MARIĆ: WE ARE STRENGTHENING SERBIAN NATIONAL UNITY

BANJA LUKA, SEPTEMBER 3 /SRNA/ - One of the most important spiritual bridges built between Serbia and Republika Srpska over the past decades is the Parliamentary Forum, whose aim is to strengthen Serbian national unity, Forum President Dušan Marić said.

He said that over the past ten years, largely thanks to the policies of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, numerous bridges between Serbia and Republika Srpska, both physical and spiritual, have been built and renovated.

"From bridges over the Sava and Drina rivers, schools, kindergartens, squares and sports halls built by Serbia and presented as gifts to its younger sister, Republika Srpska, to spiritual bridges through which we nurture cultural memory and strengthen Serbian national unity," Marić said, addressing the ceremonial session of the Republika Srpska–Serbia Parliamentary Forum in Banja Luka.

Marić recalled that spiritual ties are further strengthened through the joint commemoration of important dates and events from Serbian history, such as Republic Day, Serbian Unity Day, the anniversary of the breakthrough on the Salonika Front, and the First Serbian Uprising, as well as anniversaries commemorating the suffering of the Serb people in Storm Operation, Ustasha camps, the Drina Valley and other places.

"All of us who have taken part in building this bridge should be proud of that fact. We could have done more, but if we take into account the circumstances in which Serbia and Republika Srpska have found themselves over the past two years and the enormous pressure they have been subjected to, the very fact that we are holding this session today represents a great success," Marić stressed.

Speaking about the upcoming elections in Serbia and Republika Srpska, Marić said that the most important thing was for them to take place peacefully, but that he expected citizens to support the political forces that, as he put it, had built and would continue to build bridges between Belgrade and Banja Luka.

"I want the elections to pass peacefully and for Serbia and Republika Srpska to win," Marić said.

He stressed that the Serb people needed to preserve their unity and support those political forces that view Republika Srpska as the result of the Serb people's struggle for freedom and rights.

Marić called for reconciliation and unity among the Serb people, stressing that, if this could not be achieved before the elections, the goal should be pursued after them.

"If the son of Prince Lazar, who is a symbol and byword for Serbian sacrifice and self-sacrifice for the national cause and the nation, and the son of Vuk Branković, who in popular tradition is synonymous with the greatest national betrayal, could reconcile, why should we not be able to reconcile as well?" Marić asked.