CONSTRUCTION OF MEMORIAL CENTERS IN BELGRADE AND DONJA GRADINA - REPAYING DEBT TO OUR ANCESTORS AND LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

BELGRADE, MARCH 26 /SRNA/ - The construction of memorial centers in Belgrade and Donja Gradina, in memory of Serbs who perished in the genocide carried out in the NDH, is a first-rate national task, whose implementation should begin as soon as possible, this is the message from the opening of the Serbia–Republika Srpska Parliamentary Forum.

Addressing the Forum in Belgrade, Nenad Stevandić, Speaker of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, assessed that the ties between Serbia and Republika Srpska are at an exceptional level and that in the history of relations among Serbs in the Balkans, there have never been as many joint projects as there are now.

"The crowning achievement of all this would be the completion of the memorial center in Donja Gradina, the largest site of Serbian suffering, where even children perished, as well as the construction of an identical memorial center in Belgrade. Our historical clocks, which will be made in Belgrade and Donja Gradina, will always show the same time, and the same will apply to the relations between Serbia and Republika Srpska," emphasized Stevandić.

He added that the Serbs now have a generation that will complete the major project of building the two memorial centers.

"This is a debt we have not yet repaid to our ancestors and a pledge to the future that we owe to our descendants, whom we must guide toward unity and understanding of who we are and what we stand for, because without that, we will be poorly oriented in the future," Stevandić said.

He also believes that the best demonstration of unity is the start of the construction of the memorial centers, because everything related to the economy, culture, healthcare, and infrastructure projects has reached a very good state, thanks in large part to the enormous help from Serbia, which has never assisted Republika Srpska as much as it does now.

"Certainly, we do not view our unity only as political capital, but also as a deep national sentiment. It would be excellent to have two identical memorial centers because it would demonstrate that we must stick together. Difficult and increasingly challenging times lie ahead, in which we must rely on one another," Stevandić pointed out.

Serbia's National Assembly Speaker Ana Brnabić emphasized that a joint team for the project's implementation should be formed as soon as possible, as the memorial centers are of great importance and will show everyone the scale of Serbian suffering in the NDH.

"This is a very important task, because if we do not complete it, I am not sure anyone else will. Therefore, we must accelerate the pace of the meetings," Brnabić said.

She stressed that it is particularly important for concrete steps to be visible this year, as April 10 marks the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the criminal NDH /Independent State of Croatia/.

"So this year, symbolically, we need to show that the crimes against Serbs and the genocide against our people will never be forgotten," Brnabić emphasized.

She said that we live in extremely difficult times, in which both Serbia and Republika Srpska face increasing external challenges, beginning with the 2015 migration crisis, the coronavirus pandemic, the war in Eastern Europe, and now something that could be defined as the beginning of a third world war.

"We are facing an unprecedented energy crisis. This could also trigger a food supply crisis if the war in the Middle East continues. We must be prepared for everything. Crisis times further demand that the ties between Serbia and Republika Srpska be even firmer. Our people need to know that Republika Srpska will have everything that Serbia has," Brnabić stressed.