Draga Mastilović, Minister for Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education of Republika Srpska, stated that the struggle and sacrifice of Sarajevo Serbs during the war defined the borders of Republika Srpska, which has grown stronger over the past 30 years.
Speaking in East Sarajevo at a round table titled “Erasure and exodus of Sarajevo Serbs at the end of the 20th century,” Mastilović emphasized that history rarely records an example of a people defending themselves in such a way and marking the borders of their state through a collective exodus.
“The struggle and suffering of Sarajevo Serbs must not be forgotten,” he said.
He added that the suffering of Serbs extended throughout the 20th century—from World War I, through World War II, to the events of the 1990s—which he described as culminating developments that will remain a subject of future research.
Mastilović also highlighted the role of the Serbian intellectual elite from Sarajevo in initiating political and social processes that led to the creation of Republika Srpska.
Milan Kulić stated that the exodus of Sarajevo Serbs is one of the most painful chapters of recent history, involving not only the displacement of more than 150,000 people but also a deep cultural and identity rupture.
He noted that the University of East Sarajevo developed alongside Republika Srpska and the city of East Sarajevo, facing the same challenges—including the 1996 exodus following the Dayton Agreement.
Kulić added that the University itself was directly affected, as several faculties—such as the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Vogošća, the Music Academy, and the Faculty of Law in Ilidža—remained in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina after Dayton, placing the institution in a complex situation along the new administrative boundary.
Source: RTRS
