It is an honor and a privilege to stand here before you today and speak about a man whose name not only commands respect but also inspires—Dr Zoran Djindjic.
To speak of him is to speak of VISION, COURAGE, and an UNCOMPROMISING STRUGGLE for Serbia. He was not just a politician—he was an INTELLECTUAL OF GLOBAL STATURE, a MASTER STRATEGIST, a PHILOSOPHER, a man who understood the time he lived in and had the strength to change it.

No matter how many words we try to find, we will never be able to express enough gratitude for what he did. His work and LEGACY cannot be measured only by achievements but by the ENERGY he passed on to all those who believed in a better future.
His ideas STILL ILLUMINATE THE PATH for all those who refuse to accept despair and who know that progress doesn’t happen on its own—it must be fought for, every single day, without giving up.

“LOOK TO THE FUTURE—THAT’S WHERE YOU AND I WILL MEET.”
These words are not just a message—they are a VOW. A reminder that the future doesn’t arrive by itself but is created by those who BELIEVE, who WORK, and who FIGHT.
Dr Zoran Djindjic knew that time is irreversible, and that the past can be a TEACHER, but not a REFUGE.
His vision was not limited to the moment he lived in—it was directed toward what Serbia can and must become.
And who today bears that responsibility more than students? Who, if not the young, should look to the future and follow his path—the path of KNOWLEDGE, WORK, and COURAGE?
Every protest against injustice, every debate, every question posed to those in power—each is a mark on the line leading to the future where we’ll meet him again.
As we stand here in his honor, that sentence is not just a memory. It is a call.
A call not to stand still, but to move forward—because there, in the future, awaits the Serbia he dreamed of.

We have not gathered today merely to mark 22 years since the death of Dr Zoran Djindjic.
No—we are marking 22 years since his ASSASSINATION.
Because he did not just pass away—HE WAS KILLED.
Killed by a bullet, but also by a system.
Killed in front of the Government building—the same government he led as the first democratically elected Prime Minister, with a vision for a better Serbia.
HIS LIFE WAS NOT ENDED JUST ANYWHERE—it was ended on the very doorstep of the institution he sought to reform, in the heart of the state he wanted to lead out of darkness.
And that is why we are here today. Not just to remember—but to remind.
To remind that it wasn’t just a bullet aimed at a man, but at an IDEA.
To remind that Dr Zoran Djindjic wasn’t killed only on March 12, 2003—he was killed a little every day before that, by a system that still operates on the same principles.
THAT’S WHY WE’RE IN THE STREETS.
Because that crime isn’t over.
Because the system that killed him still endures—every lie, every injustice, every act of corruption, every attack on freedom of speech and critical thought—they’re all continuations of that same bullet fired at him.
Our fight never ended, because those who wanted him gone never stopped.
BUT NEITHER WILL THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN THE FUTURE HE ENVISIONED.
For him, for us, for the Serbia we deserve!

Dr Zoran Djindjic was no ordinary politician—he was a VISIONARY, A MAN OF IDEAS AND ACTION.
His intellect was not just academic, but practical—always directed toward change.
A PHILOSOPHER who understood reality, a LEADER who believed that Serbia could and must do better.
His thinking was fast, sharp, and clear, and his actions courageous and tireless.
In a country used to waiting, he insisted on WORK.
In a time of excuses, he chose RESPONSIBILITY.
He wasn’t just a statesman—he was a ROLE MODEL.
And that’s why every mention of him must not be reduced to party lines or shallow political ownership.
Dr Zoran Djindjic was much more than party politics.
His vision didn’t belong to one group—it belonged to EVERYONE who believes in WORK, KNOWLEDGE, and CHANGE.
He didn’t dream of a Serbia divided into camps, but of a society where progress is a shared mission.
So when we speak of him, we are not talking about parties, mandates, or elections.
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT VALUES.
ABOUT WORK INSTEAD OF WAITING.
ABOUT RESPONSIBILITY INSTEAD OF EXCUSES.
ABOUT VISION INSTEAD OF AIMLESSNESS.
Dr Zoran Djindjic was a man of the future—and the future does not belong to politicians. It belongs to all of us.

He knew how to smile, to listen and understand.
He didn’t boast or complain.
He restored hope, and didn’t frighten the people—he encouraged them.
He didn’t believe in pessimism and didn’t accept giving up.
He awakened the feeling that we are worthy and capable—not that he was the only one who was.
That’s why he was so great, yet so relatable—one of us.
The smiles he gave us—we’ve since lost.
We owe them to him.
His, and our children’s smiles.
He was a respected and equal interlocutor. He cared about people—his colleagues and friends.
But above all, he cared about the country they lived in.
That’s why he gave everything for it.
We miss him today.
If he were here, he’d tell us not to wait for change to happen on its own, but to be the ones who make it.
Not to grow tired, not to retreat.
That every victory begins when someone says: “I do not accept this.”
That we have already shown courage and know what’s right.
And now we must continue.
To work, to learn, to fight.
And to know that the future doesn’t come—it must be conquered.

And finally, we must never forget—WE MUST NOT BETRAY HIM OR EVERYTHING HE FOUGHT FOR.
He is gone, but his ideals live on.
Those who believed that his ideas would die with him were wrong!
Even though his legacy has been interpreted in many ways over the years, we must remember that the essence of his political mission boils down to a single word—a word that also defines what students are demanding today.
A word that’s easy to say, but hard to implement—JUSTICE.
That is what he constantly advocated—not just as an abstract concept, but as the foundation on which society must be built.
That is what must guide us today more than ever—because only through justice can we fulfill his vision and ensure THAT HIS STRUGGLE IS NEVER FORGOTTEN.

The memory of Dr Zoran Djindjic will never fade, because his struggle and belief in a better future live on in each of us.
Thank you!