"Remembrance of the Tragedy of 1999"

The City of Kragujevac marked 25 years since the beginning of the NATO aggression against the former Yugoslavia with a commemoration attended by the representatives of the Ministries of defense, interior affairs, the Serbian Army, deputies, councilors, representatives of the City of Kragujevac, institutions, companies, and a large number of citizens. The memory of the tragedy of 1999 was completed by the photographs of the authors Zoran Petrović and Nebojša Radosavljević Raus, taken during the NATO aggression as a testimony of the recent history of our country.

Twenty-five years ago, we suffered the NATO aggression called "Merciful Angel", which caused great pain and sadness to our people who just wanted to live in their own country, said Nikola Dašić, the Mayor of the City. We must remember the tragedy of 1999 because a large number of people from Kragujevac died. As we can see in these photos, Kragujevac also suffered great material damage like other cities in Serbia. Because of everything our nation has been through, we have to stick together and build friendship with the whole world, Dašić pointed out, adding that we will forever remember our historical lessons, which unfortunately in this case were very difficult, unfair and painful.

A quarter of a century separates us from the tragedy of 1999. It is very important not to be silent about those 78 days of hell. We are here to oppose oblivion. To preserve the truth. To cherish the collective memory of the devastated country and the victims, said the President of the City Assembly, Ivica Momčilović, in his address at the memorial gathering "Remembrance of the Tragedy of 1999." That is why today, from this place, I say that cherishing the memory of the victims and the fight for peace will be eternal vows of our city.

Journalist and publicist, president of the Salon of Anti-War Cartoons, Miodrag Stojilović, presented his personal feelings and memories of the tragedy in 1999, recalling that during the NATO aggression, the Museum "October 21st" and the Historical Archive were also damaged. Everything that happened in that period left deep consequences for the entire society and for many generations yet to come, Stojilović said, stressing that forgetting the tragedy is a new crime.

As part of the commemoration of 25 years since the NATO aggression, the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs of the Republic of Serbia produced a video with the names of 1139 defenders of the homeland who died during the aggression, which was broadcast at the memorial gathering "Remembrance of the tragedy of 1999".