17 March 2021 

Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikola Selakovic visited in Sarajevo Metropolitan Hrizostom of Dabar-Bosnia, with whom he discussed the position of the Serbian Orthodox people.

The Head of Serbian diplomacy emphasized that the Serbian Orthodox Church had been a pillar of the Serbian people's survival through the centuries, that it existed even before the Serbian state, and that it preserved national consciousness and faith among the people.

"Even today, among the few Serbs here in the Federal part of Sarajevo, but also in East Sarajevo, Foca, Romania, Sokolac, Pale and other areas, His Eminence the Metropolitan serves God and its people and perseveres, and to us as officials of the Republic of Serbia and myself as Minister of Foreign Affairs of a country that cares for Serbs outside Serbia, it is a pleasure to be able to meet with him every time and hear his thoughts on how we can help and promote the position of our Serbian Orthodox people, but also of our church", the Minister said.

The Minister added that he was convinced that more action would be taken to this end in the future, but also that the Metropolitanate of Dabar-Bosnia was facing problems for decades that cannot be resolved in a day.

"But when we act by joint forces, when we fight for something together, there is a much greater probability that we will succeed", Selaković said and thanked the Metropolitan for his wonderful hospitality.

Furthermore, the Minister thanked Metropolitan Hrizostom for fighting that, as he pointed out, the ancient Metropolitanate of Dabar-Bosnia, founded among the first within the Serbian Orthodox Church, still to this day survives in those areas both in the territory of the Federation and in the territory of the Republic of Srpska.

Metropolitan Hrizostom said that he exchanged ideas and thoughts with the Serbian Foreign Minister on the position of Serbs in Sarajevo and in the entire Metropolitanate.

"I am glad that we are able to welcome the Minister of Foreign Affairs in our Metropolitanate, and thank him for everything he does for the Serbian people, the church, and above all for Serbia, but also for the good relations that we need to develop as Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, for the good of the Serbian, Bosniak and Croatian peoples", said the Metropolitan.

He welcomed the visit of the Minister and pointed out that Selakovic originated from that Metropolitanate.

"This is his home as much as mine. All who once belonged to the Metropolitanate of Dabar-Bosnia will always be the children of this home. I am glad that you are here with us today and that you honoured us with your visit, I would like to thank you and wish you to feel joyful and comfortable", Metropolitan Hrizostom said.

After the meeting with the Metropolitan, Minister Selakovic visited the Old Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel in Sarajevo, which, according to tradition and archaeological data, dates back to the Middle Ages.

On that occasion, the Minister wrote the following in the visitors’ book:

"As a witness to the longevity of Serbian Orthodox Christian spirituality, the times of glory and suffering, it stands there like the Cross of the Lord and attracts those who find salvation in prayer - our old Serbian church in Bascarsija, showing everyone the indestructibility of our faith, our spirit and people."