CVIJANOVIĆ: DIFFERENCES ARE EVIDENT - SARAJEVO MARKS WAR OUTBREAK, SRPSKA OBSERVES DAY OF MOURNING

ISTOČNO SARAJEVO, MARCH 1 /SRNA/ – The Serb member of the BiH Presidency Željka Cvijanović pointed out that Sarajevo marks March 1 as the day the war in BiH began, while Republika Srpska observes it as a Day of Mourning, highlighting clear differences and explaining why BiH does not have a law on public holidays.

"In Sarajevo, they celebrate March 1 as the day the war in BiH began, while November 21, the day the Dayton Peace Accords was initialed, is an ordinary working day. In Republika Srpska, today, March 1, is a Day of Mourning, while on November 21 we celebrate peace and the day the war was stopped. The differences are clear - that is why BiH has no law on public holidays," Cvijanović posted on the social network X. In parts of the Federation of BiH with a Bosniak majority, March 1 is marked as the so-called Independence Day of BiH, as an illegal referendum on independence and secession from the SFRY was held on that date. Serbs in Republika Srpska remember March 1 for the killing of a Serb wedding guest in Sarajevo, which was also the trigger for the outbreak of war. The Republika Srpska Government declared March 1 a Day of Mourning due to the tragic events that took place on that date in 1992, which led to the outbreak of the conflict in BiH. This tragic date is not celebrated in Republika Srpska. Instead, November 21 is observed - the day when the General Framework Agreement for Peace in BiH was initialed at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, marking the end of the civil war in BiH.