MOSCOW, September 15. /TASS/. Diplomats from Western countries are openly trying to convince their Serbian counterparts in Moscow to turn away from Russia, something Belgrade refuses to do, said the republic's ambassador to Russia Momcilo Babic.
"First of all, we are under pressure because of our close, friendly relations with Russia and our determination not to impose sanctions against it. Western diplomats tell me this almost openly here, advising me, ostensibly with a smile on their face, to 'think' about our friendship with Russia. But there is nothing to think about – we cannot betray our ancestors," Babic said at a reception at the embassy on the occasion of the Day of Serbian Unity, Freedom and the National Flag.
The diplomat said that back in 1812, "10 Serbian generals fought in the army of [Field Marshal Mikhail] Kutuzov and won, and one of them later became mayor of Petrograd. Russia is difficult to defeat, I would say impossible, both then and now. And the Serbs are a tough nut to crack."
He said that the Serbs have "two flags: the state flag and the national flag. The state one has a crown, and the national one, along with the flag of Republika Srpska, which looks like the Russian one, only inverted."
Addressing the audience, Babic explained that the reason for the reception was the breakthrough of the Thessaloniki front during the WWI, "when the heroic Serbian army broke through the defenses of the Austro-Hungarian and Bulgarian troops."
About the National holiday of Serbia
The embassy said that the Day of Serbian Unity, Freedom and the National Flag is jointly celebrated by the Republic of Serbia and Republika Srpska on September 15 starting in 2020, as a celebration of Serbian unity and cohesion, confirming the strength, pure image and unity of the Serbian people.
"It is no coincidence that September 15 was approved as the date for the celebration of this great holiday," the diplomatic mission informed. "In the far-away year of 1918, the date of September 15, deeply imprinted in the memory, heart, soul and history of the Serbian people, as well as inscribed in the foundation of freedom in Europe and the whole world, when the course of the WWI was changed and when the war came to an end, the poorly armed Serbian army, having as its main weapon only the desire to freedom and love for its native land, begins a breakthrough known as the breakthrough of the Thessaloniki front, and turns the course of history and further events towards victory, peace and prosperity."