Djuric: Serbia regional leader in remembrance of genocide victims

NOVI SAD - A panel titled Genocide - A Shared Story of the Serbs and Jews in the 20th Century was held in Novi Sad on Tuesday.

Addressing the event, Serbian FM Marko Djuric said Serbia was the leader in this part of the world when it comes to a culture of remembrance and that it would continue to remember victims.

"With this panel, together with the Svetozar Miletic Foundation, the Centre for Social Stability, which is the organiser of this event, has demonstrated intellectual courage and a readiness to oppose Machiavellianism in politics," Djuric said.

He added that the two institutions had the strength to oppose brutal misuses of sensitive and painful topics such as issues related to the term and concept of genocide, as well as historical revisionism.

"Today, Novi Sad is hosting Efraim Zuroff, one of the greatest living Holocaust experts, a fighter for punishment for those responsible for the gravest crimes of WWII - that means much to us," Djuric said.

"We will continue to cherish the remembrance of the righteous people among nations since the Serbs have the most of those who were protecting the Jews. We also mentioned that more than 21 surviving hostages are still enslaved by Hamas, and one of them a Serbian-Israeli national," Djuric said, referring to Alon Ohel and calling for his release.

The director of Serbia's Office for Public and Cultural Diplomacy Arnaud Gouillon said young people knew more and more about Jasenovac, a WWII-era death camp in the then Independent State of Croatia.

"Serbia is investing much in the culture of remembrance so that we do not forget what was going on in this region. Only 80 years ago, we had the greatest suffering in the Balkans - a persecution of Serbs and Jews. It is important that that does not happen to us again," Gouillon said.

Zuroff, an Israeli historian and Nazi hunter, said the Jasenovac genocide was a sad part of history.

The Serbs need to teach their young people about the Holocaust and to watch films, Zuroff said, noting that something like that should never be forgotten.