The Chairman of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Predrag Markovic, today attended events to mark the 200^th anniversary of the foundation of the Governing Council of Serbia, Serbia’s first government, in the village of Veliki Borak, near Barajevo. Mr Markovic laid a wreath at the monument of Knez [county head] Sima Markovic, underlining, in his speech, that the present government, like the one formed 200 years ago, had its origin in the National Assembly.

“The first Government that was founded here was an assembly in miniature; it was both the government of and opposition to the Leader [Karageorge, the man who started and led the First Serbian Uprising against Turkish rule], as nobody can be Leader against the will of the people and the National Assembly. All deputies know that today, you can be in opposition to the government, but not to the state”, Mr Markovic underlined. He added that the present Government was facing a daunting task, namely achieving the widest possible consensus for Serbia’s integration into Europe. “From a perspective of 200 years into the future, today it seems that the then-government found it easy to separate Serbia from Asia and send it, free, on its way towards Europe. Today Serbia wants European standards. Today Serbia’s place is in Europe, and the Government should find ‘allies’ to really put Serbia into Europe on all fields”, Mr Markovic concluded.

Before a state session at the Voljavca monastery, Mr Markovic told the present Serbian Government, on behalf of all the deputies: “I am concerned about Serbia, and I want you to be concerned too. I believe in Serbia, and I want you to believe too. Because today Serbia knows what it must, what it can, and what it will do”, adding that the National Assembly would do its share by the end of September to ensure that negotiations on the Stabilisation and Association Agreement begin in time.

Events to mark the 200^th anniversary of the formation of Serbia’s first government, held in the house of Knez Sima Markovic, and organised by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Policy, were attended by the Serbian Prime Minister, ministers in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, deputies, officials of the Army of Serbia and Montenegro, dignitaries of the Serbian Orthodox Church, as well as foreign diplomats.