The President of the Municipality of Pljevlja, Dario Vraneš, along with New Serbian Democracy (NSD) MP Velimir Đoković, represented the President of the Parliament of Montenegro, Andrija Mandić, at the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the escape from Jasenovac concentration camp.

According to a statement from the Office of the President of the Municipality of Pljevlja, Vraneš and Đoković participated as official representatives of the Serbian community from Montenegro for this significant occasion.

“In Donja Gradina near Kozarska Dubica, the Governments of the Republika Srpska and the Republic of Serbia commemorated the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Genocide in Jasenovac, organized collaboratively by both governments. The Jasenovac camp system comprised several camps where approximately 700,000 Serbs, Jews, and Roma were heinously executed by the Croatian Ustashas, including over 20,000 children. Notably, Jasenovac housed a unique children’s camp. The central ceremony featured a memorial service led by Bishop Jefrem of Banja Luka, complemented by Roma and Jewish prayers. Following remarks from Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik, other speakers included Isak Asijel, Chief Rabbi of the Jewish Community in Serbia, Holocaust researcher Gref Gideon, and Dr. Dragoljub Acković, representing the Roma community in Serbia. The event attracted several thousand attendees,” the statement from Mayor Dario Vraneš reads.

The gathering was attended by high-ranking officials from the governmental, political, and military leadership of Serbia and Republika Srpska, along with representatives of the Serbian community from Macedonia and Montenegro, various ambassadors, veterans’ associations, and a significant number of citizens.

“Vučić and Dodik announced plans for Serbia and Republika Srpska to establish memorial centers in Donja Gradiška and Belgrade. These centers will serve as essential visits for diplomats before engaging with our state officials, ensuring they recognize the historical suffering of the Serbian people over the past century. Notably, on June 28 of the previous year, the Parliament of Montenegro passed a resolution acknowledging the genocide within the Jasenovac camp system and the Dachau camp in Mauthausen. Furthermore, on April 23 of this year, the President of the Parliament of Montenegro, Andrija Mandić, held a ceremonial gathering in the villa ‘Gorica’ to honor victims of the Jasenovac, Dachau, and Mauthausen camps. With this act, Montenegro officially recognized the innocent victims of Jasenovac for the first time,” concluded the Vraneš Cabinet statement.

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