Commemoration ceremony for Operation Halyard

Transcript

In most of our history we have been allies, we have been partners. Americans and Serbs stood shoulder to shoulder in World War I, we stood shoulder to shoulder in World War II, and this 75th anniversary is an opportunity not only to recall that past but also to begin building the foundations for a new future together as we face joint challenges for the 21st century.

The event that we commemorated today is something that brings us much closer to each other speaking about Serbian-American relationship and here we speak about heroic moves from Serbian ordinary people and, of course, American, Canadian, and British pilots in 1944.

The interaction here between the local Serbs and the Allied airmen that were downed as they were conducting raids against the Nazis in Romania, the fact that the local population here, the Serbs, were able to take them in, it helped create an environment where we could organize an evacuation, a rescue mission. It’s important to recognize that shared relationship and partnership that we have had with the Serbs for many years to accomplish a common goal against a common evil.