Address by the President of the Republic of Srpska at the awards ceremony on the occasion of the Day of the Republic of Srpska

The President of the Republic of Srpska Milorad Dodik said that today he is proud to award decorations and honors on behalf of the Republic of Srpska at the ceremony on the occasion of January 9, dedicated to the friends of the Republic who provide support and love.

“A man is as strong as much real friends he has, and the country is also measured by its friends who are always with you, who respect you and who are ready to help you”. Srpska thanks its friends who respect and appreciate it”, said the President Dodik.

The President of the Republic of Srpska thanked the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, as a reliable support of the Republic of Srpska.

“Thanks to the position of Vladimir Putin and the strength of the Russian Federation, the voice and position of the Republic of Srpska is heard and respected, and its position is preserved under the onslaught of international interventionism”, said the President of the Republic.

The President of the Republic of Srpska said that the authority and role model is also His Holiness the Serbian Patriarch Porfirije, as a spiritual father who gives blessings before the greatest successes, to whom we look when we give answers to the most difficult questions “and from whom we receive words of comfort in the most difficult moments”.

“Today, his messages contain the wisdom of all his predecessors, and the Republic of Srpska feels love and the most sincere pastoral care in each of them, and each of us can be proud since His Holiness will carry the Order of the Republic of Srpska on a ribbon”, it was emphasized by the President of the Republic of Srpska.

The President of Srpska expressed his gratitude to the doctors who are not from the Republic of Srpska, but who have done so much for it that they have certainly become members of the family called the Republic of Srpska and which considers them friends.

“I extend my gratitude to Svetlana Vujović, Peter Frig, Milovan Bojić, Sinisa Dučić, Lazar Angelkov and Boris Goronja since we entrusted the health of many children and adults from the Republic of Srpska to them, and who treated the health of our citizens as if it were their own and who help us in the construction of a strong health system in Srpska itself”, it was pointed out by the President Dodik.

According to the President of the Republic, decorations and medals are often associated with knights, noble and honorable fighters, and today recognition is also given to those friends who chivalrously serve to the truth, justice, culture or education, namely Ljiljana Nikšić, Jovanka Lastić, Eugene Germanovich Vodolazkin, Patrick Bario, Jacques Hogard and Dragoljub Acković.

The President of the Republic of Srpska also thanked Siniša Mihajlović, who, as he said, will forever live in the minds of many.

“To Siniša, who is ours, not only because his family lives in the Republic of Srpska, but also because he made us happy many so times with his results, but also showed the way of a real fighter and man with his human qualities”, said the President Dodik.

The President of Srpska said that today the Republic of Srpska extends its gratitude to its best daughters and sons, those who were and will be an example and role model for everyone.

The President Dodik emphasized that the important values of the idea called the Republic of Srpska are truth and justice.

“These are two sisters in whose armies many of our compatriots stood and still stand today. One of those who stood in the army of truth and whom we will honour is Svetislav Stanojević, the founder and the first chair of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Srpska”, said the President of Srpska.

The President of the Republic of Srpska referred to the well-known thought that if we lose our culture, we will have nothing to defend, pointing out that Nikolina Friganović, Nikola Pejaković, Rade Radović, Dobrivoje Agatonović Aga, Aleksandar Stojković Piksi and Mladen Matović are among the “guardians of the fire” of the culture of the Republic of Srpska.

The President Dodik stated that behind the Republic of Srpska there were three years in which there was concern for the health of every citizen, and that in that concern, doctors and health workers eased all worries.

“We are grateful to those who are most deserving that today we live in a society where we have almost forgotten what challenges we faced during the pandemic, and one of the best among them is and will remain Antonija Verhaz, Zlatko Maksimović and Mladen Duronjić, who are one of the many heroes from our health system”, said the President of the Republic of Srpska.

The President of Srpska believes that our society is made up of many heroes and great men, and recognition is usually given to those who have entered the immortals, such as great heroes and military leaders or the best scientists, artists and athletes.

The President of the Republic said that he believes that behind the glory of the greatest is the spirit of the people, which has countless heroes unknown to the general public and added that the real heroes are people who do not stand out in public, but who perceive their work as a mission to create a better society.

“When we come home towards the end of the day, each of us can be satisfied because we live in a country where Ljiljana Garača does humanitarian work, where the successful work of the Blood Transfusion Institute is never disputable. We can be proud and dedicated to the work of journalists like those in “Derventski list”, as well as every school lesson where, thanks to the teachers, a child learns a new letter, number, important date from our history”, said the President Dodik.

The President of Srpska said that the Republic of Srpska has a great people, as evidenced by boxer Sara Ćirković, accordion virtuoso Radovan Ivanović, the best athlete of the Republic of Srpska Pavle Dujaković and their colleagues who are receiving recognition today.

“They are the evidence that Srpska is being inherited by a generation better than the current one, just like our best students and pupils from primary and secondary schools, who will be also awarded today”, said the President Dodik.

The President of the Republic also said that we should follow Matija and Pavle from Čajniče, who sacrificed themselves to save someone else’s life and thus became inspiration and role models.

“They are the kind of children that only the Republic of Srpska can give birth to! Once again, on behalf of the citizens and institutions of the Republic of Srpska, I would like to express my deepest respect and gratitude to everyone for whom we are here today for everything they have done. We are proud that you are the winners of the order and recognition of the Republic of Srpska”, it was concluded by the President Dodik.