Office for Kosovo and Metohija
Government of the Republic of Serbia

Marko Đurić unveiled monument to Prince Lazar of Serbia

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Marko Đurić, unveiled the monument to Prince Lazar in Kosovska Mitrovica on the occasion of St. Vitus Day, stating that “Lazar is here to stay, because the Serbs are here to stay”.

At the festivities attended by a large number of citizens, Đurić said that if it were possible, the monument would have been erected to reach to the sky and be seen from every point of the globe, but noted that this one is sizable enough and cannot be removed.

“Lazar is here to stay, because Serbs are here to stay”, Đurić emphasized, adding that a person can love their people and their state in many ways, because there is no exclusive brand of patriotism, but Serbia cannot be loved without Kosovo and Metohija.

The St. Vitus Day oath recited in Kosovo and Metohija must be an oath of the entire Serbian nation, Đurić said.

Đurić cautioned that challenges that lie before us cannot be resolved if we are fragmented and disconnected. He also cautioned those who do not care for the Serbhood, who are ashamed of their Serbian name and tradition, and speak with contempt about the way our people look to the past, that the future cannot be built without a solid foundation, only on air and pipe dreams of some international identity.

“Our people would not exist today had they not been respectful of their past, and had they not built their future on the foundations of the old glory, with Kosovo and Metohija on their lips and in their hearts”, Đurić said and stressed that the Kosovo Myth has its moral and spiritual component that teach us how to be better people.

According to Đurić, the main political message of the Kosovo Myth is that the Battle of Kosovo was lost because of the disunity and treason, which has continued to date, as a sinister reminder and warning.

At the same time, the message which reaffirms the importance of harmony and unity is no less topical and true today than it was at the times of Karađorđe or the Balkans and the world wars, he said.

“Where else can we find strength for new victories if not in the inexhaustible treasury of our past? Travelling down this road of new glory and building a successful and modern Serbian state, we can be divided in many things, but there should be no discord when it comes to defending that which is the most sacred to us, without which we only play the role of insignificant extras on the historic stage, a crowd doomed to failure”, he said.

Đurić said that Lazar is pointing towards the Gazimestan, a signpost reminding those prone to forgetfulness, and guiding us, not physically but morally, stressing that we have achieved many victories as a nation but have not forgotten the Kosovo lesson because without that lesson there can be no future victories.

“Instead of going into the world and building for others, we will build our future where we are, on the foundations which we already have. And we cannot have better and more solid foundations than the St. Vitus Day ones”, Đurić said urging Serbs to stand united as they were in the battles of Mišar, Cer and Kajmakčalan.

Đurić thanked Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić for his strength and vision in supporting the monument.

The Prince Lazar Monument unveiling ceremony in Kosovska Mitrovica was attended by the President of the Interim Municipal Authority, Aleksandar Spirić, Mayor Goran Rakić, Professor Valentina Pitulić and others.

The ceremony was attended by the mayors of Serbian municipalities in Kosovo and Metohija, provincial Deputy Prime Minister, Branimir Stojanović, ministers in the provincial government, Dalibor Jevtić and Ljubomir Marić, representatives of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija and a large number of citizens.