”The City of Sarajevo, with its potential and historical being as a cosmopolitan and multiethnic community, a city that inherits a strong anti-fascist tradition, is the center of development of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and a symbol of resistance to backward ideologies, recognizable in a wider socialcontext,” pointed out academician Mirko Pejanovic, who was introductory speaker at yesterday’s regular session of the Association of Independent Intellectuals “Krug 99” on the topic “April 6th vow of freedom, resistance, and heroism of the besieged city. This ceremony was held on the occassion of the Day of the City of Sarajevo on April 6th.
”Sarajevo has all the prerequisites to develop and be one of the important regional centers in Southeast Europe, and important centers for the European Union (EU) to which we are going,”Pejanovic stated, emphasizing that this is a city whose existence confirms the possibility of interpersonal, interethnic, and interreligious tolerance, or everything that the whole of Europe needs, Federalna writes.
Academician Pejanovic previously emphasized the historical turning points in the development of the capital of BiH, starting with those related to the Second World War (1941-1945) and the time of the siege (1992-1995), as well as the modern development of the city in the post-Dayton period.
He reminded us that Sarajevo was a hotbed of the anti-fascist resistance and struggle during the Second World War, and which experienced liberation with more than 10.000 illegals, who operated in the city itself, as well as significant forces outside the city organized by the then People’s Liberation Anti-Fascist Movement.
After the end of the Second World War, Sarajevo recorded a strong development, which culminated in the 80s of the last century, when the capital of BiH entered the world stage, organizing the 14th Winter Olympic Games (1984) and experiencing overall economic and cultural prosperity and becoming recognizable in a broader context.
At the same time, Pejanovic reminds us that all this was stopped by the aggression on BiH and the siege of Sarajevo which lasted 44 months, but also by the strong response/resistance of citizens and institutions, which made Sarajevo a hero city and a symbol of the fight for freedom.
The post-Dayton period was marked by the renewal of infrastructure and housing stock, which were devastated during the siege, and Sarajevo, according to the introductory speaker, will face the reform of the constitutional position in the sense that the capital of BiH will receive the corresponding competencies in connection with which it is planned to hold an international scientific conference in November this year.
E.Dz.
