19.10.2019.

Solemn Observance on the occasion of the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Belgrade

President Vučić: Freedom is priceless

The President of the Republic of Serbia and the Supreme Commanderof the Serbian Armed Forces, Aleksandar Vučić, the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev, and the Serbian member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency, Milorad Dodik, attended the solemn observance of the 75thanniversary of the liberation of Belgrade in World War II tonight at the Sava Center which was filled to the last seat.
Apart from the highest officials of Serbia and Republika Srpska, the Prime Minister and members of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, the ceremony was also attended by the Minister of Defense, Aleksandar Vulin and the Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, General Milan Mojsilović, with members of the Collegiums.

After the screening of a short documentary “Put pobede” (“The Route to Victory”), the surviving liberators of the capital were greeted with loud ovations, and one of them, Zdenko Duplančić, who was a fifteen-year-old partisan fighter at the time, addressed the audience.

Along with the message that freedom is priceless, President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, recalled the heroic days of the liberation of the capital, and especially emphasized the immeasurable contribution of the Red Army to that historical victory.

- It was bloody and difficult to come by that freedom, and almost 4.000 Red Army men and members of the People’s Liberation Army laid their lives for freedom.
- The meeting of partisan units in Belgrade in October 1944 was a meeting of suffering Serbs, between whom ties had been severed. In those days, partisans from Pusta Reka and Pomoravlje met with their compatriots from Vrbas and Una, those from Kosmaj with those from Grmeč, men from Šumadija with those from Lika and all of them together with our friends and brotheren Russians – said Supreme Commanderof the Serbian Armed Forces and added that Serbia today stands proudofher history and will never again give up her heroes.

- We will protect and preserve Serbia and our national interests, as well as our people in Kosovo and Metohija, and in every other place. We want the right to live our freedom, said President Vucić, adding that he felt especially happy and proud because he and Prime Minister Medvedev had the opportunity today to inspect and reaffirm how much the Serbian Armed Forces have progressed.

The President of the Republic of Serbia also sent a special message in Russian to President Vladimir Putin, in which he expressed his sincere and heartfelt thanks for the support Russia has been providing to the Republic of Serbia and the great understanding expressed over the years for Serbia’s position as an independent country.

The Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev, emphasized that the magnificent victory and liberation of Belgrade were won by fighters, most of whom are no longer among us, as well as those present tonight.

- From this place I would like to send a word of gratitude to them all, and to warmly congratulate the holiday we are celebrating together. On this occasion, fireworks will be organized in Moscow tomorrow - said Prime Minister Medvedev who received a rapturous applause from the full audience at the Sava Center.
He added that it was the duty of all of us to cherish and preserve the truth about these glorious events, and he specifically mentioned the largest sites of suffering of the Serbian people during World War II.

Medvedev also stressed that it was extremely important to take care of the monuments reminiscent of that time.

- We highly appreciate that our great Serbian friendssafe-keep the monuments of that time and treat them with care.

He recalled that during the 19thcentury Russia supported Serbia in the fight for independence, later during World War I our countries stood together, and during World War II they became members of the anti-Hitler coalition.

- We were together then, and I hope that will always be the case, said Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev at the end of his address.
The artistic part of the program featured an ensemble of songs and danceof the Russian Armed Forces“Aleksandrov”, the Art Ensemble of the Ministry of Defense “Stanislav Binički”and the National Theater Choir, with guests.