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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

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Central state ceremony marking Statehood Day held in Orašac

Orašac, 15 February 2025

Prime Minister Miloš Vučević, as envoy of the President of Serbia, led the state ceremony marking Sretenje – Statehood Day of the Republic of Serbia at the Karađorđe Monument in Orašac today.

Addressing those gathered, Vučević emphasised that as Serbia celebrates the Presentation of the Lord today, it also celebrates its own encounter with freedom, noting that the vow to that freedom continues to serve as a warning of the need to vigilantly safeguard the country’s independence.

Many today are displeased with a freedom-loving and neutral Serbia, but from this place, I send them the message that Serbia will remain as such because that is the will of the majority of its citizens. No matter the pressures exerted on us, Serbia will never recognise the seizure of its territory, Kosovo and Metohija, nor will it jeopardise its friendships with traditional allies. This is the vow of Karađorđe’s insurgents, a debt we all owe to freedom, the Prime Minister stressed.

He recalled that in 1804, the persecuted, oppressed and humiliated gathered in Orašac to make fateful decisions, adding that the people resolved to defend their freedom at all costs, knowing that any other decision would return them to servitude.

Nothing could break our ancestors’ will for freedom. Through enormous sacrifice and suffering, the foundations of a modern Serbian state were laid, as well as the foundations of freedom for other Balkan nations, the Prime Minister emphasised.

He stated that today marks 190 years since the Sretenje Constitution was proclaimed in the Principality of Serbia, a document that, in many of its provisions, was one of the most democratic and progressive constitutions in Europe at the time.

Just as our ancestors transformed Serbia in the first half of the 19th century, today’s generation, guided by the idea of building a strong Serbia, has since 2012 embarked on a series of reforms that have enabled our country to become one of the fastest-growing economies in Europe, the Prime Minister stressed.

Vučević said that the Leap into the Future – Serbia EXPO 2027 plan will be implemented for the sake of past generations, as well as those who are yet to lead our state.

The Prime Minister emphasised that mutual respect and consideration of common interests must be the foundation on which we build our future and that opening dialogue on numerous issues is the only path that can lead us out of any social crisis.

The state ceremony commenced with a memorial service for the insurgents who launched the First Serbian Uprising on Sretenje in 1804.

Following this, Vučević and Prime Minister of Republika Srpska Radovan Višković laid wreaths at the monument to Karađorđe, the leader of the First Serbian Uprising, after which the national anthem “Bože pravde” was performed.

The Statehood Day ceremony was attended by Speaker of the National Assembly of Serbia Ana Brnabić, Serbian government ministers, guests from the region, members of the diplomatic corps and high-ranking clergy.

Serbia and Republika Srpska are today marking Statehood Day – Sretenje, in remembrance of the beginning of the First Serbian Uprising on 15 February 1804 in Orašac and the proclamation of the Sretenje Constitution of the Principality of Serbia on 15 February 1835.

Photos: Slobodan Miljević