DODIK: NO GENERATION HAS RIGHT TO FORGET THOSE TO WHOM REPUBLIKA SRPSKA OWES ITS EXISTENCE

BANJA LUKA, JULY 4 /SRNA/ – SNSD Organising Secretary Igor Dodik says that no generation has the right to forget those to whom Republika Srpska owes its existence.

"Our duty is not only to remember their names but also to pass on the truth about their sacrifice to those who come after us," Dodik said on the occasion of the Day of Mourning in Republika Srpska and the remembrance of the 3,267 Serbs from the Central Podrinje and Birač region who were killed between 1992 and 1995. He stated that every killed Serb from the Podrinje and Birač region represents "a star in the sky of Republika Srpska," reminding of the high price paid for freedom and of how immeasurable Republika Srpska is. "The lives of the best among us are built into its foundations. That is why Republika Srpska is not a political project. It is a covenant, a responsibility, and a debt that every new generation must carry," Dodik said. According to him, this is precisely why Republika Srpska must not be allowed to be subdued, stripped of its powers, or humiliated, emphasizing that every victory belongs to those who gave the most precious thing they had for it. "Every one of our victories, whether political, economic, or international, belongs first and foremost to those who gave the most valuable thing they had for Republika Srpska," Dodik stressed. He recalled that special tribute is paid today to the murdered Serbs of the Central Podrinje and Birač region, including more than 40 children. "We owe them a pledge that we will never forget, that we will never give up, and that we will never surrender. In your name, we will safeguard Republika Srpska. In your name, we will prevail, because you are not only a part of our history - you are the guarantee of our future," Dodik concluded.