MINIĆ: DEFENSIVE-PATRIOTIC WAR WAS FOUGHT UNDER THE VIDOVDAN COVENANT

PRIJEDOR, JUNE 28 /SRNA/ – Republika Srpska Prime Minister Savo Minić said that the 1992–1995 Defensive-Patriotic War was fought under the Vidovdan Covenant and that Serb soldiers had always fought under the right flag.

"I congratulate everyone on Vidovdan /St. Vitus Day/, especially my fellow veterans. The Vidovdan Covenant is something that has remained in our culture and tradition as a symbol of answering the call when it is time to defend one's people. I believe that the Defensive-Patriotic War was fought precisely under that covenant," Minić said.

He stressed that people should always remember that the bravest and the best are no longer among us, and that there is therefore an obligation to honour their sacrifice and ensure that it was not in vain.

"The Serb soldier has always fought under the right flag. Our tricolour has stood on the right side of history in every war. We have never been on the side of Nazism or fascism," Minić told the press after attending the celebration of the patron saint's day of the Republika Srpska Army and the Third Infantry /Republika Srpska/ Regiment at the Miloševac Monastery near Prijedor.

He also pointed out that the officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the Third Infantry /Republika Srpska/ Regiment now preserve the traditions of the Serb soldier.

"Everything that the Republika Srpska Army represented has now been incorporated into this institutional component that carries on its legacy," Minić said.

He emphasized the historical significance of the day, while also stressing the responsibility of those in power to respect Serb veterans.

"I am of the opinion that, as much as we could, we have adopted legal solutions that allow the Serb veteran to hold his head high, and that the tradition of the Battle of Kosovo and Vidovdan will live on forever," Minić said.