Serbia marks WWII Victory Day

BELGRADE - Serbia's main state ceremony commemorating 79th years since the WWII victory over fascism was held at the Memorial to the Liberators of Belgrade on Thursday.

Led by Minister of Labour, Employment and Veteran and Social Affairs Nemanja Starovic, Serbian government ministers and other officials as well as representatives of the Ministry of Defence, the Serbian Armed Forces, the Interior Ministry, the City of Belgrade, an association of war veterans and foreign diplomats laid wreaths at the memorial.

The event began with a gathering at the monument to Vuk Karadzic in central Belgrade and continued with a walk of the Immortal Regiment to the Cemetery of the Liberators of Belgrade.

As part of an event organised by the Russian embassy, wreaths were also laid at a memorial to Red Army soldiers and the Eternal Flame memorial.

Serbian Minister of Family Welfare and Demography Milica Djurdjevic Stamenkovski noted that, regardless of political contexts, no one could break the Serbian-Russian friendship due to inseverable, centuries-long historical ties that would forever remain in the memories of Serbs and Russians.

"As we pay our tribute to those who won a victory that ended the shedding of the blood of dozens of millions of people across Europe, we are sending a message that, by remembering the shared past, we will not allow anyone to deny us the right to build a shared future, too," Djurdjevic Stamenkovski noted.

She added that Serbia had not wanted to impose sanctions on Russia despite strong external political pressure and that it would definitely stay the principled course.

"Glory be to our ancestors who gave their lives so that we can be free today," Djurdjevic Stamenkovski said.