Serbian President Boris Tadic stated on Wednesday that Serbia's Statehood Day is the holiday of all Serbian citizens, a day when everyone should remember the country's libertarian traditions and take a look at the common Balkan region as a region of peace.

During a central ceremony to mark the Statehood Day in the House of the National Assembly, Tadic said that the Statehood Day also honours the long-lasting efforts aimed at national liberation and complete restoration of statehood, as well as the consistent work on improvement of human rights and freedoms.

According to Tadic, on this day Serbia honours the leaders of the First and the Second Serbian Uprising, Grand Leader Karadjordje and Prince Milos Obrenovic respectively, as well as the apostles of Serbian education and constitutionality, such as the greats from Sumadija (central Serbia) and Vojvodina (northern Serbia) Dositej Obradovic, Bozidar Grujovic, Ivan Jugovic and Dimitrije Davidovic.

Thus, the Statehood Day also symbolises Serbia's unity, its territorial integrity and indivisibility, and it honours the libertarian tradition of the people of Serbia regardless of their ethnic, religious and cultural identity, Tadic stated.

According to the president, on this day the country marks the 100th anniversary of efforts aimed at ensuring civil liberties and human freedoms as well as the equality of all Serbs before the law, as a time when the insurgents in Serbia became citizens of a European country through the Serbian revolution.

The two dates, in 1804 and 1835, round up the notion of the Serbian revolution and stand for liberation and winning of human rights and freedoms, Tadic stated and recalled that as Serbia's first modern constitution, the Sretenje Constitution was so liberal that major world forces of the time prevented its coming into force.

Honouring the decorated individuals and institutions on behalf of the Serbian citizens, Tadic expressed gratitude to all those who are helping Serbia get its rightful place in the list of top global events in the most positive light. During the central ceremony to mark the Statehood Day on Wednesday, Tadic decorated 17 honourable individuals and institutions, including world's top seed Novak Djokovic.

Decrees on army, defense ministry appointments

Serbian President Boris Tadic passed decrees on the occasion of Serbian Statehood Day, February 15, appointing to new duties and promoting to a higher rank members of the Serbian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defense, the president press office said in a release late Tuesday.

Brigadier General Dragan Vladisavljevic was appointed director of the Military Intelligence Agency, with Colonel Radoslav Ilic as deputy director. Colonel Dragan Smiljkovic was named the deputy director of the Military Security Agency.

Brigadier General Goran Radovanovic was appointed deputy commander of the General Staff Joint Operations Command, while Brigadier General Vojin Jondic was named deputy commander of the Land Forces.