August 4 is marked as Day of Remembrance of those Serbs killed or expelled during Croatia’s “Operation Storm,” launched on this day in 1995.
The Croatian military-police offensive, carried out with NATO’s support, and that of Croat and Muslim (Bosniak) forces in neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina, resulted in the expulsion of some 200,000 Serbs, and the deaths of about 2,000.
The central Serbian memorial event will be held in Novi Sad, with the ceremony set to start at 20:00 hours CET this evening, Beta has reported.
President Aleksandar Vucic will be in attendance, his office has announced. Prior to that, Vucic will meet with Serb representatives from the region at the Novi Sad City Hall.
The meeting will be attended, among others, by Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Irinej, Serb Republic (RS) President Milorad Dodik, and Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic.
Nobody has yet been held accountable for the crimes committed during Operation Storm, that is each year celebrated in Croatia, in stark contrast to the mood in Serbia.
However, unlike during several previous anniversaries, tensions are somewhat lower between the two countries this year, with only a new “trade war” currently spoiling their relations.