The traditional cauldron feast opened the Days of the Diaspora in Priboj near Lopare, organized for the twelfth time by the municipality of Lopare and the Association of Majevicans in Switzerland.

The Head of Lopare municipality, Rado Savić, said that this year’s Diaspora Days were organized under the slogan Homeland in the Heart, and that they had started with a magnificent gathering and a traditional cauldron feast in Priboj Majevički.

‘The Diaspora Days are gathering more and more people, becoming more massive with a large number of participants and richer content, which will last seven days this time and which is constantly improving from year to year’, Savić pointed out.

Đorđe Milićević, minister without portfolio in charge of coordinating activities and measures in the field of relations between the Republic of Serbia and the diaspora, officially opened the event.

He said that he was used to similar events and that in Priboj and Lopare he felt among his own.

‘My goal since the formation of the term of the Government of Serbia has been to strengthen our ties between the motherland Serbia and our compatriots in the sense of bringing the diaspora closer to Serbia and Serbia to the diaspora, and establishing a two-way communication’, said Miličević.

Serbian Diaspora Relations Minister Đorđe Milićević said that Serbia-Republic of Srpska cooperation was stronger than ever and that the Drina River was ‘the backbone uniting them, not the border separating them’.

– This event gives us an opportunity to strengthen the cooperation between Serbia and Republic of Srpska, which is stronger than ever through the cooperation of our presidents and two governments – said Milićević.

He noted that this cooperation was crucial for preserving and strengthening Serbian identity, protecting cultural heritage and promoting Serbian values around the world.

– Our strength lies in unity and togetherness. Together we can achieve many goals and overcome the challenges we face – said Milićević.

He noted that throughout history, the Serbian people had been migrating all over the world, bringing their culture, tradition and Serbian spirit to the most distant continents.

– Many left their homes in search of a better life but never forgetting their roots. We are one and the same Serbian nation, united not only by common history and language, but also by an unbreakable bond in our hearts – said Milićević.

He emphasized particularly the role of the Serbian Orthodox Church, which unites and gathers the Serbian diaspora around the world, announced the Serbian Ministry of Diaspora Relations.

Milićević invited the gathered people to observe a minute of silence in honor of the Serbs from the village of Staro Gracko near Lipljan, who had been brutally killed on this day in 1999 while harvesting their fields, for whose murder none of the Shqiptar terrorists had been held accountable.

Stojan Stevanović, president of the Association of Serbian Businessmen in Switzerland, expressed his satisfaction with the way the event was developing.

‘My heart is full at the opening of the Diaspora Days, which last longer this year than previous years’, said Stevanović.

The event lasts until 30 July, and includes cultural and artistic events, sports competitions, literary evenings, as well as a motherland-diaspora business forum.

Source: Municipality of Lopare – RTRS – SRNA

Photo: Municipality of Lopare