The President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska, Dr. Nenad Stevandic, attended a memorial service and wreath-laying ceremony today at the Bok Jankovac memorial complex to mark 33 years since the defense of Gradiska against the aggression of Croatian Army units. On this occasion, he stated that the brave fighters of the Army of the Republic of Srpska did not hesitate 33 years ago when they had to defend Gradiska and the Republic of Srpska in Bok Jankovac, and that their determination should serve as an example of how to defend one's people and freedom today.
Stevandic emphasized that their sacrifice prevented future diversions and allowed the Republic of Srpska to endure.
"Perhaps they had different views on life back then, but their view on Srpska was identical," said Stevandic.
He added that the situation is similar today. "If we allow them to close our political corridor, then the Republic of Srpska will also be closed. We cannot allow our fate and who our president will be to be determined by those who do not act according to law and make decisions arbitrarily, without any consent from the UN," Stevandic warned.
The Mayor of Gradiska, Zoran Adzic, pointed out that the battle at Bokovi, on the bank of the Sava River, a few kilometers downstream from Gradiska, predetermined the further course of the war, and its brave fighters prevented civilian casualties.
"Their deeds and sacrifice should still be our guide today," Adzic added.
The President of the City Veterans' Organization, Milovan Gagic, emphasized that losing the battle in Bok Jankovac might have meant losing a larger part of the territory of the Republic of Srpska, as well as a massacre of the Serbian population like the one Gradiska remembers from World War II.
In addition to the President of the National Assembly and the Mayor, wreaths and flowers were also laid by representatives of other republican and local institutions, organizations from the Defensive-Patriotic War, and political parties, as well as family members of the fallen.
