Keepin touch

Whether you have a question, comment, suggestion or any problem in the purview of the government, send us your message and we will try to respond as soon as possible. If your problem is not in our purview, we will forward your message to the relevant institution.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Sporting spirit in hard times

Belgrade, 7 May 2004

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica opened the Conference of the President of the European Committee and Heads of Missions of the Upcoming Olympic Games saying that the Olympic and sporting spirit, present in our people even in the most difficult moments, has encouraged the country to move on to a better future.

Kostunica told the conference, held at the Belgrade Intercontinental hotel, that the sporting spirit has broken the barriers of isolation and separation and he pointed out that it represents something that has encouraged this people and this country in the hardest of times that are now behind us.

According to him, the virtue and the cherishing of friendship, as the essence of the Olympic spirit, were particularly strong in our country in the hardest of times it has lived through, even in the times when the country was isolated from the world.

The Prime Minister stressed that this spirit is present even now, when those times have past, when strong democratic institutions are being created in Serbia-Montenegro, when the rule of law is being established and when relations with the world and our neighbours are improving every day.

He added that, aside from the great love of sports in our people, on the eve of the Olympic Games in Athens, there is another significant event for Serbia-Montenegro, that being the 2007 European Youth Olympic Festival, to be held in our country.

Kostunica stressed that this will be a strong incentive and great challenge for Serbia-Montenegro to organise the games and promote the Olympic spirit, the spirit of friendship, trust, and cooperation.

President of the European Olympic Committee Mario Pescante said that the path of tolerance and progress that Serbia-Montenegro has now taken will take the country to a better future.

He recalled that our athletes have always done credit to our country, even in the period when we were excommunicated from the international community.

President of the Serbia-Montenegrin Olympic Committee Dragan Kicanovic said that our country has been promoting the Olympic spirit for the past 92 years, adding that our Olympic committee became part of the International Olympic Committee in 1912.

Kicanovic stressed that our country, which pays a great deal of attention to sports, is also preparing for the Olympic Games in Athens and added that our friendship with the people of Greece makes us feel as if we were a part of that pageant.