Selakovic reminded that the memory of Kings Peter and Alexander in the second half of the 20th century was being preserved owing to this very monument in France, because before that, ideological opponents and occupiers had destroyed all monuments to our kings in Serbia.

“Every Serb, upon arrival to Paris, in addition to visiting the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe, should come here to the 16th arrondissement and visit this monument which shows the great knightly Kings Peter and Alexander Karadjordjevic and their great comrade-in-arms, the fifth Serbian Duke and great benefactor of Serbian soldiers and people, Marshal Franchet d'Espèrey", Selakovic said on this occasion.

The Head of Serbian diplomacy pointed out that Belgrade fostered the memory of the alliance from the First World War with the beautiful Monument of Gratitude to France, which was renovated several years ago, and which was unveiled again in the presence of Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Aleksandar Vucic.

"Not many peoples have such monuments in Paris on such locations. Today, we should not only remember this difficult and glorious period of our history, our great heroes from that time, but also show before these greats the character of today's relations between France and Serbia, the relations that are very active and on the rise. This is one serious economic and military and technical cooperation, it is a cooperation that we have yet to develop in the fields of culture and education", said Selakovic.

Today, the wreath at the monument was also laid by the Mayor of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, Francis Szpiner, whom Minister Selakovic thanked for the care and respect for this monument, and invited him to visit Belgrade.

17 December 2021