KARAN: PRESERVE TRUTH ABOUT ANTI-FASCIST STRUGGLE

BANJA LUKA, MAY 8 /SRNA/ – Republika Srpska President Siniša Karan congratulated citizens on May 9, Victory Day over Fascism, stressing that it is a duty to pass on the truth about the anti-fascist struggle to future generations and to nurture a culture of remembrance as a lasting foundation of Serbian national and historical identity.

"Our duty is to preserve the memory of heroes who defeated the greatest scourges of the 20th century and fought for freedom, peace and human dignity," the congratulatory message states. Karan said that Victory Day over Fascism represents one of the most significant dates in human history and a symbol of the victory of freedom, justice and humanity over fascist and Nazi evil, according to the statement from the President's Office. "It is a day when the free world demonstrated the strength of unity, resistance and belief in human dignity, leaving future generations a pledge that the evil of fascism must never and nowhere be repeated," Karan emphasized. According to him, this important historical date serves as a reminder of the enormous sacrifices of the anti-fascist struggle of the Serbian freedom-loving people, whose lives were built into the foundations of a freer, fairer and more humane world. "Their courage, sacrifice and defiance oblige us to preserve the truth about the anti-fascist struggle and to nurture a culture of remembrance as a permanent foundation of our national and historical identity," Karan said. Victory Day over Fascism will be marked in Banja Luka on Friday, organized by the Republika Srpska Government Committee for Nurturing the Traditions of Liberation Wars. Victory Day over Fascism is observed on May 9 in memory of 1945, when Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender came into force, ending World War II in Europe - the deadliest conflict in human history, with around 60 million victims. The Serbian people were at the forefront of the anti-fascist struggle in the former Yugoslavia and suffered the greatest losses, while the Soviet Union made the largest contribution to the defeat of fascism. The former Yugoslavia, which stood with the Allies during the war and throughout history, suffered losses estimated by the state commission of the former SFRY at 1.7 million people.