The forum was organised by the "Homeland" Association of Refugees, Displaced and Resettled Persons and the "Serbian Krajina 1990" Association.

The event was opened by Marina Ragus, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, who emphasised the importance of preserving the memory of the victims and upholding the truth about the consequences of the wars in the former Yugoslavia.

She referred to data from the publication "RSK – State Documents – Book 11 – Killed and Missing 1990–2001," according to which the total number of people killed or missing is 11,186, the largest number of which came from the territory of the Republic of Serbian Krajina and Croatia. According to available data, approximately 681,000 people were displaced from these areas during and after the war.

"We are now entering perhaps the most dangerous phase, where even the smallest division among us could become an enormous abyss, where every disagreement could mean turning our backs on what is happening to Serbs wherever they live. Our most important common denominator is that we are Serbs, regardless of where we come from, and those who “cooked up” this situation for us more than 31 years ago should think carefully about how to move forward. Today, more than ever before, we must be wise and prudent, using all of your experience so that our shared hardship is heard where it matters. We must convince, in the wisest possible way, those who make decisions in the world to deal Serbs a slightly better hand this time," said the National Assembly Deputy Speaker.

She underlined the need to jointly collect every adjudicated fact, even if confirmed by only first-instance court ruling, because circumstances on the international stage have changed, especially where the most important decisions are made.

"Now we have the opportunity to all speak as one about what our future should be, because we cannot change the past. Serbia is economically strong today, it has rebuilt its army, unlike the period before 2012, when, following orders, our army was reduced to a statistical error. Only such a Serbia is recognized as a power in the region with which others engage differently today. That is why we can say we have no major substantive problems with any of the world's strongest powers. Thanks to the policy of President Aleksandar Vucic, we have managed, in very difficult circumstances, to preserve traditional friendships, primarily with the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China. These are two countries that protect our sovereignty and territorial integrity every time it is discussed in the United Nations.

"Please listen to what the President of the Republic said about all of this in Manjaca. I especially invite you to follow his address at tomorrow's central meeting in Mrkonjic Grad. That will be our roadmap for the coming decades," said Ragus.

The participants of the forum were addressed by the President of the Association "Homeland", Nenad Abramovic, who pointed out that the fact that the forum is being held in the National Assembly is proof that the Serbian people will always have the support of the Republic of Serbia.

Ratko Licina, member of the "Homeland" Association, presented a proposal to amend the Law on the Rights of Veterans, Disabled Veterans, Civilian War Invalids and Their Families, which introduces the possibility of granting veteran status to members of local armed forces in zones under the protection of the United Nations who participated in armed actions from 27 April 1992 to 12 November 1997.

This amendment aims to eliminate the unequal position of this category of participants in armed operations and enable them to exercise their rights in accordance with law.

Licina also underlined the importance of housing for refugees and internally displaced persons. The Republic of Serbia has so far provided housing to more than 50,000 families through various programmes, while around 7,500 refugee families still do not have a permanent housing solution.

The programmes of the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration of the Republic of Serbia include the purchase of rural houses with surrounding land, the allocation of construction materials and the provision of housing units through lease and purchase. The need for the construction of social housing is also a special challenge, including the needs of the City of Belgrade for about 1,900 housing units.

The forum also included an address by the president of the Coordination of Refugee and Displaced Persons Associations in Serbia, Milan Zunic, who spoke about the position of Serbs in Croatia today, as well as the representative of the “Red Berets” veterans, Zika Ivanovic, who spoke about issues of importance to the veteran population.

The participants of the forum once again pointed out the importance of preserving the memory of those who died, resolving outstanding issues of refugees and displaced persons, and continuing to support their full integration into society.

The participants also took part in a discussion with the guests, after which they adopted the Declaration on the Extermination of the Serbian People in the Territory of Present-Day Republic of Croatia in the 20th Century, and then were presented the conclusions of the forum.

Photo gallery: National Assembly © Milos Miskov