Nikolic: Follow example of Stefan Nemanja's wise policy

BELGRADE - Stefan Nemanja, the founder of the Nemanjic dynasty, represents a beacon for new generations that defines the direction for preserving the Serbian state, Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said at an international conference marking a great anniversary - 900 years since the birth of the creator of a strong medieval Serbian state.

Stefan Nemanja (1113-1199) was the grand prince of Raska and the founder of the Nemanjic dynasty of rulers.

He is considered as one of the most significant Serbian rulers and, alongside his son Sava, one of the founders of the Serbian Orthodox Church, which celebrates him as Saint Simeon the Myrrh-streaming.

The conference, which opened at the Rectorate of the University of Belgrade on Wednesday, is dedicated to Stefan Nemanja's role in Serbian history, identity and culture.

Addressing the conference, President Nikolic reminded of the courage, resolve and personal sacrifice of the great Serbian ruler in his efforts to secure independence for Serbia and strengthen its statehood.

Stefan Nemanja rose to the throne in a divided and disunited country, but, thanks to a wise foreign policy, he was capable of overcoming the difficulties and establishing a strong Serbian state that rivalled even Byzantium itself, Nikolic said.

This ruler, monarch and saint warned that a nation "is not a nation without land, language, faith and love," introduced Orthodox Christianity as the official religion, and built churches and monasteries that are gems of architecture and fresco painting, including Hilandar on Mt. Athos in Greece.

Nine centuries on, we face similar temptations, the Serbian president said, adding that, to new generations, Stefan Nemanja's wise policy should...