Let's gather around shared objectives, Macut says on anniversary of 1848 May Assembly

BELGRADE - In a statement on the anniversary of the 1848 May Assembly - at which Serbs in the then Austrian Empire declared an autonomous Serbian Vojvodina - Serbian PM Djuro Macut said on Thursday the Assembly had been a call for peace, agreement and respect, and called on all stakeholders in society to gather around shared objectives and continued socio-economic development to ensure a safe future to posterity and preserve Serbia.

"May the May Assembly be a constant reminder to us not only of what once was, but of what we must be. The May Assembly needs to be a symbol of our national gathering and our determination to be free and independent," Macut said.

With due respect, today we remember the 1848 May Assembly, one of the most significant events in the recent history of the Serbs, he said.

"In the shadow of great turmoil and revolutionary waves in Europe, our ancestors gathered in Sremski Karlovci not for the sake of confrontation, but for the sake of preserving identity, freedom and their own rights. In a time when peoples and national ideas were awakened in Europe, Serbs in this region merely wanted to be respected as an ethnic community, as a people," Macut said.

"In those extremely difficult moments, when it seemed that others would decide about our survival and destiny, Serbs living north and south of the Sava and the Danube demonstrated and proved that there are values that gather them into one, an inseparable cultural and spiritual unity, as well as a strong belief in justice," he noted.

By declaring the Serbian Vojvodina, the Serbs did not demand what belonged to others, but merely defended what was theirs and where they had lived for centuries, Macut said, adding that the move had been a cry for equality and a demand to take the Serbs' demands into account.

The May Assembly was no call to war, but the final call for peace, agreement and respect, Macut said, adding that, instead of peace, an attack on Sremski Karlovci had followed, marking the beginning of a heroic defence that had required great sacrifice but also produced extraordinary examples of heroism and courage.

The fierce resistance of the Serbs and their determination to be free was a convincing proof of this people's love of its Serbian identity and roots, Macut noted, adding that the 1848 struggle was another important lesson for generations to come.