as their master.
"The Serbs cannot live without freedom," Vulin said, adding that nothing is created faster than the Serbian army and that there is nothing more permanent or longer-lasting than memories of those who brought them freedom.
"It was then, as it is today; other questions are before us, but the answer is always the same: the Serbs want to be free and in order to be free they need a strong and unified state, government, military, good economy", he said and added that there was no generation that did not give the same answers to these questions – freedom at any price.
He pointed out that no generation ever in the history of the Serbian people was on the wrong side.
"That is exactly why we have the responsibility to convey to these children what bigger and better than us did and to leave them Serbia which is worth living in, which is worth fighting for", Vulin said adding that 210 years later, at Deligrad, the Serbian state assembled, with its government, local government, the military, the church, the people.
"And after 210 years, we are standing here and speaking our own language, writing our own script, have our own state, soldiers, teachers .. The Serbian state stands here, but not with its head bowed, but proud of those who walked, died and won", Vulin said.
President of the Municipality of Aleksinac, Nenad Stankovic, said that, at Deligrad, we remember and celebrate those historical events which we established both independence of our country and freedom.
"That was the situation at that time, but nowadays also the time has its challenges just the forms of struggle for a strong Serbia are different now", he said and added that he believes in the Serbian government, that it will continue to effectively lead Serbia with wisdom and courage.
Wreaths were laid also by representatives of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, Aleksinac Municipality, as well as associations and citizens committed to preserving tradition of the Serbian liberation wars.
Deligrad, the city on the right bank of the South Morava river, near Aleksinac, entered the history by its famous defence of fortified front line.
The insurgents have established a system of trenches several kilometres long – positions that closed direction Nis - Belgrade. These positions were held by several thousand Serbian insurgents.
In mid-1806, the Ottoman Empire started a major offensive against the rebels' army. Under the command of Ibrahim Pasha, about 6,000 Turks broke out before the Deligrad walls defended by about 5,000 rebels under the command of Petar Dobrnjac, on 16th June 1806.
Battles were fought for several weeks, the crew heroically defended themselves. Having defeated the Turks at Misar, Karadjordje quickly transferred forces to the front at Deligrad sent detachment of troops under the command of Stanoje Glavas in the rear and, on 4 September, broke the Ottoman forces, rejecting them towards Nis.
