BETAPHOTO/Katarina Sremcevic
Several hundred people assembled in Belgrade's Trg Republike Square on Feb. 24 for a memorial rally on the third anniversary of the beginning of the war in Ukraine, at an invitation from the Ukrainian embassy and community in Serbia.
The rally began with a minute of silence for those killed in the war in Ukraine and the Serbian and Ukrainian anthems were played.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Serbia Volodymyr Tolkach said in his address to those assembled that Ukraine was the border of the free world facing the threat of totalitarianism and that Russia must be stopped to prevent a world war.
Among the speakers at the rally were European Union Delegation to Serbia head Emanuele Giaufret, British Ambassador to Serbia Edward Ferguson, French Ambassador Pierre Cochard, while numerous other representatives of the diplomatic corps were also present. There was no-one from the Serbian authorities.
An exhibition titled Postcards from Ukraine was opened at Europe House after the memorial rally.
Opening the exhibition, Giaufret said that nothing could be decided without Ukraine and that decisions on European security could not be made without the EU.
Giaufret gave Serbia credit for extending "political support" to Ukraine by condemning the aggression of Russia against Ukraine and voting for multiple resolutions supporting Ukraine's fight. He recalled that Serbia had also taken in Ukrainian refugees and sent the country humanitarian and financial aid.
Giaufret said the membership of Serbia and Ukraine was a European mission and said a European future was the best guarantee of security, adding that accession would bolster institutions, the rule of law, the independence of courts, the public procurement system, media freedoms and election conditions in future member states.
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