Ministry of defence Republic of Serbia
 
22.04.2014.

Holocaust Remembrance Day



Ivica Dacic, Prime Minister in the caretaker government of the Republic of Serbia, said that to this day, Serbia is cherishing its anti-fascist tradition as an inseparable part of its existence by remembering the victims of the Second World War, and accepting its role as a factor of peace and stability in the Western Balkans.

At the central memorial ceremony dedicated to the Remembrance Day for Holocaust and genocide victims and other victims of fascism in the Second World War, Dacic pointed out that the numerous victims of that war are a consequence of the ideologies of intolerance and hatred, and a warning that we must take note of to prevent similar events from happening again in our age.

"The idea of a union of European states emerged as a result of the victory over fascism and it is the most significant peace project in the history of our continent. It is by adhering to anti-fascist values that Serbia is making huge steps towards European integrations", Dacic said, reminding that Serbia in the past has been able to define its international position by building joint progress in times of peace and by siding with anti-fascist forces in times of war.

According to him, Serbia is today a truly democratic country based on respect of the Constitution, laws, human and civil rights and liberties, as well as a country that is implementing reforms and defending its interests solely by diplomatic means.

Serbia sees the challenges it is facing as an opportunity to demonstrate the maturity of its institutions and the principles of international law, based on the victory over fascism in the Second World War, Dacic said.

Serbia is a significant factor and guarantor of peace and stability in the Western Balkans, and the turbulent past is no obstacle for it to establish good-neighbourly relations based on respect of territorial integrity and sovereignty, he underlined.

"Citizens of Serbia, our past is an important segment of our identity, while at the same time providing a foundation for us to make our present and future prosperous. Whether we will take up the challenge and leave a democratic and civic state to posterity is entirely up to us," Dacic said.

The prime minister called on the citizens to rally around common objectives and continue to build Serbia as a home to equal and free citizens and make the wishes of their ancestors, who won the Second World War, come true.

The Remembrance Day for Holocaust and genocide victims and other victims of fascism in the Second World War was marked with the presence of members of the victims' families, officials of several ministries and diplomats, by a wreath-laying ceremony at the Genocide Victims Memorial on the site of the former Staro Sajmište Nazi German concentration camp. The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Association of Jewish Municipalities in Serbia and the Roma Minority Council.

The Remembrance Day for Holocaust and genocide victims and other victims of fascism in the Second World War is marked on 22nd April to commemorate the breakthrough of Jasenovac Concentration Camp prisoners in the quisling creation of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) in 1945.

 
MOD
Ministry of defence Republic of Serbia, Bircaninova 5 street, Belgrade
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