The Chairman of the Committee on the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region Milimir Vujadinovic said that the signing of the Declaration on Cooperation of Serbian Associations in the Republic of Slovenia sends a message of unity clustered around the Serbian motherland. Vujadinovic celebrated the Day of Serbian Unity, Freedom and the National Flag in Ljubljana with Serbs from Slovenia and attended the signing of the Declaration, and today he continues talks in the Slovenian Parliament about the status of Serbs in the country.

"Yesterday was a historic day in Ljubljana. On the Day of Serbian Unity, Freedom and the National Flag, we tried to make sure no Serb in the world is alone, especially not somewhere where they live in large numbers. By signing the Declaration, our associations in Slovenia will be united in their activities, regardless of what part of the population they gather or whether they come from Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Republic of Srpska, and united in preserving the Serbian national identity and culture, starting from the fact that Serbia is the motherland they gather around," said Vujadinovic.

He said that Serbs in Slovenia see Serbia’s progress, with President Aleksandar Vucic in charge, and are proud of it, as well as feel the benefits of the motherland’s progress.

Vujadinovic said that what comes next for Serbs is to fight before the Slovenian authorities for recognition and a better status.

"By obtaining this status, Serbs would become the biggest national minority. Today, the Italian and Hungarian national minorities have that status in Slovenia. There are between 70,000 and 150,000 Serbs living in Slovenia, the exact number is not known, because they did not have the opportunity to declare themselves as Serbs in the census, which is testament to the importance of our community," Vujadinovic said.

Today, Committee Chairman Milimir Vujadinovic will meet with representatives of Slovenia’s legislative branch and once again ask the Slovenian state to respect the demands of the Serbian community in Slovenia and allow them a free expression of nationality and give them national minority status.

"All, of course, on the basis of Slovenian laws and the principle of autochthony, because Serbs in Slovenia are an autochthonous people with roots in Bela Krajina dating back to the beginning of the 16th century. We would like them to have the status in Slovenia that the Slovenian minority has in Serbia. We believe that these people, above all, are a wealth and benefit for Slovenia, the pride of the state of Serbia and a bridge for the development of even better relations between the two friendly states," Vujadinovic said.

President of the Union of Serbs in Slovenia Vladimir Kokanovic said that the Declaration on the fundamental principles of further cooperation is an agreement on cooperation between the associations in preserving Serbian tradition and culture, which actually means unity on the most important national issues in Slovenia that they will now fight for together, to resolve the status issues, and expressed satisfaction that Chairman of the Committee on the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia was with them because this sends the message that the Serbian motherland, together with the Republic of Srpska, cares about the most vital national interests of Serbs in Slovenia.

"In this way, we send a message to the motherland and to all Serbs in the region and the world, that Serbs are not deeply divided, but a people united around the most important national issues and love for the motherland," Kokanovic said.

Yesterday, the Alliance of Serbian Associations of Slovenia and the Union of Serbs in Slovenia marked the Day of Serbian Unity, Freedom and the National Flag by signing of the Declaration on Cooperation in Ljubljana and decided to act together, leaving behind the long-standing disagreements among Serbian societies in Slovenia.