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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Tribute paid to all victims of Great War

Belgrade, 10 November 2018

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic said that the signing of the armistice in the First World War on 11 November 1918 came after more than 15 million soldiers and civilians had died, who are being honoured on this day.

After the solemn Eucharistic celebration for peace, reconciliation and justice among the peoples at the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the First Deputy Prime Minister underlined that he is proud that today, with the gesture of hand-giving, the homage has been paid to all the victims of the Great War and underlined that the only common road for all of us is the road of understanding and forgiveness.

According to him, the First World War represents in the collective memory of Serbs the age of suffering, victory, liberation and unification of all South Slavs. That freedom, however, was paid with huge human casualties. There are few families in today's Serbia that did not lose a member in the First World War.

Today, from this perspective, we are all defeated. It was the war of all our peoples, of who we are representatives. The First World War did not leave indelible traces only on individuals, but on all layers of the population, on all nations that since then started counting time as that before the Great War and after it.

It is estimated that during the First World War, Serbia lost almost a third of its total population. When the armistice was signed on 11 November 1918, the world was poorer for more than 15 million soldiers and civilians. With this solemn liturgy today, we honour them and celebrate peace and reconciliation among the peoples for whom they gave their lives, Dacic stated.