MASTILOVIĆ: INSTITUTE’S ENORMOUS CONTRIBUTION TO FIGHT FOR TRUTH ON SERB PEOPLE

ISTOČNA ILIDŽA, NOVEMBER 13 /SRNA/ – The University of Istočno Sarajevo’s Historical Sciences Institute has made an enormous contribution to the fight for the truth about Republika Srpska and the Serb people, Minister for Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education of Republika Srpska Draga Mastilović said in Istočno Sarajevo this evening.

Speaking on the occasion of the Institute's Day and patron saint's day, Mastilović highlighted the importance of the institution in developing academic historiography, training young researchers and preserving a culture of remembrance based on historical facts. According to Mastilović, it took Republika Srpska a full 30 years to establish its first institute of historical sciences. However, thanks to the efforts of former Minister of Scientific and Higher Education Željko Budimir and the development strategy of the Ministry for Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education, the Institute has achieved notable results in just three years of operation. "Twenty-five books have been published, and numerous scientific gatherings and conferences have been held, which is an indicator of what can truly be achieved through a serious approach and dedicated work," Mastilović told press. Mastilović stressed that during the period of Republika Srpska's establishment, historiography was subjected to a form of pressure embodied in historical revisionism. "Historiography in Republika Srpska is constantly having to fight against this historical revisionism. Just two days ago, we witnessed the representative of BiH at the UN voting against a resolution condemning Nazism," Mastilović recalled. He says it is absurd that someone, on behalf of BiH, of which Republika Srpska makes up 49 per cent, votes against a resolution condemning Nazism. "The Serb people, who have suffered the greatest losses in this region at the hands of Nazism and fascism and their manifestations in the Balkans, including Ustasha ideology, have now reached a point where someone, in the name of Republika Srpska and without consulting it, votes against a resolution condemning Nazism," Mastilović stressed. He particularly highlighted the partnership and cooperation with scientific institutions from the Russian Federation. "In recent years, the Russian Federation has emerged as Republika Srpska's main strategic partner in the fields of science and higher education. This has been largely facilitated by the cooperation between the Institute of Historical Sciences of our University of Istočno Sarajevo and the Russian Historical Society, which is the umbrella organisation for historical scholarship in Russia, as well as the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences," Mastilović said.