A solemn ceremony on the occasion of the Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is marked on March 1, opened at the central room of the Sarajevo City Hall to the tunes of the anthem of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday evening.

We resolutely preserve the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which we restored on March 1, 1992, and will never give up on it, the host of the event, Sarajevo Mayoress Benjamina Karic said as she opened the event.

“Independence is not given once for all times. Independence is preserved, maintained and strengthened on every part of the territory, in every shape. The moment we take it for granted, when we think it is unquestionable, we must know that only then it will become vulnerable. So, let's work and build, construct our state stone by stone, and strengthen our independence,” she stressed.

The event was attended by members of Bosnia's tripartite Presidency Denis Becirovic and Zeljko Komsic, acting prime minister of Sarajevo Kanton Darja Softic-Kadenic and other representatives of authority at all levels.

Zeljko Komsic, the Presidency member conveyed a message to young generations, stressing that no country in the world has been given forever.

“So many people is ready to give their lives for what we have. We have a state. And if we leave something behind, let it be the awareness about what we have, so the future generations will make it better than we could. And we defended it,” he added.

The Presidency member also said that the future generations should keep in mind they can only rely on themselves.

“Let's not make mistakes and rely on fake friends, expect a help from them. No one can love and appreciate this country more than we do. If we don't love it and appreciate it, the others certainly won't do that either,” he underlined.