28.07.2018.
Values that must not be forgotten
Today, Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin has attended the beginning of the marathon event dubbed “Heroes of Serbia the Fatherland” in front of the Temple of Saint Sava in Belgrade, organized on the occasion of marking the centenary since the end of the First World War; it will be held in sequences on the direction Belgrade - Serbian military cemetery Zejtinlik in Thessaloniki.
Before giving signal for the start of the marathon event, minister of defence wished success to the participants in the race and thanked them for taking part in this great venture.
- One hundred years since the First World War is time to remind ourselves of the values for which we mark exactly this year's anniversary. Our marathoners will send a message to the Greek people that we remember, that we do not forget, that we appreciate all that they did for our people over a hundred years ago, but what is even higher and more important than anything, that we stand together with the Greek people at this difficult moment and that they should also know and understand that they are not alone, Minister Vulin emphasized.According to him, the Serbs know how difficult it is when it comes to suffering, the Serbs know how it is when your wounds are not hurting anyone.
- Here we show that we care about the Greek people, that this tragedy is not something in which they will be alone. We remember how it was a hundred years ago and we recall it, but we are also ready to be with the Greek people nowadays, in current time, when it is difficult. A hundred years ago, the Serbian and Greek people fought for the same values, and these values are not out of date even today, and we exist and live for them today. Freedom and our right to choose are the reasons for which we were the winners in the First and the Second World War, because when you defend such great and elevated values, then you cannot be defeated. A hundred years later, there are also those who would change history and those who would like to make the First World War to be perceived as some kind of meaningless conflict in which all were the same and in which they were all only victims of war. They did not, because the First World War was not caused by Serbia, it did not ask for it, and the First World War left Serbia in its wounds, bloody and crippled, but we were victorious. We won because we fought for freedom and the right to choose, just as we do today, minster Vulin said, adding that we must not forget that, and that we are louder and that we should remember more clearly, that is somethig that others will also need to remember more.
Minister Vulin was given special recognition, as well as a memorial and medal of the marathon.
Among the chosen ones who will set off on the paths of our ancestors there is also Second Lieutenant Marija Lukić from the Signal Brigade, who pointed out that as members of the Serbian Armed Forces she feels privileged to take part in this international humanitarian marathon.- We have been practicing almost every day, in accordance with our obligations, and I expect to be able to finish the race to the end. This is a relay race, and each participant should run a number of kilometers per day, Second Lieutenant Lukić explained.
As organizers of the marathon from the “Noble Heart” Athletic Club emphasized, the Patriarch of Serbia Irinej blessed the participants of this race, and the blessing came also from the priesthood of the Hilandar monastery. Before the start, in front of the Temple of St. Sava a moleben for the perished in the First World War was also held, attended by Ambassador of Greece Elias Eliadis.
