As he was receiving his Plaque as an Honorary Citizen of Sarajevo on Thursday, Serbian politician Cedomir Jovanovic told citizens of Bosnia’s capital that the award means a lot to him and that he will continue to stand with them and promote everything the city stands for.
The Assembly of Canton Sarajevo (KS) decided to name the leader of Serbia’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) an Honorary Citizen earlier this year but he could not attend the ceremonial session of the Assembly in May due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Jovanovic is currently on a visit to Sarajevo together with his family.
The Assembly decided to award the plaque to Jovanovic for his efforts in spreading the truth about what happened in Bosnia and Herzegovina and his contribution to promoting solidarity, democracy and tolerance among people of different nations, religions and cultures.
“On behalf of the citizens of the Sarajevo Canton, I would like to thank Cedomir Jovanovic, who is the first politician from Serbia to publicly say that (convicted Bosnian Serb war criminals) Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic should be held accountable for crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is the first politician from Serbia to visit Srebrenica and clearly say that someone should be held accountable for the crime of more than 8,000 Srebrenica residents killed, because without that there is no reconciliation between our two countries,” said KS Assembly head Mirza Celik, explaining the decision.
Jovanovic unquestionably remains a friend of Bosnia and Herzegovina who is sending messages of affirmation, compassion, understanding and support to Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina and who advocates for the country’s integrity and sovereignty, he said.
”To find something fair in politics is nearly impossible. You have succeeded in that. Several months have passed since news reached me in Belgrade, which was then under curfew and in quarantine due to the coronavirus, that I had been nominated as an honorary citizen of Sarajevo. It was a very emotional moment for me then and is today” Jovanovic said.
He added that the recognition is important to him and that it will remain a source of positive energy and proof for him that it is possible to deserve something special in politics.
“Sarajevo is a symbol for everything that is important to me in life, for what I wanted and still want. You are feisty and you are a victim of great injustice, and in spite of all the problems, you stand on your feet, look for a way to your happiness and make friends throughout all of that,” he said.
“The fight for you and ahead of you is difficult. If this plaque represents your way to express your respect that I was on that path, I am and will continue to be with you, and for that, I thank you,” his message to Sarajevo’s citizens said.
