Djuric: March 24, 1999 one of most tragic days in modern history of Serbia

BELGRADE - March 24, 1999 is one of the most tragic days in the modern history of Serbia, FM Marko Djuric said on Monday, noting that Serbia remained steadfast in its commitment to peace, justice and remembrance.

"As we mourn those we lost, we remain steadfast in our commitment to peace, justice and remembrance. Serbia will never forget the victims, and we will continue to honour their memory, advocating a world in which dialogue prevails over force and where such tragedies will never happen again," said Djuric, who led an official wreath-laying commemorative ceremony at the We Were Just Children memorial in the Tasmajdan Park in central Belgrade.

"Today, we remember the beginning of the NATO aggression on Serbia and Montenegro - the then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia - a military intervention carried out without UN Security Council approval, which lasted for 78 days and caused enormous human suffering and material devastation across our country," Djuric noted in a post on X.

"Thousands of lives were lost, including 89 innocent children. Families were torn apart, houses destroyed, and entire communities changed forever. The consequences of that aggression are still leaving deep emotional and social scars. May this day serve as a reminder of the importance of truth, responsibility and lasting peace," Djuric said.

The NATO aggression began in the evening hours of March 24, 1999, without UN Security Council approval.

The situation in Kosovo-Metohija, the January 15, 1999 events in the village of Racak, Kosovo-Metohija and the subsequent failure of purported peace talks in Rambouillet, France and Paris were used as the pretext for the aggression.

According to information released by the Serbian Ministry of Defence, 1,031 army and police troops and around 2,500 civilians, including 89 children, were killed in the 78 days of the aggression.

Around 6,000 civilians, including 2,700 children, and 5,173 army and police troops were wounded and 25 people are still reported missing.