The President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska, Dr. Nenad Stevandic, attended the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the exodus of Serbs from the Republic of Serbian Krajina and a memorial service for the victims killed in the Croatian "Oluja" operation on Petrovacka Cesta. The event was held in the village of Janjile.
In addition to President Stevandic, other attendees included Minister Zeljko Budimir, as an envoy of the President of the Republic of Srpska; Milos Vucevic, an envoy of the President of Serbia; Nemanja Davidovic, an advisor to the President of the Republic of Srpska, and Milica Djurdjevic Stamenkovski, the Serbian Minister for Veterans and Social Affairs.
Also present were Savo Strbac, the director of the "Veritas" Documentation-Information Center, representatives of other republican institutions, municipal mayors, families and descendants of the victims, and displaced Serbs.
Addressing the attendees, Stevandic stated that one should forgive those who repent, not those who celebrate over victims. He added that the Serbian people must never again allow someone to become an old man Vukasin.
"Our job is to ensure that no one ever dares to do that again and that they are afraid if they do. We must not show fear," Stevandic said.
He said that if you expel and kill women, children, and the elderly in two days, burn their homes, and then bomb them the next day on the territory of another country with the intent to kill and destroy them, you represent the greatest evil and a satan who is ashamed of nothing.
"The fact that we are nurturing a culture of remembrance while watching those who sing and celebrate means we should stop with the culture of forgiveness. You forgive those who repent, not those who celebrate over victims. It should be known that as long as the Republic of Srpska exists, it is the last line of our existence," Stevandic said.
He added that he was glad that the presidents of the Republic of Srpska, Milorad Dodik, and Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, recognized this. He suggested that they are perhaps the biggest targets for those who would forbid Serbs from having a culture of remembrance and speaking about the crimes.
He recalled the efforts for Serbs to be separated by the Drina River and called on everyone to resist those who want to destroy the Serbian people.
"I call for harmony and unity. We will continue to commemorate everything. Glory to the martyrs," Stevandic said.
Operation "Oluja" began on August 4, 1995, with an offensive by the Croatian army and police, as well as units of the Croatian Defense Council, in the areas of Banija, Lika, Kordun, and northern Dalmatia. More than 220,000 Krajina Serbs were expelled from their homes. Records show the names of 1,903 Serbs who died or went missing during and after the operation.
