Cooperation with the Museum of Genocide Victims in Belgrade

On 11 May 2023, Rector of the University of Banja Luka Prof. Radoslav Gajanin, PhD, Rector of the University of East Sarajevo Prof. Milan Kulić, PhD, and Director of the Museum of Genocide Victims in Belgrade Dejan Ristić signed a Protocol on Cooperation.

As Rector Gajanin pointed out, in this way it is possible for members of the academic community from two public universities to actively research historical facts that were neglected in the previous period.

”Research will be conducted in the Museum of Genocide Victims, which in the forthcoming period will result in a significant number of master's theses and doctoral dissertations, as well as scientific papers in the field of historical sciences.”, the rector said.

Minister for Scientific and Technological Development, Higher Education and Information Society of the Republic of Srpska Asst. Prof. Željko Budimir, PhD, emphasizes that this is one of the initiatives jointly launched by the Ministry and the Museum.

“It is important that genocide, war crimes and the Second World War are taught systematically and through an institutional method, in the departments of history at two public universities in the Republic of Srpska”, Minister Budimir said, adding that the signing of the protocol is the "awakening" of historical sciences.

“Research projects in the Republic of Srpska of this type will be closely related to the work of the Museum of Genocide Victims in Belgrade. Without studying the Second World War, we cannot understand what kind of reality awaits us in the forthcoming period”, the minister said.
He believes that this document will enable rapid success in research into World War II and the genocide of Serbs in the Independent State of Croatia.

Director of the Museum of Genocide Victims in Belgrade Dejan Ristić says that the goal of this cooperation is to make the historical experience of the suffering of the Serbs more visible not only within the Serbian ethnic space, but also in the world and to internationalize this topic and to fight against revision in every way, with science, as well as against falsification of history and stigmatization of the Serbian people

Ristić emphasized that the signing of the protocol with two public universities completes the system of cooperation with relevant educational institutions in the Serbian ethnic area..

„The Museum of Genocide Victims in Belgrade, which was established in 1992, is one of the three most reference institutions in the world, along with the Yad Vashem Museum in Jerusalem and the Holocaust Memorial Museum, and has more than 200,000 pieces of material that bear witness to the genocide of Serbs in the Independent State of Croatia”, Ristić said.

His Eminence Bishop Jovan of Pakrac and Slavonia pointed out that the signing of the protocol constitutes a Copernican turn regarding the Serbian suffering, because, as he emphasized, it has not been dealt with systematically, scientifically, thoroughly and at the international level until now.

“This kind of agreement will make it possible. It is important that the entire story of Serbian suffering in the 20th century, especially in the Second World War, is borne by the Republic of Srpska, because the majority of the victims of Jasenovac, the victims of the Second World War and the soldiers came from these areas, Bosanska Krajina, Kordun, Lika, Banija, Zapadna Slavonija, Dalmacija. A great number of their descendants inhabit Serbia, almost a third of the population, and it is a large movement that enables us to realistically, in the forthcoming period, deal with Serbian suffering in the Second World War.", Bishop Jovan stated.

Rector Kulić emphasizes that this is one of the ways to pay special attention to the history of the suffering of the Serbian people in the Second World War, but also in the subsequent wars.

As stated in the text of the protocol itself, signed in the premises of the Ministry of Scientific and Technological Development, Higher Education and Information Society of the Republic of Srpska, the signatories of the protocol will work on the joint organization and implementation of projects and programmes in the field of culture, education, culture of remembrance, art and research activities, with a special emphasis on researching the genocide committed against members of the Serbian people in the entire territory of the Independent State of Croatia, as well as war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against members of the Serbian and other peoples in the territory of the former Yugoslavia during the 20th and 21st centuries.

Later in the day, the first working meeting was held with the relevant minister, Bishop Jovan, Rector Gajanin and Rector Kulić, Director Ristić, the deans of the two Faculties of Philosophy – Prof. Srđan Dušanić, PhD, and Prof. Drago Mastilović, PhD, Head of the Department of History at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Banja Luka, Prof. Borivoj Milošević, PhD, as well as representatives of the Eparchy of Pakrac and Slavonia and the Museum of Genocide Victims. During this meeting, the first activities related to the implementation of the Protocol on Cooperation with the Museum of Genocide Victims in Belgrade were agreed upon.