06.04.2019.
Minister Vulin: We safeguard the memory of our pilots and the right to be free
- 78 years ago, Belgrade was almost levelled to the ground, but Belgrade survived, just like the freedom-loving spirit survived which has always been cherished and brought within our people. We, the Serbs, are tired of wars, but we are not tired of the values for which we waged the wars – said Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin, who today, with state and military honours, laid the wreaths on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, and accompanied by a delegation of the Serbian Armed Forces, at the Monument to the Pilots, defenders of Belgrade in April 1941 at Zemun Quay.
Minister Vulin pointed out that we were not tired of freedom, and that we were not tired of our right to live freely and to decide on our own about ourselves and the future of our children.
- The Serbian people has never been on the wrong side of the world, like we were not 78 years ago, and just like we were not 20 years ago. We have always been on the right side of the world, and we have always been on the right side of freedom. Much like the heroic pilots defended us in 1941, the pilots defended us in 1999 – and they defended our right to be free. The Serbian people will never do to others what was done to it, and Serbian people will never reach for something that belongs to somebody else, and it will never try to impose itself and its beliefs by force. The Serbian people has chosen to be free and won its right to that – the minister of defence stressed.He reminded that the generation of the pilots from 1941 and the generation of pilot from 1999 had won and preserved the right to decide on our own about ourselves, and he added that we would pass that right to our descendants and that we would never be any different.
On behalf of the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, a wreath was laid by State Secretary Nenad Nerić, while Deputy Mayor Goran Vesić did it on behalf of the city of Belgrade.
Deputy Mayor Vesić reminded that on that day they commemorated one of the saddest days in the history of our city, when 78 years ago fascist aviation had bombarded Belgrade, and threw more than 400 tons of bombs, which killed more than four thousand people and destroyed almost 700 buildings, which represented one of the most severe devastations that Belgrade had ever survived.- Today, it is with piety that we remember all the victims, and all those killed in the bombardment in 1941, just like we remember the brave pilots of the 6th Fighter Regiment, who in an unequal battle, under the Belgrade skies, while defending their city, shot down 48 enemy planes – Vesić underlined, adding that the monument in their honour was at the same time a reminder for all as to how the freedom was defended.
The wreaths were also laid by delegations of the Air Force and Air Defence of the Serbian Armed Forces, a delegation of the veterans of SUBNOR and associations oriented towards cherishing the traditions of liberation wars of Serbia.
The commemorative gatherings and wreath lying ceremonies were held to mark the 78th anniversary of the bombardment of Belgrade that took place on 6th April 1941, which marked the beginning of the attack of the Nazi Germany against the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in the Second World War.
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