ANĐELKOVIĆ: DEFENCE OF NATIONAL INTERESTS MUST ALWAYS BE PRIORITY

BELGRADE, SEPTEMBER 14 /SRNA/ - The defence of Serbian national interests must always be a priority for Republika Srpska and Serbia, which is why September 15, celebrated as Serbian Unity, Freedom and National Flag Day, should also be a day of Serbian pragmatism, historian Dragomir Anđelković told SRNA.

Anđelković stressed that Serbs must cultivate the cult of the nation, the state and all national symbols, including the coat of arms and the flag.

"That is something that must go without saying. Unfortunately, we talk a lot about it because we were taught that it should not be taken for granted and that some other flags are ours, once the Yugoslav flag, and now also the EU flags. But in fact, we have only one true flag - the Serbian one, which we should insist on," Anđelković said.

Anđelković believes it is important that Serbian Unity Day be an occasion to reflect on mistakes made in the past and on what led to Serbian victories in the First and Second World Wars later being largely nullified because of the wrong decisions by Serbs to unite with those who had been their enemies and subordinate their interests because of an illusion of brotherhood and unity, which cost them dearly.

"Let it be a day when we should think about how to defend our national interests as successfully and effectively as possible," Anđelković said.

He noted that this is very important for Republika Srpska because this western Serbian state is still faced with war rhetoric from Sarajevo and other actors who want to completely eliminate it, as they did in the 1990s when they provoked a war.

"That is why it is important for Serbs in Republika Srpska to constantly keep national unity and national pragmatism in mind, no matter how politically divided they may be. They must never do this in a way that would harm national interests," Anđelković pointed out.

Serbian Unity, Freedom and National Flag Day is a state holiday celebrated on September 15 in Serbia and Republika Srpska, and it was symbolically established on the day commemorating the breakthrough of the Salonica Front.

It was established in 2020 with the aim of strengthening the unity of the Serb people in Serbia and Republika Srpska, as well as strengthening the cult of the national flag.