Aleksandar Vucic (FOTOBETA/Milan Obradovic)
At a central event commemorating the exodus of Serbs from Croatia in Operation Storm 25 years ago, held in the evening of Aug. 4 in Sremska Raca, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stated he is proud that the Serbs have a free and independent state which can stand in defense of the Serb graves, but also of their life and future.
Speaking about Operation Storm, he added that Serbia no longer speaks of aggressions as “interventions and campaigns,” but gives them “the name they deserve.”
Serb member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency Milorad Dodik said that Operation Storm was “a piece in the mosaic of evil, the purpose of which was the disappearance of the Serbs, pursued throughout the 20th century.” He added that “genocide against the Serbs was the official policy of the independent Croatian state, applied systematically and proven in Operation Storm.”
The event opened by a memorial service for the victims of the 1995 Croatian military operation conducted by Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Irinej and other clerics. After the service the patriarch said that the Serbs are commemorating Operation Storm as the biggest tragedy, while “our Croatian brothers celebrate it as the biggest triumph in their history.”
During the ceremony at a bridge connecting Serbia and Republika Srpska, which also included music program and the screening of video footage, a memorial plaque was unveiled and wreaths laid for the victims, with respect paid to them with a moment of silence as well.
The event was also attended by Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and Republika Srpska President Zeljka Cvijanovic.
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