Sofia: Article by Ambassador Jović for the Diplomatic Spectrum
The Republic of Serbia, the Serbian people and all our citizens mark the Statehood Day of the Republic of Serbia on 15 February proudly and with great reverence. It is on this day that we remember glorious times, times of suffering and torment, but also times of great struggle, self-renunciation and examples of strength, unity and heroism, examples of how great ideas and dreams can become reality if you truly wish and fight for them to materialise without compromise.
The Statehood Day of Serbia was established in memory of the day when the First Serbian Uprising broke out at the national gathering in Orašac in 1804, as a reaction to the difficult position of Serbs under Turkish rule, and with a strong desire for full liberation. The Serbian people primarily wanted freedom, but they also had a clear vision of where they wanted to go next and what kind of a state they wanted to create. Ever since that day, countless important steps have followed aimed at building the new state institutions, abolishing feudalism and introducing a general cultural revival. Moreover, 15 February is celebrated as the day of the Constitution of Serbia, in memory of the day when the first Constitution of the Principality of Serbia was passed and ratified in Kragujevac in 1835. This Constitution, also known as The Constitution of Sretenje, at that time represented one of the most modern, most democratic and most liberal constitutions in Europe, which in fact and de jure abolished feudalism in Serbia and opened the door for human rights and freedoms.
Today, the Republic of Serbia is a modern state which, as a matter of foreign policy, primarily focuses on good neighbourly relations, regional cooperation and stability through continuous political dialogue and readiness for constructive and long-term sustainable solutions. Serbia’s lasting commitment is focused on constant economic growth, digitalisation and general modernisation of all its potentials. Serbia continued to score victories in the second year of the pandemic in the same way it did in 2020 — a pandemic which has left devastating consequences on a whole host of segments of society, and especially on the economy in many and more developed countries. With decisive and wise decisions of the political leadership, stable and concrete policy, with the same clear vision as before, Serbia continued to build its infrastructure which connects and will connect us primarily with our neighbours, all of which will help shed a new light on life and work for our children. We soon expect that the section of the "Europe" motorway we completed by the Bulgarian border will be connected to the Bulgarian section of the motorway at the entry into the Republic of Bulgaria. We recently marked the start of construction works on the gas interconnector between our two countries, which will provide us with greater diversification and the much-desired greater degree of energy security. At the same time, these large undertakings on the most important infrastructure projects created a strong impetus for the Serbian economy, which ranked Serbia one of the first in Europe and the eurozone in 2021, with a total GDP growth of 7.5%, and a total public debt below the one anticipated in the Maastricht Treaty.
In the war we have been waging with the common, invisible enemy of all humanity, the Corona virus, we have managed to defend our oldest population, to help other countries in that fight, to preserve the economy, as well as to improve our health sector further. Aside from continuous support to Serbian doctors and medical staff manifested by a constant increase in salaries as well as timely one-time financial supplements, we have managed to erect four completely new Covid hospitals equipped with the most top-notch medical equipment. The superhuman efforts of the state leadership provided vaccines by five manufacturers, while several thousand young doctors and nurses got employed in health care.
Today, as in the past, Serbia wants to be an example of how to move forward in times of trouble, with heads held high, into one and indivisible better future to which our children and grandchildren will be looking forward.
I would like to take this opportunity to extend my deep appreciation to the citizens and institutions of the Republic of Bulgaria for their openness, understanding and demonstrated readiness to continue to develop our bilateral relations and our partnership even stronger and with more commitment, and to move forward resolutely with a clear desire for and a clear vision of a region of stability, peace and prosperity, to the benefit and joy of not only the Serbian and the Bulgarian people, but also to all other nations who live and want to live in our beautiful Balkans.