15.02.2014.
Reception on the occasion of the National Day
Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic tonight , on the occasion of the 15th February the National Day of Serbia hosted a reception for high officials including the Minister of Defence in the technical government Nebojsa Rodic , Army Chief of Staff General Ljubisa Diković Serbia and the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces .Welcoming the guests, Nikolic said that on this day we remember with pride the historical events that are crucial for restoring Serbian statehood because , during the centuries of slavery , where the only issue was the survival of the Serbian people could not achieve higher general historical or at least European influence of the great cultural and public works.
" But despite centuries of oppression throughout the Balkans , we managed to largely preserve our national identity , heritage , language and culture," stated Nikolic . According to him , many were not aware that the First Serbian Uprising sparked the revolution in the Balkans to solve the Eastern question based on national and democratic principles. " It was a revolt of the depraved against the privileged which resulted in the awakening of national consciousness transforming it into a struggle for freedom," Nikolic said. From the point of the outcome of the uprising and ideas about freedom as Nikolic observed that the term revolution would be justified.
Speaking of Sretenje Cconstitution , which was enacted in 1835 , Nikolic said that it started the restoration of the Serbian state and , although short-lived it was of huge significance for understanding the role of democratic institutions and was the foundation for the democratization of political institutions ." Enlightenment and liberal ideas that are therein , were the basis for the future development of the Serbian state . Consequently we still foster a wide range of free-thinking ideas : the independence of the judiciary , civil liberties and rights , inviolability of person ... the right to a lawful trial , the equality of citizens without regardless of their religion or nationality , " as president Nikolic remarked .
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