The Prime Minister of the Republic of Srpska Radovan Višković pointed out that the Army of the Republic of Srpska /VRS/, whose Patron Saint’s Day is being celebrated today at Ozren, is something that is sacred for representatives of the republic institutions, who must not let down the expectations of those who entrusted the Republic to them and they do everything to preserve it.
The Prime Minister of Srpska emphasized that today we should remember all those who gave their lives for Srpska, but also pay tribute to veterans, the people who gave their contribution to the Republic.
“We must never let their expectations down and everything we do - we do to preserve the Republic of Srpska, our traditions, families. This is a land that belongs to the Serb people, as well as to all other peoples,” the Prime Minister Višković told reporters at Ozren and congratulated the Patron Saint’s Day to the members of the Third Infantry Regiment of the Republic of Srpska /VRS, who inherit the tradition of the VRS.
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Srpska pointed out that we must not forget that today is Vidovdan (St. Vitus Day), which, in a way, traced the fate of the Serb people, from the Kosovo Battle in 1389 and the halting of the Ottoman Empire's advance, to 1914 and the Sarajevo assassination, which was the beginning of the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
“We must not forget that on this day in 1992, we lined up members of the Army of the Republic of Srpska on Sokolac, when the first solemn oath of the VRS was held in the Defensive and Patriotic War,” said the Prime Minister Višković.
He also recalled that on this day, with the liberation of Modriča, the Corridor of Life was definitely broken, when the Republic of Srpska connected its geographical eastern and western parts and there were no more interruptions in communication.
“When you just list all the events related to Vidovdan and the fate of the Serb people, then you will see how important this Patron Saint’s Day of the VRS is. The army of the Republic of Srpska was never an aggressor. Otherwise, in history, from the Battle of Kosovo until today, the Serbian army has never been an aggressor - we have always defended our hearths, freedom, homeland”, noted the Prime Minister of the Republic of Srpska Radovan Višković.
He said that one does not say “defensive patriotic war” for nothing, because it indicates the defense of the fatherland, the family, the homeland.
“Yesterday in the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska, you could have heard how some people think that we committed aggression in BiH. It is something that the human mind cannot comprehend - how can someone commit aggression against his own home? If you want to deal with history, we are older than any other nation here. But, let's leave history for some other time, now we need peace, stability, joint life, to respect and appreciate each other and thus build the future of this country”, said the Prime Minister.
He pointed out that today we should also remember the Battle of Mitrovdan, when the entire Herzegovina was defended against a much stronger enemy, as well as the defense of the Sarajevo-Romanija region, where 4,000 soldiers lost their lives, and the Sarajevo-Romanija corps, which defended that area, numbered 18,000 members.
In the Saint Nikola monastery on Ozren, Vidovdan has been celebrated today - the Patron Saint’s Day of the Army of the Republic of Srpska and the Third Infantry /Republic of Srpska/ Regiment.
His Eminence Bishop Fotije of Zvornik and Tuzla and Commander of the Third Infantry Republic of Srpska Regiment of the Armed Forces of BiH Sreten Milošević broke the Patron Saint's Cake in the presence of the highest officials of the Republic of Srpska today in the monastery of St. Nikola on Ozren.
