President of the Republic of Srpska at the marking of “58th Kočić`s Gathering”
The President of the Republic of Srpska Milorad Dodik pointed out today in Stričići near Banja Luka that Petar Kočić marked the era of the true struggle of the Serb people for freedom, and that the contemporary group of people in power in the Republic of Srpska are also fighting for the same values.
“Fighting for the freedom of the Serb people, for their rights and property, is the most important thing today”, said the President Dodik.
The President of the Republic of Srpska said that the name and work of this national tribune were marked by suffering and patriotism.
The President Dodik stated that Kočić, who was also a member of parliament, fought for the freedom of the Serb people in difficult times, did not think about his status, personal position and that he always did it in a legal manner, and he was later punished.
The President Milorad Dodik emphasized that Kočić marked the era of the true struggle of the Serb people for freedom under the rule of the Austro-Hungarians, who continued to oppress the Serb people of this region, just as the Ottoman Empire did several centuries before them.
“While reading Kočić today, what he said in that time, speaks the same way in this time. In this time, we have an almost identical thing – that a foreign governor, a German or an Austrian, from that part of the world, is trying, as in Kočić’s time, to impose his will to the detriment of the Serbs in the desire to eliminate them, to take away their property and freedom”, said the President of the Republic of Srpska.
The President Dodik said that it is therefore important to return to Kočić and that younger generations should read all of Kočić’s works and understand them in the right way.
“That is why we are here every year to give importance to Kočić, who is an indispensable part of this nation”, said the President of the Republic of Srpska.
The President Dodik added that today and last night, several tens of thousands of people from the Republic of Srpska, Serbia, the region, Austria, Germany gathered in Stričići to mark the “58th Kočić`s Gathering”.
“It is this synergy that allows us to maintain our identity and what Kočić fought for. The contemporary group of people in power in the Republic of Srpska absolutely understands that this time is just as significant as Kočić’s time – fighting for the freedom of the Serb people, for the rights and property of this people, is the most important thing today”, said the President of the Republic of Srpska Milorad Dodik.
