We are here tonight to remember and celebrate the event of 67 years ago. To remember the event that marked the turn in history of BiH and which placed the foundations that BiH of today lies on.

ZAVNOBiH is an event and a historical fact, importance of which we understand more and more as the time passes.

I shall remind you that during the meeting with the leaders of BiH People’s Liberation Movement, Rodoljub Čolaković and Avdo Humo, near Kladanj in July of 1943, Josip Broz Tito encouraged and initiated this first conference of ZAVNOBIH. His position then was, and so it was later on, that BiH should be an equal unit within the future state community which, to be honest, was not what many had wished then. 

On that 25 November 1943, for the first time in history, representatives of all its peoples met for the first time and brought political decision that would suit their mutual interest. 

They had enough strength, knowledge, wisdom to meet at the time of the highest culmination of, up to that time, the worst clashes and suffering, crime and unprecedented inter-ethnic hatred. 

They showed then that the only overall national interests were the fight against fascism, fight for the equality of all of its peoples and citizens, and fight for Bosnia and Herzegovina. The importance of ZAVNOBiH is seen in the fact that, even today, every single sane human being would, without thinking, sign for these aims. Besides, let us not forget that, not so long ago, we fought in arms for the same aims.

Respected friends…

We, as a society, but also as individuals, must have the strength to face the truth of the past; we must have a wish and will to learn from the past. I think this gathering of ours today can serve to this cause. 

We must not forget that after WWII, in the newly formed state community, all federal units had gained status on the basis of national criteria. 

The only exception was BiH, which gained its federal status within Yugoslav community, on the basis of the fact that it had been a community of all its peoples that had lived in it for Centuries, but not on the basis of national criteria.

It may be a bit unusual, but it is true that today, in the age of computers, Internet, mobile phones, digital and cable TV, postulates of ZAVNOBiH sound current.

If we take a closer look, today, every single human being in this country needs for life and as a human being, all that was proclaimed 67 years ago, i.e. one of the ‘sacred rules’ of ZAVNOBiH, which is that every citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina is equal in his/her rights, way of life, regardless of which part of Bosnia and Herzegovina he or she lives in, regardless which people he or she belongs to, regardless whether he or she belongs to ‘majority or minority’, that every single piece of Bosnia and Herzegovina belongs to its every citizen.  

Today, the followers of defeated ideologies and individuals claim that the certain parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, are exclusively Serb, Croat or Bosniak. They see it in the way they actually want to see it, exclusively tailored to their wishes, not taking into account others and the different ones.

Honestly speaking, these occurrences are more or less spread throughout BiH and it must stop and change in any possible way. It is our mutual disgrace, in a way, yet only through honest acceptation for the necessity to change this, we shall be able to change ourselves and be better.

Not the single people alone in Bosnia and Herzegovina has spare homeland. Not anybody has exclusive right to BiH, or any part of it.

I say this because it would be easier for all of us and simpler to accept or at least understand this.

Dear friends...

We do not have right to waste time and money of the citizens of this country any more through endless quasi-political demagogic discussions, the only aim of which is rising tensions and causing fear.

Our destiny and the primary aim is to become NATO member and the European Union state and there is no other way for us. How long it will take for us to achieve this depends on us alone. The sooner the better for all of us. NATO and the EU primarily mean new obligations, new way of thinking, new way of behaving, and we can do it.

We must all be clear with the fact that nobody, apart from ourselves alone, can arrange relations among us. For this we need honesty, trust and mutual respect. 

There is an obligation upon this generation to pave the way for the future generations towards free, democratic Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina of prosperity and NATO and the EU state.

With the wish to persist in building and strengthening our homeland, as a country of wellbeing and safety, and the overall good, I want, once again, to sincerely congratulate the Statehood Day to all of you.

Thank you and Cheers!

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