ANTIĆ: SRPSKA IS LEGACY OF NEVESINJE UPRISING

NEVESINJE, JULY 9 /SRNA/ - Republika Srpska is the legacy of the Nevesinje Uprising, and today perhaps the greatest reflection of the Serbian people, State Secretary at the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs of Serbia Zoran Antić said today in Nevesinje at the commemoration of the 151st anniversary of the Nevesinje Uprising.

He said that the Nevesinje Uprising of 1875 was one of the most important historical events in the modern history of the Serbian people.

Antić pointed out that, had it not been for the Nevesinje Uprising, neither King Milan nor King Nikola would likely have entered the war with the Ottomans so easily, nor would they have sought the support of Imperial Russia at the time.

"There would have been no Second Serbian-Ottoman War and no liberation of the four nahiyahs in southern central Serbia; Pirot, Niš, Leskovac and Vranje would not have been free, nor would the Congress of Berlin have taken place. Many things in the Balkans would probably have unfolded differently geopolitically had it not been for the Nevesinje Uprising," Antić said.

According to him, through joint efforts, we have expressed the desire for this very event, as a symbol of resistance, the pursuit of freedom and something that represents the connective tissue of Serbs throughout the Serbian lands, to be recognized as a foundation of the theory of blood and soil on which the modern Serbian state rests.

Antić said that Republika Srpska today is indeed the foundation for creating some modern, new Serbian relations in this region, and that this is why Serbia is keeping a close eye on Srpska, with the desire for it to survive in terms of its state, legal and international continuity, as well as its constitutional and territorial status.

"To survive, and then, when the time comes, as Vladimir Ćorović spoke of it, for us all to unite under the heavenly canopy and finally bring to an end the centuries-old unfulfilled dream of Serbian unification," Antić said.

Antić expressed hope that today's Republika Srpska, guided by the wise statesmanlike decisions of its leadership and political actors, will succeed in understanding the historical circumstances and in overcoming all the major challenges and hardships it faces from Europe and the world.

"Glory to all our dukes, heroes, priests, teachers and prominent figures who gave their lives in all the Herzegovinian uprisings and for the freedom of Republika Srpska. Long live Republika Srpska, long live Serbia!", Antić said.

The commemoration marking the 151st anniversary of the Nevesinje Rifle uprising is being organised by the committees of the governments of Republika Srpska and Serbia for nurturing the tradition of the wars of liberation.