Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, dear honored guests and friends, The Republic of Serbia celebrates its Statehood Day, but also the great Christian and Church Feast - Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. On that day, in 1804, a large uprising for the liberation of the Serbian people, led by the immortal Grand Duke Karađorđe, began at the Parliament in Orašac. Three decades later, in Miloš’s free Serbia and on that very day, The Principality of Serbia proudly presented to Europe and the world the most liberal, the most progressive and the most modern Constitution of the time. It is all to glory and eternal pride of the Serbian people and the faithful posterity of our Founding Father of the Serbian state and his two sons, crowned with both the royal crown and archbishop's miter, eight hundred years ago.  Presentation of Jesus at the Temple is a Feast that symbolizes the meeting of Man and Lord, the covenant meeting of God-man Christ and the godly people.  Forty days after the birth of Christ, Virgin Mary took her little boy to the Temple of Jerusalem, thus marking his passage to adulthood –  a visible sign of the miracle which had been awaited for centuries. Saint Simeon the God Receiver then uttered those famous, prophetic words that “the child is set for the fall and rising of many” depending on their merits. That faith in the Lord and the observance of God's commandments and laws will be the supreme criterion of what He will encounter through Life and will also be the cause of his rises and falls. Given to us therefore is the opportunity for the spiritual power to lift us up and strengthen us, to make us better and make us stand tall, in spite of all lies, injustice and unruliness, but also in spite of our internal weaknesses, often more dangerous than any external temptation or enemy.  Solemnly celebrated today is that Individual and the national meeting of ours IN THE MEMORY OF THE COURAGE AND WISDOM OF THE SERBIAN PEOPLE, on the Day of the Uprising and the Day of Constitution. It is yet another opportunity for us to become even better, stronger and bolder, more European and Serbian, set free from fear and sin. That very message is eternally stamped, indelible and illuminating: it is through the encounter with our conscience and the image of God in ourselves, that we also encounter the Sun of Liberty in the image of the GOD THE INFANT.
This is precisely why the day is an ideal blend of the past and the future through the present, the sum of memory and heroism, the Serbian defiance and pride and the overall national and state standpoint. In honor of the occasion, I want to offer my heartfelt congratulations on this recently reestablished Serbian Statehood Day - Karadjordje’s and Miloš’s, but also our impassable and inspiring Sretenje (Presentation of Jesus at the Temple).  Freedom Day shines in the calendar of those days that define us, that remind us of everything we managed to survive undefeated and against all odds …
It is a special honor and a privilege to start my national diplomatic service as the ambassador of Serbia precisely in Montenegro with which we are bound by eternal brotherhood and friendship, that we are obliged to preserve, promote, and put into use to achieve the best possible relations of our countries. We were the closest to each other, we lived in a common state, and although sometimes we may differ or disagree on something, we must, and should be the closest to each other again. We must, therefore, meet, understand and support each other time and time again. With this beautiful program for children and young people, as all of you who are here tonight are indeed young, it is a sign full of encouragement and deep logic, in the spirit of our pride for all the greatness and virtue that the people, the State and the Church have demonstrated and proved. Once again, I offer my sincere congratulations and the best wishes, and I hope you enjoy the program.

Ambassador of Serbia to Montenegro,
Vladimir Bozovic, PhD,
in his speech on the occasion of Presentation of Jesus at the Temple.  
Niksic, 2020.