THE MONUMENT TO HIS MAJESTY KING ALEXANDER I THE UNIFIER UNVEILED

New donations to the Nis University (Rektorat) and to the Hospital in Gornja Toponica

Belgrade, 7 December 2004 – HRH Crown Prince Alexander II has attended today the official reception at the Nis City Hall and the unveiling of the monument to His Majesty King King Alexander I at the King Alexander the Unifier Square in Nis.

The Crown Prince was warmly welcomed in front of the Nis City Hall by the mayor, Mr. Smiljko Kostic and his closest associates. Mr Kostic informed the Crown Prince about the development plan of Nis and its outskirts.

Following a short reception HRH Crown Prince Alexander II, accompanied by the city major, set off for the King Alexander I The Unifier Square, where the monument to the late King, work of the artist Zoran Ivanovic, was then unveiled. The ceremony of the consecration of the monument was officiated by His Grace Irinej, Bishop of Nis, and other priests. Addressing the present people, the Bishop of Nis stressed out that by this act a great injustice had been corrected and that our nation is returning to its roots/history.

The mayor of Nis, Mr Smiljko Kostic, addressed The Crown Prince and the gathered citizens. He has expressed his great pleasure that on the day of the Nis declaration's signing, the monument to the great Chivalrous King Alexander I was unveiled in the presence of his grandson HRH Crown Prince Alexander II. He called upon the Crown Prince to talk to the present citizens.

Expressing his joy for seeing the King Alexander the Unifier's monument being placed again in the central Nis, the Crown Prince has said:

«This is one more proof that the history is repeating itself, and we have to be united in the fight for better future, not fighting each other. Our Unity is our strength. We have to accept democratic principles once for all and lead Serbia and our people into the family of developed, democratic countries, where they belong. We cannot stay behind in Europe and we must speed up the reforms. We must respect human rights and religious and ethnic believes. We must respect our international obligations and have the rule of law. Thank you all who are here today paying respect to my grandfather.»

The Nis mayor, Mr. Smiljko Kostic, HRH Crown Prince Alexander and the commander of the Nis corpus, general – major Stojan Markovic laid wreaths on the monument to the King The Unifier. The representatives of the Republic government, diplomatic core, the Army of Serbia and Montenegro, police, as well as numerous citizens of Nis and neighbouring villages were present at the ceremony.

Afterwards the Crown Prince has paid a visit to the Hadrovica mosque, recently damaged by fire. The representative of the Nis Islamic Unity, Imam Saiti Niaz, has warmly welcomed the guests.

HRH The Crown Prince also visited the Nis University's main building (Rektorat) and the Special Psychiatric Hospital in Gornja Toponica, where he delivered a donation of furniture. This donation arrived from Greece thanks to the efforts of the Foundation of HRH Princess Katherine and of the humanitarian organization «Lifeline Hellas». HRH Crown Princess Katherine is the Patron of both organisations.

At the University the Rector's Deputy, Professor Bora Kamenov, with his closest associates, warmly welcomed the Crown Prince. He thanked the Crown Prince and the Foundation of HRH Princess Katherine, for the donation and for a great and constant help that Their Royal Highnesses are giving to this University City. The deans and the representatives of the Nis Faculties greeted the Crown Prince and the city mayor Mr Smiljko Kostic in the main building's Hall (Rektorat).

Addressing the present people at the Nis University (Rektorat) while delivering the donation, the Crown Prince emphasized the great importance of the education of young people for the development of our country and said:

«As you know, The Royal House Foundation and the Foundation of HRH Princess Katherine pay special attention to the education of the young people, who are going to use their knowledge for the benefit of our country. This is just a small contribution to our mutual efforts, and you can always count on my help.»

The Crown Prince then visited the special psychiatric hospital in Gornja Toponica, where he was warmly welcomed by Doctor Milan Stanojkovic and his closest associates. Dr Stanojkovic thanked HRH Crown Prince Alexander II and HRH Crown Princess Katherine for their great interest and wish to help this important medical institution. The Crown Prince II handed out the cards, made by the children from the Primary schools in the neighbourhood. Their sale is meant to raise funds for the reparation work of the damaged church dedicated to Saint Vraci and which is situated on the hospital compound.

After that HRH Crown Prince Alexander II's visit to Nis was over.