25.09.2025.
Minister Gašić attends commemorative ceremony on Vido Island
Minister of Defence Bratislav Gašić took part today in the central state ceremony commemorating the 109th anniversary of the Serbian army’s landing on the Ionian islands of Corfu and Vido. The ceremony was led by Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Macut.
Also in attendance at the event was the Minister of Labour, Employment, Social, and Veteran Affairs, Milica Đurđević Stamenkovski, who also serves as President of the Committee for Nurturing the Traditions of the Liberation Wars of Serbia.As part of the ceremony, Prime Minister Macut and Minister Gašić laid wreaths at the Mausoleum on the island of Vido, at the Naval Cross, and at sea - the “Blue Tomb”.
The Minister of Defence emphasized that it was a great honour for him to attend the commemorative ceremony held today on the island of Corfu, the second homeland of our ancestors, a place of great importance not only in Serbian history but for all Serbs, wherever they may live.- The memory of the First World War, and especially the “Albanian Golgotha”, transcends time and space. The time of suffering, anguish, and horror is something no moral, conscious, and responsible Serb can remain indifferent to – said Minister Gašić.
He emphasized that the journey to the Greek islands of Corfu and Vido, the path of both Golgotha and resurrection, marked some of the brightest and bloodiest chapters in Serbian military history.- In the entire history of the world, it was only in the winter of 1915 that an entire government and military leadership, along with the army and civilians, moved together in an endless column, making their way through snow and ice across the Albanian mountains. It was both a magnificent and harrowing scene, an image of suffering and faith in salvation – said the Minister of Defence.
More than a century later, Minister Gašić said, the freedom and honour of the Serbian people and state rest upon the sacrifices of their ancestors. By remembering their suffering, we once again pay tribute to both our ancestors and the victims of this historic event.
- As a part of our cultural memory, our military tradition is a fundamental component of our national identity. Despite attempts to impose revisionist thesis that dismisses patriotism as outdated or obsolete, it is ingrained in our very genetic makeup, and we will never abandon it. Serbia must not and never will allow that – Minister Gašić said.At the conclusion of his speech, Minister Gašić emphasized that the memory of our ancestors and history is our greatest wealth and pride.
- That is why, gathered here today, we honour their memory with a solemn promise, that neither we nor future generations will ever forget them. We will continue to protect and nurture the priceless gift of well-being and hard-earned peace they left us – Minister Gašić emphasized.
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Đuro Macut, thanked Corfu, its residents, and the Janulis family for their love and support of the Serbian people in their most difficult moments.
- At this very place we sang Tamo daleko, Kreće se lađa francuska, Oj Srbijo, mila mati, and many other songs. At this very place we celebrated Easter in 1916. At this very place our state and its institutions continued to function until liberation. This was a place of love, memories, and hope. From the Corfu port, the residents of Kerkyra sent us off to the Salonika Front with the words: “Good luck, Serbian soldiers”, from where we advanced heroically and liberated our people and our country – said Prime Minister Macut.Minister Đurđević Stamenkovski emphasized that Greek-Serbian friendship and brotherhood was not forged in salons, but on the battlefield, among hospital beds where Greek nurses tended to our ancestors, in Greek homes where the hosts shared their last pieces of bread with Serbian soldiers and people, and in songs about Serbia that can still be heard across Greece today.
The gathering was also addressed by the Governor of the Ionian Islands Region, Giannis Trepeklis, the Mayor of Central Corfu, Stefanos Poulimenos, and Metropolitan Nektarios of the Ionian Islands.Minister Gašić, together with Prime Minister Macut, Minister Đurđević Stamenkovski, and a delegation from the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, visited the Serbian House in Corfu. There, curator Ljubomir Saramandić presented the permanent multimedia exhibition titled “Serbs on Corfu 1916-18”, which depicts the ordeal endured by the Serbian army and civilians during their retreat through Albania and their stay in Corfu.
The commemorative ceremonies are held in memory of a period of great suffering of civilians and soldiers who, exhausted by long marches, sought refuge on the Greek Ionian islands of Corfu and Vido.
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