15.11.2023.
Minister Vučević: By honouring our glorious ancestors, we will be responsible towards our descendants
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Miloš Vučević officially opened the reconstructed Radomir Putnik Square in Kragujevac today.
The Minister of Defence said that it was a great honour for him to be at the ceremony in Kragujevac, the old capital in the centre of Šumadija. The roots of the statehood of a renewed Serbia, which rose like a phoenix from the ashes, from the Constitution, the Grammar School, the Theatre, defence industry, to the first electrification projects, which were unthinkable at the time in most parts of Europe, can be traced back to Kragujevac, he emphasized.- The entire national, intellectual potential that the Principality of Serbia had at the time, merged, united, gathered in the heart of Šumadija, in an effort to direct all their knowledge and skills, both individual and collective, towards strengthening our homeland and liberating our people who were still in slavery at the time. It is this strength that has characterized the City of Kragujevac, the old capital of liberated Serbia, for centuries. This, I am sure, puts us all under a great obligation, not only the citizens of Kragujevac, but all Serbs, no matter where they live - Minister Vučević said.
He emphasized that the square in the centre of Kragujevac bears the name of the oldest Serbian field marshal, a native of Kragujevac - Radomir Putnik.
- Radomir Putnik, a field marshal, a five-time war minister, a two-time chief of the general staff, winner of the battles of Kumanovo and Bitola, winner of the Battle of Bregalnica. The only field marshal who could bring together other field marshals, the only field marshal who had authority over Stepa, Mišić and Bojović. The only field marshal who could tell both the king and the regent what a war minister, i.e. a chief of the general staff, was supposed to say. And that puts us under an obligation not only to dedicate this beautiful square to him, but it also imposes responsibility on us in the future. And may the whole of Serbia and the entire Serbian nation be rebuilt, just as the City of Kragujevac is being rebuilt and just as this beautiful square has been rebuilt - Minister Vučević said.According to the Minister of Defence, this should be a symbol of the renewal of Serbia, a symbol of the renewal of the entire country, so that it gets a new look, without ever renouncing its essence, its spirit, what has always adorned and defined it.
- So that, by preserving and nurturing tradition and the past, honouring and understanding our history, we understand the present time and the time to come. So that, by honouring our glorious ancestors, we are responsible towards our descendants. If we behave like this, if we sincerely and truly love Serbia and every foot of our homeland, if we take care of every man and woman in Serbia, no matter where they live, if we take care of every citizen of Serbia, regardless of their religion and nationality, we will be on the right path - stressed Minister Vučević and congratulated the citizens of Kragujevac on everything they had done for their city.
The President of the Temporary Authority of the City of Kragujevac, Nikola Dašić, said that Field Marshal Radomir Putnik was the pride of all the citizens of Kragujevac.- He was our fellow citizen, a native of Kragujevac, educated in Kragujevac, an officer and a man who held the highest positions in this country for a number of years. He was war minister five times, he was the Chief of Staff of the Supreme Command right in this District Prefecture building. It was there, in the crucial years in the First World War, that strategies were made for both the battles of Kolubara and Cer - said Dašić, adding that it was there that the Drina March (Marš na Drinu) was first performed.
