The 45th Meeting of Kozarans was held in Belgrade, and attended by the Minister of Administration and Local Self-Government of the Republic of Srpska, Senka Jujić, and representatives and delegations from Banja Luka, Prijedor, Gradiška, Laktaši, Kozarska Dubica, Novi Grad, Kostajnica, the diaspora and Serbia.

This traditional event is organized by the Association of Kozarans in Belgrade, and this year’s host is the municipality of Novi Grad.

The Meeting of Kozarans in Belgrade opened with the screening of a promotional film about the municipality of Novi Grad.

Rade Karalić, the president of the executive board of the Kozarans in Belgrade Association, said that the association was founded in 1974, and that it preserved the memories of Second World War heroism of the people of Kozara.

Author Rajko Srdić spoke to the participants about the famous Battle at Kozara.

The Head of Novi Grad Municipality, Miroslav Drljača, also addressed the participants, noting the importance of holding such events for the people and municipalities of Potkozarje.

‘We are one nation on both sides of the Drina, we have parallel and special relations, a culture and tradition in common that we must nurture’, said Drljača.

He pointed out that Kozara was a monumental and mythical symbol of the suffering and defense of the Serbian people, along with all other Serb execution sites.

The program of the Kozarans in Belgrade Meeting included performance by the cultural and artistic society Una and presentation of the new book Dubička knjiga mrtvih (Dubica Book of the Dead) by Milan Radulović.

The host of the next Kozarans’ Meeting will be the city of Laktaši, represented by the President of the City Assembly, Saša Popović.

The event was also attended by the Head of Kozarska Dubica Municipality, Radenko Reljić, and his associates, the President of the People’s Party of Srpska, Darko Banjac, and MPs Dragan Brdar and Bobana Ćibić.

The Association of Kozarans gathers people who affirm and preserve their tradition and culture and who work to strengthen the unity of the Serbian people together with the Republic of Srpska and the diaspora.

The event is sponsored by Zepter Company and Čigoja publishing company.

Source: SRNA

Photo: Novosti – SRNA