Testimony on the Drina about a sovereign and independent Bosnia and Herzegovina

Ramiz Salkić, Vice President of the BiH entity of the RS, attended the celebration of Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Bratunac and Potočari today, March 1, 2021. The celebration of one of the most significant dates in the history of our country was first marked with a fitting program at the Veljaci Memorial Center in Bratunac, and then at the Potočari Memorial Center near Srebrenica.

In his address to those present, Vice President Salkić emphasized that celebrating Independence Day on the Drina is a confirmation of perseverance and commitment to the referendum question about Bosnia and Herzegovina, a country of equal peoples and citizens.

- With our gatherings on the occasion of Independence Day of our homeland Bosnia and Herzegovina, from Bosanski Novi to Trebinje, we testify that we have not given up and that we will never give up the fight for our homeland. Celebrating Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the best opportunity to remember all those who wove their lives into the foundations of its independence, to express our gratitude and respect to them. It is precisely because of them that we must continue our struggle, so that their sacrifice is not in vain. We must continue to build our homeland, so that it is a country of equal rights and equal opportunities for all its citizens. Despite the systemic discrimination of our people and the denial of our homeland Bosnia and Herzegovina in this entity, we are here, persistent and committed to building the best possible relations with our neighbors, committed to lasting peace.

I call on the political representatives of the Bosnian Serbs to stop the systemic discrimination of Bosniaks and attempts to expel Bosnia and Herzegovina from their lives, and to jointly commit to strengthening our common homeland Bosnia and Herzegovina. Only together can we make our society fairer, without discrimination, with equal rights and opportunities for all citizens. Our presence and celebration of Independence Day here on the Drina is a confirmation of our perseverance and commitment to the referendum question about Bosnia and Herzegovina, a country of equal peoples and citizens. Our Bosnian spirit, which constitutes the Bosnian-Herzegovinian distinctiveness, was our strength that was crucial in fighting for the independence and statehood of Bosnia and Herzegovina and in preserving it, regardless of constant attacks from all sides.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is the homeland of all its citizens, and our goal is for it to be a country of equal rights and opportunities. Our goal is fair to everyone, and therefore it is achievable, and I hope we will achieve it soon in our homeland. I invite you to celebrate the Independence Day of our only homeland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, with dignity and pride today," Salkić said.