A Serbian deputy, Sanda Raskovic-Ivic sent an open letter to the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, calling on him to cancel his attendance of the anniversary of the end of the First World War in Paris, which will show that Serbia will not accept blackmail, humiliation and a revision of history.
„This is not a celebration of victory for which our ancestors died for,“ Raskovic-Ivic wrote in a letter in which she underlined that she is addressing the President as a citizen, long-time deputy, ambassador of Serbia and as a daughter of academic Jovan Raskovic.
According to Raskovic-Ivic, the entirity of Serbia was humiliated by the display of the flag of so-called Kosovo next to the flags of the allies.
She recalled that Notre Dame was the church whose bells were ringing in the 14th century, as the Christian battle against Turks took place in Kosovo.
Maybe we did not win that battle, but it gave us hope and faith in our freedom and dignity, she added.
Raskovic-Ivic also recalled the significant role Serbia played in the Great War, as one of the Allied countries, during which it had “lost a third of its male population”.
She also referred to the gesture of football player Nemanja Matic, who refused to wear a poppy on his shirt – a UK symbol of remembering those who died in the Great War, which also referred to the victims of NATO soldiers. The football player refused due to his bitter memories of the NATO bombing his country as well.
While expressing her understanding of the dilemmas Vucic faces, RaskovicIvic said that she expects that he will nevertheless cancel his attendance at the celebration in Paris and thus show that Serbia does not accept blackmail and history revision.
Kosovo Ambassador in Paris Qendrim Gashi reported over the weekend that the Kosovo flag was flying at Notre Dame for the first time and posted a photograph. The news waved a spate of dissatisfaction amongst a portion of Serbian public and opposition, while Serbian officials, although criticising the decision as well, reacted without major protest. The famous cathedral will welcome next Sunday’s (11th November) leaders from Europe and the U.S. for a commemoration service to mark the 100 year anniversary of the end of World War 1. A spokesman for the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris said that the flag of Kosovo is flying in front of that church because officials from Pristina have been also invited, AFP reported.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
