Ceremonial Academy of the 'Defence of BiH - Igman 2025' Event: 'This country must remain vigilant and institutionally strong'

(Patria) - At the outdoor amphitheatre of the Sarajevo Memorial Centre, on the elevation above the martyrs' graves, this evening the Ceremonial Academy was held, the central event of the jubilee 25th manifestation "Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina - Igman 2025 - From Independence Day to Statehood Day".

In a unique stage and musical ambience, the event gathered young people, high dignitaries, veterans, families of martyrs, representatives of religious communities, cultural, political and public life, as well as a large number of citizens.



The programme opened with the ceremonial entrance of the guard platoon of the Armed Forces of BiH, the intonation of the national anthem and the raising of the flag, followed by addresses symbolising institutional unity and responsibility.

On behalf of the Cabinet of the BiH Presidency member Denis Bećirović, Brigadier Alija Kožljak addressed the gathering, and the attendees were also greeted by the Minister for Veterans' Affairs of Sarajevo Canton Omer Osmanović, who is also the President of the Organising Committee of the manifestation.

Kožljak emphasised that the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot be understood without acknowledging the heroism of those who stood in its defence, nor without clear resistance to any attempt to relativise the aggression.

- Our independence was not the result of compromise, but the awareness of the people of the need to decide their own destiny. And that decision was met with aggression.

That is why tonight we are not only talking about the past - we are witnessing the resilience of a state that is defended daily by truth and the legal order - Kožljak stressed.



He warned of coordinated attempts to destabilise the state and undermine its constitutional order, pointing out that these are projects that have been long planned and organised.

- The attack on the constitutional order is not a reaction - it is a pre-prepared project. New constitutions and laws are not created in a few months. This country must remain vigilant and institutionally strong, because the struggle for its sovereignty is still ongoing - Kožljak said.

Minister Osmanović stressed that tonight's gathering represents not only an act of remembrance, but also proof of the determination to preserve the truth about the defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina despite all attempts to rewrite it.

- Our defenders came from all parts of the homeland, from all peoples and faiths, driven solely by the readiness to stand in defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

They did not ask for a name, but for the determination to protect justice and the people. And that is why today, as we witness a dangerous rise in revisionism, we say clearly - we will not forget - Osmanović said.

He emphasised that the struggle for truth today is as important as the physical defence of the homeland in the 1990s, because revisionism is a direct attack on the foundations of statehood.

- Revisionism is not a mere distortion of history, it is a blow to dignity, to justice, to the very foundations of this country. If we do not respond to the deniers, we leave our children to lies. And we will not and must not allow that - these are the words of the Minister for Veterans' Affairs of Sarajevo Canton.



In the central part of the programme, an artistic performance was presented in two complementary thematic segments.

The first part was dedicated to the memory of the Srebrenica genocide, with a dramatic stage expression using pyrotechnics, which included fragments of poetry, movement, documentary footage and the Srebrenica Inferno - evoking and awakening the deepest layers of collective trauma and empathy.

The second part of the performance thematised the heroic resistance to aggression and the formation of the Army of the Republic of BiH, in an act of saving the flag of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which conveyed the symbolism of survival, defence and victory.

Particularly notable was the firing of a ceremonial salute – one volley for each corps of the Army, the Ministry of Interior and two divisions, and one joint volley.

The message of the evening was clear – Bosnia and Herzegovina lives thanks to those who defended it, through remembrance, responsibility and the common will to preserve and defend the truth at all times.