RAKOVIĆ: A LARGE MEMORIAL COMPLEX NEEDED FOR VICTIMS OF GENOCIDE AGAINST SERBS, JEWS, AND ROMA

BELGRADE, May 8 /SRNA/ – Historian Aleksandar Raković believes that Serbia must take a much more explicit stance regarding the victory over Nazism and fascism, and that a large memorial center dedicated to the victims of genocide against Serbs, Jews, and Roma during the Second World War should be built.

"If such a large complex existed at the Staro Sajmište site, every German and Croatian politician visiting Serbia should be invited there to pay respects to the victims. I believe that in such a case, discussions with them would be of a different tone," Raković told SRNA. Speaking about the celebration of Victory Day in Serbia and whether it is appropriately commemorated in Belgrade, given the importance of the event, Raković assessed that Serbia marks that date in the same way as the EU, which he attributes to Serbia’s accession negotiations with the Union. He considers it very significant that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić will be in Moscow tomorrow for the grand Victory Day parade, as this is not only a historical issue for the Serbian people, but also a vital national matter in terms of their relationship with those who supported and helped them during the difficult 1990s. "Serbia has conducted itself honorably in its relations with Russia, has not imposed sanctions on it, economic ties continue, and it should continue with this gesture, which cannot be contested by the West. How could anyone deny Moscow, the victor that liberated Berlin, the right to mark 80 years since the victory over Nazism and fascism? That's nonsensical," Raković emphasized. He stated that Russia and the Russian people, due to the great achievements of their ancestors, their then-state, and the enormous sacrifices made in WWII, have every right to triumphantly commemorate Victory Day in Moscow tomorrow. Raković believes that attempts to challenge such a Victory Day celebration in WWII on Red Square are meaningless, especially as they are led by Ukraine - which is currently in military conflict with Russia - and Western European countries that once again, as in previous years, are trying to overshadow Victory Day with Europe Day celebrations on May 9. "Western Europe has taken such a stance for decades in an attempt to reconcile internal differences among its member states from WWI and WWII. They believe everything should be commemorated in a way that avoids provoking parts of Western Europe that were on the enemy side and avoids placing too much burden on their past," Raković said. According to him, a past suggestion from the West to Serbia regarding the commemoration of WWI best illustrates the point—Serbia was advised to commemorate it "moderately". He added that this is connected to the current events in the West, where there is a "moderate" approach to marking the great victory over Nazism and fascism. "On the other hand, Russia has no intention of marking it moderately, because it was a great military achievement and a major victory for the Soviet army, crowned by the capture of Berlin," Raković stated. Practically speaking, he said, the Soviet Union was the main bearer of victory in WWII, as the epic battles were fought largely on its territory between the Soviet and German armies. He emphasized that the Western Front in WWII was not as significant as it was in WWI. "That's why Russians have every right to commemorate Victory Day in such a way. It belongs to them, because their ancestors and their state were the primary force behind the triumph over Nazism and fascism and bore the greatest losses," Raković said. Commenting on the announcements that Europe Day will be celebrated in Kyiv tomorrow, with representatives of EU member states expected to attend, and that Ukrainian soldiers will participate in Victory Day parades in Western European capitals, he stressed that today's Kyiv has no connection to the legacy of freedom achieved in WWII. "To me, Kyiv is the place where Russia was christened, and I cannot see it any other way. What is happening in Kyiv now and under the current regime should be viewed as an abnormal situation. It is utterly absurd that structures within the Ukrainian government, which actively nurture the legacies of former Nazism, should take part in commemorating the victory over Nazism and fascism," Raković noted. He added that the Europe Day celebration on May 9 is merely a milder term for what Russians call Victory Day over fascism and Nazism. "It should mean the same thing, but not everyone will commemorate it in the same way. The Russians will mark it triumphantly, while others will do so moderately," Raković pointed out. Victory Day in WWII is celebrated in Russia on May 9, while France, the UK, and other Western European countries celebrate it on May 8 due to the time difference when Germany signed its surrender in 1945. Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, Chief of Staff of the German Armed Forces High Command, signed Germany's capitulation in Berlin on the evening of May 8 Central European Time, which was already May 9 by Moscow time. Victory Day on May 9 is also celebrated in Serbia, although combat operations on the territory of the former Yugoslavia officially lasted until May 15, 1945. In WWII, which involved more than 60 countries, at least 50 million people perished, many of them civilians. The State Commission of the former Yugoslavia once published that 1,700,000 people died in the war on the territory of what was then Yugoslavia. May 9 is also marked as Europe Day in EU member states, candidate countries, and recently in Ukraine. On this day in 1950, the then-French Foreign Minister announced the declaration calling for the establishment of a new order in which there would be no more conflict among European nations. The following year, the European Coal and Steel Community was established, which eventually evolved into the European Economic Community and, in 1991, into the European Union in Maastricht, the Netherlands.