ĆOSIĆ: ANCESTRAL SERBIAN HOMES WERE DEFENDED IN SARAJEVO-ROMANIJA REGION

ISTOČNO SARAJEVO, JUNE 15 /SRNA/ - The Mayor of Istočno Sarajevo, Ljubiša Ćosić, told SRNA that the Republika Srpska Army defended ancestral Serbian homes in the Sarajevo-Romanija region.

"The Republika Srpska Army was a defensive force in that area. It did not advance anywhere; it merely sought to defend its positions, behind which were children, mothers, and the elderly," Ćosić said on the occasion of the Day of the Defense of the Sarajevo-Romanija Region. He pointed out that any withdrawal would have meant a massacre similar to those that occurred in earlier wars, as well as the permanent removal of Serbs from the Sarajevo-Romanija region. "That would certainly have also meant the permanent eradication of Republika Srpska," Ćosić emphasized. He reminded that the so-called Army of BiH attempted once again in June 1995 to break through the defensive lines in that area, but failed. Ćosić emphasized that, in his view, the claim that Sarajevo was a besieged city does not hold water, stating that the so-called Army of BiH was larger than the Republika Srpska Army, which supports the argument that the Republika Srpska Army was a defensive force that created and defended Republika Srpska and earned the lasting gratitude of the Serbian people. "The First Corps of the so-called Army of BiH numbered more than 100,000 personnel, while at its peak the Sarajevo-Romanija Corps had between 18,000 and 21,000 troops. How can 20,000 men attack 100,000? That is the real question for those who constantly distort the facts, lie, and manipulate here," Ćosić said. He pointed to the importance of remembering the 4,221 soldiers from this region who gave their lives for Republika Srpska. The Day of the Defense of the Serbs in the Sarajevo-Romanija Region /1992–1995/ will be commemorated tomorrow in Sokolac and Ravna Romanija.