A ceremonial academy marking the Day of Serbian Unity and the National Flag was held in Banja Luka. The celebration of this holiday was established in 2020 with a view to strengthening the unity of the Serbian people in Serbia and Srpska. The Day of Serbian Unity, Freedom and the National Flag, 15 September, was designated to coincide with the anniversary of the breakthrough of the Salonika Front during World War I.

Serbs do not build their identity out of hatred for others, but out of love for their own people, said President Milorad Dodik in Banja Luka at the ceremonial academy marking the Day of Serbian Unity and the National Flag. – I send my regards to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, who is the founder of this holiday; we discussed this together back in 2020, and we have lived to see the day when we celebrate and mark our shared dates – Dodik said.

Freedom is the word that drives us, which implies the very being of the Serbian people, said Srpska’s Prime Minister Savo Minić at the ceremonial academy marking the Day of Serbian Unity and the National Flag. – A homeland can exist only when it is free. The Republic of Srpska and Serbia constitute a unified homeland space. It is our duty to convey to children the importance of freedom, for it is priceless – stated Minić.

We safeguard freedom, dignity, and our people wherever they may live, said the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia Đuro Macut, at the celebration of the Day of Serbian Unity and the National Flag in Banja Luka. – This is the best way to demonstrate what Serbian unity looks like. I, too, come from this side of the Drina. I am delighted to be back home. Some had hoped we would not be here; yet here I am, and ministers from the Serbian Government are here as well – Macut noted.

I feel the Republic of Srpska as my home, said Patriarch Porfirije in Banja Luka at the ceremonial academy marking the Day of Serbian Unity and the National Flag. – I always rejoice at coming to the land of my grandfathers and great-grandfathers – Patriarch Porfirije said. He stated that he felt a profound blessing over our gathering to show that we are one - one people, one faith, one church.

The ceremony was attended by the President of the Republic of Srpska Siniša Karan; Prime Ministers of Srpska and Serbia, Savo Minić and Đuro Macut; National Assembly Speaker Nenad Stevandić; Serb member of the BiH Presidency, Željka Cvijanović; President Milorad Dodik; and His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Porfirije. There were also ministers from the governments of the Republic of Srpska and Serbia, Srpska representatives in joint institutions, members of parliament, and several thousand citizens.

Source: RTRS

Photo: ZIPAPHOTO/Borislav Zdrinja