Minister Đurić: We solemnly remember the victims of the Holocaust

27. Jan 2025.
Today, at the commemoration of eight decades since the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, Marko Đurić, stated that our nation solemnly remembers the Holocaust victims, particularly the 1.1 million victims of Auschwitz, where predominantly Jews, but also members of other nations, were exterminated using industrial methods.

"Many people from Serbia suffered and were brutally killed in the Auschwitz concentration camp. In Serbia, we nurture the memory of all these victims. We believe that the culture of remembrance is crucial to ensure such events never recur in history. Our schools teach about the crimes of the Nazis and the fact that on this day in 1945, the Red Army liberated this concentration camp, allowing the few surviving prisoners to return to their homes," Đurić said.

The head of Serbian diplomacy emphasized that in today's complex geopolitical climate, it is more important than ever to remember the lessons of World War II and to stand up and raise our voices for peace, cooperation among nations and states, respect for the United Nations Charter, and the rights of all peoples, including minority rights.

According to his statement, Serbia is proud to have been the first in Europe to adopt a law returning property to Holocaust victims or their heirs.

"We are also proud of the special brotherhood and friendship between the Serbian and Jewish peoples, that Serbia was the first to recognize the Balfour Declaration, which acknowledges the right to a Jewish state. We consistently advocate for peace in the Middle East, and many people from Serbia, including my own family, mourn those who suffered and died at this site," Minister Đurić stated.

The Serbian diplomacy chief also reminded that this year marks 80 years since the liberation of Jasenovac, one of the largest execution sites in Europe.

"History records that Jasenovac, along with Auschwitz, was one of the most brutal concentration camps during World War II. Together with our brothers from the Republic of Srpska, with Serbs, Jews, Roma, and all others who wish, we will commemorate this significant anniversary in a dignified manner," Minister Đurić said.