24.04.2024.

Minister Vučević Receives Key to the Town and Scroll of “Honorary Citizen of Banjaluka Town”

This evening, Minister Vučević attended the ceremony of observing the Day of the Town of Banjaluka, hosted by the Mayor of that town, Draško Stanivuković in the “Borik” hall.

At this evening’s ceremony, the mayor of Banjaluka conferred the Key to the Town to Minister Vučević and the Scroll of the “Honorary Citizen of the Town of Banjaluka”.

Addressing the present, Minister Vučević expressed the feelings of great happiness, pride and responsibility at receiving the keys to the town of Banjaluka on that evening’s ceremony.

- I feel happiness, because you have recognised my soul and my aspirations, my work and first of all my love for you. I feel responsibility, because it is a great thing to be the citizen of Banjaluka. Today, I have officially become one and I will remain one of you forever. Today, we mark 79 years since freedom came to Banjaluka, and it came to remain there forever. May it be known, and may all know that it is precisely the greatest legacy of the fight against fascism and Nazism. Freedom that was won then, that we have been protecting till the present day, is the value that the Serbs love the most, and on that day honourable people of Krajina ousted the greatest human evil from Banjaluka, the heart of Krajina. That is when freedom came to all the peoples in these parts - said Minister Vučević.

On that occasion, he reminded that there had been various enemy plans intended for Banjaluka.

- According to the designs of ideologists of the so-called NDH, this town was supposed to become the capital of that creation of fascism and Nazism. That town was supposed to have everything in abundance except for the Serbs, Jews and Roma. They were the unwanted element. They were to be excommunicated and then, in accordance with the principle of the criminal, Mile Budak, eliminated and ousted. That was the matter of the elimination of entire ethnic groups. The proofs of this are immeasurable. That happened here, not far from the place we are in. One of them is the fate of the children from a primary school in Šargovcima, pogrom in the village of Motike and Drakulić. Jasenovac itself was supposed to serve as a diabolical regulator for the solution of primarily the ethnic issue of the Serb in Krajina. That solution, as many years later, and not so long ago, one president stated, meant that the Serbs were to practically disappear - Minister Vučević pointed out adding that “the heart of the people of Krajina withstood all that, and eventually won its freedom”.

The minister of defence particularly emphasised that the faith and love are reflected in the fight for freedom and for one’s roots.

- Today as well, we have to continue watching over that freedom, because this town and these people have never wanted anything else but freedom and equality. It is the highest value. I have come here to tell you that we will preserve that freedom together. My dear friends, brothers and sisters, I feel your energy every time and at every step when I am in Banjaluka. Thank you for that. All those who hold Serbia close to heart feel it too. When I personally need to recover and need strength to continue onward, when we work for our fatherland that I love with all my heart, you are our inspiration. Do not worry, nothing has broken us, and nothing ever will. I have come to tell you that, and that there is no surrender, because surrender is not an option - the minister of defence stressed adding that we should work on the development of economy, growth of salaries and pensions and the development of infrastructure.

At the end of his address, Minister Vučević wished peace, wisdom and courage to all, and for Banjaluka to be built for all its citizens.

- Let us show that Banjaluka is the capital of freedom, to protect freedom and spirit in memory of all those who left us the legacy of this never conquered town, which is our pledge, pride and our hope. I will try and hopefully be worthy of keeping the key to our Banjaluka, so that the door unlocked by this key always stay open for all the people of good will, and be impenetrable to all the enemies of our state and our people - Minister Vučević said.

Mayor of Banjaluka Stanivuković said that the value did not rest only in what we had, but in what we gave and what we acquired through our work and unselfishly share, and he stated that brotherly Serbia - everything that it gained, it gained by its work, but it selflessly shared it with Banjaluka and the Republika Srpska.

- I would like to thank our mother country. I would like to thank our people in Serbia, the leadership in Serbia, President Aleksandar Vučić, and the Minister of Defence and future Prime Minister of Serbia Miloš Vučević, who, together with the leadership of Serbia, did much for our Banjaluka. It is a great honour to have you as the new honorary citizen of Banjaluka and to have you receive the Key to the town. Now that the Key to the town is given only to the most trustworthy. We are one family, one people. That is why I congratulate you on this reward and I tell you to count on our fondness and our friendship.

On 11th April, members of the Assembly of the town of Banjaluka voted that the Key to the town and the Scroll of the “Honorary Citizen of the Town of Banjaluka” be presented to Minister Vučević.

At the ceremony of marking the Day of the town, recognitions “Golden Coat of Arms of Banjaluka” and plaque “Gajić Sisters” were conferred to deserving individuals and institutions.