The state commemoration began with a memorial service held by Serbian Patriarch Porfirije and the clergy.
In his address, President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic recalled that the first NATO bomb that killed Serbian soldier Boban Nedeljkovic fell right here in Prokuplje.
He said that Serbia still does not give in and does not agree to dismemberment.
This nation is stronger and Serbia is stronger than you think. We will resist you while we breathe, we will resist you because you cannot take our freedom away from us, Vucic stressed.
He pointed out that Serbia will never voluntarily agree to have Kosovo and Metohija taken from it - to disappear as a country.
The President noted that today Pristina was accepted as an associate member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, saying that only now do we know that we will never join NATO, that we will preserve and protect our military neutrality.
There is nothing they didn't reward Pristina with, nothing they didn't punish Serbia with, but they can't take away our right to live for our country and the right to love freedom more than anything else, the President pointed out.
Serbian Patriarch Porfirije pointed out that 25 years ago, innocent blood was shed all over our country and that is why we should remember the past, but live the present that has been given to us and move decisively into the future.
He said that no ultimatum challenged our people to give up the love of God and one‘s neighbour.
Andjelka Tosovic, sister of the youngest victim of NATO aggression Bojana Tosovic and daughter of the victim Bozin Tosovic, pointed out that she never met her father and sister, because she was in her mother's womb when they were killed.
That Easter was supposed to be their first holiday together, but no one suspected that it would be their last, she pointed out.