BRANKOVIĆ: PRESERVING RIGHT TO EXISTENCE AND FREEDOM

BANJA LUKA, SEPTEMBER 14 /SRNA/ – On the Day of Serbian Unity, Freedom, and the National Flag, Serbian pain and glory are united, as well as the desire for existence and survival. That is why Serbia must be strong, and Republika Srpska must preserve the right to freedom, for which the best among us gave their lives, Professor of History at the University of Banja Luka Boško Branković told SRNA.

"All of this is possible if we remain united as a people. For the Serbian people, September 15 represents a date in which language, culture, tradition, and faith come together. By marking it, the Serbian people show that they are capable of remembering, but also of preserving all the essential elements of their identity, especially faith, language, and history," Branković said.

He pointed out that the Serb people in BiH are condemned to a constant struggle for their rights to this land and this territory, both in the past and today.

"Only the change of political figures of the great powers, the names of decision-making places, secret and public conferences, congresses, and talks, show that the struggle of the Serb people in BiH for autonomy in the final period of Ottoman rule, later the struggle for church-school autonomy under Austro-Hungarian occupation, and today’s struggle for Republika Srpska, have always been the object of the great powers and mighty states," Branković assessed.

He added that if we look today at the state of Serbian society and how much the Serb people have lost, it is clear that much more effort is needed to preserve everything that our ancestors left as a legacy.

"The joint celebration of the holiday should demonstrate the unity of the Serbian people on both sides of the Drina, but also more broadly, wherever Serbs exist. The Serbian flag should be proudly displayed, the Serbian language nurtured, and Serbian history taught," Branković emphasized.

The Day of Serbian Unity, Freedom, and the National Flag is a state holiday celebrated on September 15 in Serbia and Republika Srpska, symbolically established on the date marking the breakthrough of the Salonika Front. It has been celebrated since 2020.

The idea for the joint holiday of Serbia and Srpska was proposed by Serbian leaders Aleksandar Vučić and Ana Brnabić, in agreement with the leadership of Republika Srpska, headed by Milorad Dodik.

This year, the Day of Serbian Unity, Freedom, and the National Flag will be celebrated on September 15 in Gadžin Han, the birthplace of the most famous Salonika soldier, Dragutin Matić.