Serb unity day triggers worries across the Balkans
ABC News
Serbia has kicked off a new holiday celebrating national unity with a display of military power, triggering unease among its neighbors
BELGRADE, Serbia -- Serbia kicked off a new national holiday on Wednesday with a display of military power and calls for all Serbs in the Balkans to unite under one flag, triggering unease among its neighbors decades after similar calls led to the bloody wars in the 1990s.
Serbs were told to display thousands of red, blue and white national flags wherever they live in the region or the world to mark “The Day of Serb Unity, Freedom and the National Flag.”
Opening the full day of celebrations, Serbia’s populist President Aleksandar Vucic inspected military hardware displayed in a Belgrade park, praising the army's readiness to respond to outside threats.
He said that the army is “five times stronger” than only a few years ago and announced new military purchases.
