Embassy of The Republic of Serbia in the State of Israel

Three days of mourning in Serbia over tragedy at Vladislav Ribnikar primary school, May 2023

Belgrade, 3 May 2023

Minister of Education Branko Ruzic announced today that the government of Serbia, following this morning's tragedy at the Vladislav Ribnikar primary school, made a decision on a three-day mourning in the territory of the whole of Serbia, on 5-7 May.

Belgrade to get Centre for Fourth Industrial Revolution, February 2022

7 February 2022

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic attended today in Geneva the signing of the Agreement on the Establishment of the World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Serbia, the first of its kind in the Western Balkans.

The agreement was signed at the headquarters of that forum by Director of the Office for Information Technologies and eGovernment Mihailo Jovanovic and Managing Director and Head of the Forum's Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Jeremy Jurgens.

The centre in Serbia will be the 16th in the network of centres of the World Economic Forum in the world and the first in the region of the Western Balkans.

The new centre will start operating on 1 March and will function as a non-profit organisation and a platform for public-private partnership and cooperation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, while the focus of work will be on artificial intelligence and bioengineering.

This centre will work within the Serbian government’s Office for Information Technologies and eGovernment and will cooperate with scientific institutes, state institutions and the private sector.

The signing of this document was also attended by founder and Executive Director of the World Economic Forum Klaus Schwab and President of the World Economic Forum Borge Brende, with whom Brnabic had previously met.

Addressing the press, Brnabic pointed out that this agreement is the result of many years of joint work between Serbia and the World Economic Forum. We started talking in 2018, signed a Memorandum of Understanding, then 2020 hampered us a bit, but we continued to plan in 2021 and here we are today, she said. According to her, the centre will be focused on the development of artificial intelligence, biomedicine and biotechnology, and on the ways in which digitalisation can raise the productivity of companies and the entire economy.

This is what further leads to higher salaries, a better standard of living, as well as to an economy that is mainly based on knowledge, creativity and innovation, Brnabic emphasised.

Today, we have received great recognition for everything that Serbia has done in the field of digitalisation, development of high technologies and paradigm shift – from an economy that was based on labour-intensive investments to digital development.

That is why this agreement shows that Serbia has been recognised as one of the leaders in the economy and IT industry in the last six years, the Prime Minister pointed out and assessed that this is the announcement of the beginning of an even closer cooperation between Serbia and WEF. She added that they will have a joint meeting with the 16 WEF centres for the fourth industrial revolution in the world every month, at which they will talk about what each of them is doing, since each has a different focus.

That is how we will hear what everyone is doing every month, learn from each other and I am sure that the centre in Belgrade will be one of the best, the Prime Minister said. According to her, this gives us visibility, the opportunity to further establish Serbia as an investment destination, a country good for living and investing in new technologies and knowledge.

Jovanovic said that the ecosystem formed around the centre will use the infrastructure of the National Platform for the Development of Artificial Intelligence, the Centre for Genome Sequencing and the future bioeconomic centre – BIO4 Campus.

Izvor/Foto: Tanjug

Cooperation between the startup community of Israel and Serbia, January 2022

The Innovation Department of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia in cooperation with the Representative Office of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia in Israel held a Tech7 Webinar on Monday, January 17, 2022, starting at 10 am, where programs for the startup community of Serbia and Israel were presented.

The event was attended by representatives of relevant institutions from Israel and Serbia, which contribute to the improvement of startup ecosystems, such as: Tech7, Yazamut 360˚, Israel National Cyber Directorate, Bar-Ilan University, Office of the Prime Minister - IT and Entrepreneurship Team, Ministry Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, Science and Technology Park Niš, Science and Technology Park Čačak, Science and Technology Park Novi Sad, Digital Serbia Initiative, Regional Chamber of Commerce Niš and Business Club Naissus.

The goal of the event was networking, as well as to exchange the experience and make new business opportunities in the startup ecosystem of these two countries. The event was interactive, where the participants, in addition to the opportunity to get information about the work of these institutions from Israel and Serbia, had the opportunity to present their business and initiate potential cooperation.

The introductory words were given by Bojana Krstić, the Head of the Innovation Department of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, who pointed out that this is the second event that connects institutions from Israel and Serbia. The initial event resulted in numerous interconnections, and was aimed at the BIO4 Campus - headed by the Cabinet of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia - and the possibility of cooperation with the Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials of Bar-Ilan University in Israel. Such events will soon become a practice – because of the common goals and values of these institutions.

Continuing the above, Aleksandar Nikolić, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Serbia in Israel and Director of the Representative Office of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia in Israel, referred to numerous opportunities for business development, emphasizing the connection and potential for cooperation between twin cities - Niš and Beer Sheva, and focused of talent recruitment and funds.

Mihailo Vesović, Director of the Sector for Strategic Analysis, Services and Internationalization of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, expressed words of support for organizing of the meeting between the two countries for a second time, and stressed the great potential for cooperation between representatives of present institutions.

Representatives of Tech7 (Harel Ram, Omri Yitro Dai, Daniel Martin and Itay Harel) presented the course of development of their organization from 2011 to 2019, pointing out all the factors that contributed to the improvement of infrastructure and the overall business organization. Tech7 encompasses innovation, entrepreneurship and the high-tech community, as well as startup, scale-up and senior-level development programs for companies. Cooperation with investment funds and business angels was underlined, and Mexico and Vietnam was mentioned as foreign partners, while cooperation with partners around the world is welcome. Also, cyber security was pointed out as a topic that will be significant in the coming period. Future activities will require the support of all actors, from the Government to the private sector, in order to provide the community with adequate solutions that include industry, startups, pilot programs and the wider company market.

Or Santo, a representative of the Yazamut 360 Entrepreneurship Center, attended the meeting and expressed interest and openness to the participation and contribution of this center in future activities.

Doron Lieberman, a representative of the INCD (Israel National Cyber Directorate), stressed the importance of cyber solutions to be supported by the Government, as well as the important role of the private sector.

After presentations held by representatives of the institutions from Israel, the floor was given to domestic institutions that contribute to the development of startup ecosystems.

Milan Ranđelović, Director of the Science and Technology Park Niš, presented in detail the most important activities and plans of this institution. It is interesting that Niš is also a twin city with the Israeli city of Beer Sheva, where the headquarters of the Tech7 organization are located, which - as both sides hope - will influence future cooperation. Comparing the systems and opportunities they provide, Ranđelović offered concrete proposals on common points, encouraging colleagues from Tech7, but also participants from Serbia, to initiate further steps.

Mirko Pešić, Director of the Science and Technology Park Čačak, presented the most important activities and expressed readiness for cooperation. It is interesting that NTP Čačak consists not only of IT companies, but also companies that have physical products. Also, cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Serbia since 2020 has been singled out as an important factor.

Vladimir Todorović, a representative of the Science and Technology Park Novi Sad, in addition to being open for creating joint initiatives, singled out the Institute for Artificial Intelligence as an important current activity.

The presentations were followed by an active discussion where the present representatives of the institutions exchanged opinions and experiences, and initiated cooperation with the aim of finalizing as soon as possible.

In the final part of the meeting, it was proposed to form a working group on the topics discussed at the meeting, where science and technology parks and other relevant institutions would take part. Also, on this occasion, the science and technology parks were invited to attend the Dubai 2020 Expo exhibition in early March, so that they could make personal contact at the event and begin the realization of cooperation.

The Innovation Department of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia and the Representative Office of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia in Israel plan to host similar meetings in the future and give their contribution to the improvement of the startup community of Serbia and Israel.

Source: Council for Cooperation of Science and Economy

Mission Innovation 2021

Photo by Bar Cohen

Perhaps the best way to describe the Mission innovation seminar is to compare it to the „Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon“ game.

As a diplomat of „general practice“ focused on bilateral political relations and without any experience in innovation and startups, it’s fair to say that Mission:Innovation enriched my knowledge of the Startup Nation by and large.

It helped me understand and grasp the Israeli innovation ecosystem, the way it’s structured, its key players, the role of state institutions, multinational companies, and academia, relations between them, and the interaction between the local ecosystem and European ecosystems and economies. Having learned that, it was much easier for me to map the ecosystem of my own country and its approximate position within the European ecosystems. Some of the lecturers with a long history in the local Startup industry shared their experiences, wins, and failures. These lessons can be beneficial for my country’s present-day ecosystem and its future development. The diplomatic innovator’s compass practice and the Country branding workshop gave me know-how and necessary tools to present the needs, interests, and comparative advantages of my country and the best way to pursue them vis-à-vis Israel and the international community in general.

In addition, the Mission Innovation seminar was quite timely organized because it happened just a month before the official opening of the Serbian Economic and Innovation Office in Jerusalem (Nov 2021). Brand new knowledge and contacts from startups, government institutions, and academia are great support for our coming activities with Israeli partners.

However, as I’ve said earlier, as a traditional diplomat, I enjoyed the other layer of Mission:Innovation - the game of Six degrees of the EIT Hub Israel. The Hub, indeed. It gave me great insight into the Israeli way of communicating, networking, thinking, doing business and taking risks. In other words, the seminar, the way it had been organized, led, and executed, showed the power of networking and collaboration. In a week, around a hundred people (from the Faroe Islands to the Negev) from different backgrounds met, spent time together, exchanged ideas, brainstormed, made friendships and business connections. They learned about each other. As it’s a great seminar on the Israeli innovation ecosystem, it is also a cultural boot camp that offers European diplomats tools to understand and deal with Israeli colleagues and their complex society and culture.

Dushan Vujovic

Counselor

Embassy of Serbia to Israel

M:I Generation 2022 - contact EIT HUB Israel

UNESCO’s role extremely important for preservation of Serbian heritage in Kosovo and Metohija, November 2021

12 November 2021

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic stated today that severe examples of endangering the Serbian cultural, historical and spiritual heritage in Kosovo and Metohija are proof of the important role of UNESCO in protecting and preserving heritage.

At the 41st session of the General Conference of UNESCO in Paris, Brnabic emphasized that four jewels of the Serbian medieval cultural heritage in Kosovo – Visoki Decani, Pec Patriarchate, Gracanica and Bogorodica Ljeviska, have been preserved thanks to the fact that they are inscribed on the endangered world heritage list. Hundreds of other sites and monuments are endangered.

The Serbian heritage in Kosovo and Metohija is of immeasurable importance, not only for the national identity of Serbia, but also as a part of the esteemed European and world heritage, she underlined.

Source/Photo: www.srbija.gov.rs

Address of the President of the Republic of Serbia at the United Nations climate change conference COP26 held in Glasgow, November 2021

2nd November 2021

Address of the President of the Republic of Serbia at the United Nations climate change conference COP26 held in Glasgow

"Your Excellences,

distinguished delegates,

dear Sarah,

At the very beginning, I feel obliged to thank Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Her Majesty’s Government for exceptional hospitality.

I feel privileged to represent the Republic of Serbia at this important place and at the highest-level world forum, in working on the most important topic of today – promoting climate awareness.

We all agree that we must make investment into climate and environment.

We all, likewise agree, that future generations must be educated in order not to repeat the mistakes we made, by hurting the only Planet that makes life possible.

I am very honoured that the Republic of Serbia is co-chairing this year’s Conference as a Non-EU representative of the Eastern Europe Group.

In concrete terms, we see the special contribution of our expert team in finalising negotiations on the implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which refers to the establishment of the global market and non-market mechanisms for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as to remaining provisions referring to advanced transparency framework and common timeframes for Nationally Determined Contributions, which are the key provisions of the Agreement that have not yet been covered by the decision that is to be adopted by the Conference, i.e. all member states.

We, therefore, believe that this is an exceptional opportunity for Serbia to give its full contribution to the finalization of negotiations, which, we hope, will secure full implementation of the Paris Agreement.

As a result of strong economic development, modelled for Serbia by 2050, the impact of the implementation of climate measures to employment will be optimal, through new jobs creation and creation of new industries which have not existed so far.

One billion euros was raised at the first green bonds auction in Serbia, which clearly confirms the trust of international investors in our green agenda, but also to the economic and political stability of our country.

Incomes from green bonds issuance will be used for financing renewables, energy efficiency, sustainable water management, prevention of pollution and circular economy development and biodiversity preservation.

And as you can see, dear friends, my people made a terrific speech for me, but I am going to add a few more words and a few more questions for those that are coming from big powers and that haven’t answered yet several questions:

Number one is: how are we going to finance all these activities?

We’ve heard the story of trillions of dollars that are at our disposal. My question would be: what would be the interest rate, what would be the terms for taking these amounts of money, and actually how are we going to tackle that issue?

Number two: how are we going to treat the nuclear power plants? Are we going to shut them all or are we going to build them more?

Then, how are we going to build more renewables if we already started endorsing populist movements against wind parks, new hydropower plants, and are we going to put in jeopardy the level of our public debt to GDP ratio if we raise huge amounts of money?

How are we going to treat natural gas, and how are we going to secure decent prices of natural gas and electricity power as well?

And, I came here using an electric car from Edinburgh to Glasgow. But, how are we going to do mining and refining of lithium, nickel, cobalt and many other very important minerals?

In the end, we all know what is our final aim, what is our final target. But, it’s not a fairytale – we’ll have to work a lot, we’ll have to be 100 per cent dedicated, and we’ll have to be more honest with each other.

The health of people living in Serbia depends directly on the implementation of this Agenda, just like the health and life of each living being on Earth depends on arrangements that will be reached here and on national implementation of the respective arrangements.

Perhaps it is the right time to listen and hear the cry of Mother Earth because if we lose this race against time, our children will inherit an irreparably polluted Planet.

Thank you very much for listening to me."

Source: www.predsednik.rs

Photo: Dimitrije Goll

Selaković in UNSC: Dialogue and the implementation of the agreements reached are the only right way to resolve all open issues, October 2021

15th October 2021

Distinguished President of the Security Council,

Esteemed members of the Security Council,

Distinguished Special Representative,

I would like to thank Secretary-General of the United Nations Mr. Guterres and Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMIK Mr. Tanin for the report submitted and for their efforts made towards the implementation of the UNMIK mandate. I would also like to thank the members of the Security Council for the continued attention they have devoted to the issue of Kosovo and Metohija. The Republic of Serbia highly values the activities of the Mission of the United Nations in Kosovo and Metohija and supports it in carrying out its work as efficiently as possible, pursuant to the UN Security Council Resolution 1244, and undiminished in scope, aiming to build and preserve lasting peace, stability and security in the Province.

Mr. Tanin,

Please accept the expressions of our gratitude for your engagement and the cooperation we achieved during your term of office.

Mr. President,

Deep regret and concerns are raised by the fact that the security situation in Kosovo and Metohija in the past period has been marked by an increasing number of various ethnically motivated attacks and incidents targeting Serbs, which was also stated in the Report; that the provisional institutions of self-government (PISG) in Pristina continue to take unilateral steps and refuse to implement the agreements reached in the Brussels dialogue; and that institutional discrimination against Serbs, attacks on the sites of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the undermining of the economic sustainability of Serb communities in the Province have continued.

We are witnessing that dangerous provocations by Pristina are taking place every day, at an accelerated pace, thus seriously threatening the safety of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija and directly violating the agreements and arrangements reached within the Brussels dialogue.

The latest violent incursion of the so-called ROSU units into the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, on 13 October, is the ninth incursion of its kind. Tear gas, shock bombs and unbridled violence are becoming a matter of everyday life for Serbs in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, and that must be stopped immediately.

In the last attack with firearms and chemicals used by Pristina special forces, 71-year-old Verica Djelic died as a result of chemicals used in the intervention, 10 unarmed civilians were wounded, one of them 36 years old Srećko Sofronijević was critically wounded in the back with of an automatic rifle. A three-month-old baby, who miraculously remained unharmed, was also the target of the shooting.

The false excuse for the latest unilateral action, as EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell called it, was the fight against organized crime and smuggling. Ladies and gentlemen, Serbia is strongly against organized crime and smuggling, but the members of the UNSC should know that such an important and general global goal, which we all share, was cynically used for an armed attack on unarmed civilians, which began with an automatic rifle raid of pharmacies in which patients of Serbian and other nationalities are supplied with vitally important medicines. Four days before the local elections in Kosovo and Metohija, in order to gain votes in an irresponsible and inhumane way, fully motivated by separatist goals, the current PISG regime used medicines on which people’s lives depend to prove its position on the status contrary to UNSCR 1244.

Only a few days earlier, another provocation on the part of Pristina led to a dangerous crisis, when personnel of the so-called ROSU unit, armed with long firearms and reinforced with armoured vehicles, were deployed to administrative crossings between central Serbia and Kosovo and Metohija - Brnjak and Jarinje – in order to remove Serbian license plates and replace them with temporary ones, thus violently preventing the free movement of citizens.

Vučić: Welcome home; Serbia a reliable partner to its friends, October, 2021

Oct 11, 2021

Vučić: Welcome home; Serbia a reliable partner to its friends

With the words “welcome home”, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, began his address today at the opening of the Commemorative Meeting on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the first Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

“I hope that we will not only discuss the past, but also the future that we want to build together. The world of dialogue, compromise, and peace is still possible and attainable”, he said.

Belgrade has been, is and will continue be a proud host to all human beings who carry peace within themselves. The basic idea around which our predecessors gathered when they founded the Movement was peace. Peace is the basis for the development of cooperation, whether politicalor economic”, Vučić pointed out.

He said that he was especially glad for having the opportunity to see friends from distant countries, for whom the difficult situation with Covid-19 was not an obstacle to travel to Belgrade, which showed the importance they attach to this organization.

It is a great personal privilege and honour for Serbia that we gathered here in Belgrade, where we will make sure that you feel at home. I am convinced that Belgrade, as a centuries-old symbol, a crossroads of civilizations and religions, a meeting point between East and West, can inspire you to dialogue and encourage you to build new bridges of cooperation”, Vučić said.

He emphasized that international cooperation, while respecting fundamental principles, is the only path towardsthe development and prosperity of humanity, and pointed out that the UN Sustainable Development Agenda 2030, according to him, highlights and promotes three principles – peace and security, development and human rights.

“Serbia, as the legal successor of Yugoslavia, the founder of the UN and the NAM, is a proud promoter of the policy of multilateralism and respect for international norms.

Vučić pointed out that the Movement is based on common principles that have never lost their significance, and that it played an essential role in preserving peace and security in the world, in the process of decolonization, which promoted equality and social and economic development of all countries.

He also said that today it is not enough to nostalgically remember the golden age of the Movement, but that we must work together on fulfilling the goals that will lead towards the future of equals, where the same rights shall apply to everyone, and this is the direction the Movement has taken from its beginning and for which everyone should strive even today.

“We are advocating this, not because it is a question of the interests of individual countries, but because it is one of the biggest civilizational steps that the world must take if it wants to survive, and not as a kind of camp of which only the rich have the key”, Vučić said.

The President said that the right to decide one’s own destiny is not a sin, but a right that must belong to everyone, regardless of the strength and power at theirdisposal.

He noticed that the world today is much different from the one in 1961, since globalization, interdependence and the development of new technologies have made the planet smaller, making an impact on everyone’s lives.

“The challenges we face today know no boundaries, and their nature is more complex. That is why we need to work more than ever on the development of multilateralism, because no country is isolated and cooperation is the only way to prosperity”, Vučić said.

That, he says, is the basis on which, despite the differences, members of the Movement stand, the Movement which is a symbol of the freedom-loving part of the world, ready to fight for freedom, independence and sovereignty.

“I believe that this indeed is something worth fighting for. Serbia knows best how difficult it is, because of all the struggles it is waging to preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity, to resolve the issue of Kosovo and Metohija”, Vučić said.

The President said that in this way, Serbia defends the universal principles on which the UN Charter is based, the principles of international law, but also some of the most important values of the Movement.

Vučić said that Serbia remains committed to finding a compromise solution that would guarantee lasting peace in the province, convinced that it is a reflection of our strengths, not weaknesses, and stressed that Serbia is an independent state, which makes its own decisions, a reliable partner to all of its friends, always ready to extend a hand of cooperation.

On that note, he reminded that in the past period, Serbia selflessly helped everyone who needed it, with more than a million vaccines against Covid-19, more than half of which were donated to African and Asian countries, adding that our country will continue to do so, until the coronavirus becomes a thing of the past.

“You have a loyal friend in Serbia, and these are not empty words. Despite all the pressures, Serbia will never turn its back on friends”, Vučić underlined.

He also reminded that the Movement was conceived with the idea of SFRY, Egypt and India, that peace cannot be ensured by divisions, but by striving for collective security and ending the domination of one country over another.

President Vučić concluded by quoting an African proverb, saying “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”, which he believes corresponds fully to the character of this Movement.

Source TANJUG

Selaković in New York with 28 foreign ministers on economic successes of Serbia and Kosovo and Metohija situation, September 2021

25 September 2021

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Nikola Selaković, has stated that in New York he introduced foreign ministers of 28 countries to economic success of Serbia but also to the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, which he also discussed with the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, who told him that we could count on the support of the Russian Federation, with regards to Serbian interests in Kosovo and Metohija.

Summarizing results of his visit to New York within the session of the UN General Assembly, Minister Selaković says that one of the last meetings was with Minister Lavrov, which was their third meeting in the previous nine months.

The Serbian Foreign Minister says that he surely used this opportunity, too, to introduce Minister Lavrov to the latest events in northern Kosovo and Metohija, the situation of the dialog between Belgrade and Priština and very clear and unambiguous attitude of President Aleksandar Vučić regarding the continuation of the dialog and subsequent events in Kosovo and Metohija.

“We discussed the principled support of the Russian Federation, which is constantly present not just in Moscow, Belgrade, in the field, but also here in the East River, by the delegation of the Russian Federation as the permanent member of the UN Security Council. Of course, we will continue to maintain this type of dialog. What Minister Lavrov said was that we could count on the support of the Russian Federation in future with regards to our interests in Kosovo and Metohija”, highlighted Minister Selaković.

He said that he had had the opportunity in New York to hold 33 meetings, of which 28 with ministers of foreign affairs, whom he had introduced also to topicalities related to the latest events in Kosovo and Metohija, but also to our principled position regarding the observance of the international public law, territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Minister Selaković said that his colleagues at the meetings had praised the substantial and fantastic success of Serbia in the consolidation of the economic sphere and transformation of what had been on the edge of collapse and economic disaster seven years before to the fastest growing economy in Europe, which Serbia was in the past two years.

He said that most of his interlocutors had supported our reforms and expressed great respect toward what President Aleksandar Vučić and Serbia had done in the previous period.

Many of them, says the Serbian Foreign Minister, showed great interest in the manner in which Serbia organized the figth against Covid 19.

“It was a great pleasure and pride to represent the Republic of Serbia in all these meetings. Many of my colleagues confirmed their arrival to Belgrade to the Conference on 11th and 12th October, which is dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the Non-Allied Movement”, said Minister Selaković.

He emphasized that it was not just the evidence of how much they had cared to come to Belgrade to the conference, but also to see and witness the Serbia which after several decades of attempts to fight different challenges rose to its feed, was economically consolidated and turned towards its traditional friends.

“That is a great deal and our country will surely during October be one of the spots on Earth of greatest importance for multilateralism, for cooperation among the countries which share the same values, the values entered into the UN Charter and which are based on the promotion and fight for peace, equality, observance of the international public law and rights of every country to pursue its path to happiness and better and more ordered society in compliance with the wishes of its population”, said Minister Selaković.

He said that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov, would come to Belgrade to the conference on the occasion of the Non-Allied Movement adding that we had strategic cooperation with Azerbaijan and frequent contacts.

“We agreed to realize as soon as possible after the Belgrade conference his bilateral visit to Serbia”, added Minister Selaković.

He said that it had been agreed to intensify the cooperation and finalize the agreements which should be signed and after that realized when the meeting of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev took place.

Minister Selaković says that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had recently received its sector for economic diplomacy and there were great expectations from it and one of the tasks was to deepen the cooperation with Azerbaijan.

Telephone conversation of President Vučić and General Secretary of NATO, September 2021

26 September 2021

The President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, has discussed today by phone with the General Secretary of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg about, as the General Secretary said, worrisome situation in northern Kosovo and Metohija.

President Vučić said that Serbia had not violated either Brussels Agreement or Resolution 1244 by anything, by any single move or in any manner jeopardized peace preservation.

“The complete occupation by armored vehicles of northern Kosovo and Metohija has lasted for seven days and it is conducted by Priština and everyone in the international community “are thunderously silent”, said Serbian President. “However, everyone is worried all of a sudden when they spot Serbian helicopters and airplanes at the territory of central Serbia, because apparently they should not exist, or should not take off until they receive the approval from Kurti or someone from the international community”, says President Vučić.

Serbia observes all international agreements it signed, Serbia will always conduct responsibly and seriously, but Serbia is still asking when the formation of SMC will start and when Kurti’s armored units will be withdrawn from northern Kosovo and Metohija.

Finally, with the gratitude to General Secretary Stoltenberg for the fair relation and wish to listen to the Serbian side, President Vučić asked about the norm and international regulation violated by Serbia? Today, yesterday or any time?

The two interlocutors agreed to stay in constant touch due to necessity of the preservation of peace and stability in the entire region.

Source/Photo: www.predsednik.rs

Pristina seriously jeopardised regional stability, September 2021

25 September 2021

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic warned today that Pristina has seriously jeopardised local and regional stability after sending heavily armed special units to the north of Kosovo who are exerting ` against the peaceful Serbian population.

Brnabic spoke at the general debate of world leaders, as part of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

We bring the Prime Minister's speech in its entirety:

Mr. President,

Mr. Secretary General,

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I have the great honor to address you today on behalf of the citizens of the Republic of Serbia.

Esteemed Excellencies Mr. Abdulla Shahid, Mr. Volkan Bozkir and Mr. António Guterres, I would like thank you for the active engagement, dedication, and leadership you have shown during these difficult times for the United Nations and all of humanity.

Serbia shares your conviction and we remain fully committed to supporting your efforts.

This year, we come together at a decisive moment in our history.

Covid-19 has shaken our foundations to the core.

At the same time, we are increasingly witnessing and experiencing effects of climate change.

And, finally, we are seeing significant shifts in global partnerships and alliances, trade wars between traditional partners and allies, protectionism instead of openness and free market, and overall uncertainty at an unprecedented scale.

Some of the pressing and extremely emotional issues that we have locally, in the Balkans, are still unresolved and while we are trying – and Serbia is especially dedicated to this – to change the future by working together and creating alliances, through initiatives such as the Berlin process or Open Balkan, others are trying to disrupt these processes, and instead of focusing on the future, they want to recreate the past – whatever the cost of that may be.

But, let me start with COVID:

COVID-19 pandemic has exposed critical weaknesses in the architecture of global governance. It has threatened to erase the progress many nations have achieved in recent years.

It has placed nations at a junction between isolation and collaboration, between panic and hope, between chaos and order.

The pandemic questioned some of the basic tenets of the open and cooperative international order.

Global exchanges, international communication, cross-border trade have all seen a vast decrease.

Curfews, restrictions on freedom and lockdowns of entire societies have created uncertainty in many segments of the individual lives of our citizens or – for that matter – our own individual perception of what freedom in today’s world even means.

For Serbia, this pandemic threatened to undermine everything we have been doing for the past 7 years, to crush all of the results and accomplishments of difficult reforms we initiated in 2014, and to propel us back to the times of high unemployment, rising public debt, uncontrollable deficit, and overall desperation.

Much as in any other country, COVID-19 has tested our nations’ resiliency and, this time, unlike during the global financial crisis – which was of much more limited scope and incomparable in consequences to COVID-19 pandemic – Serbia stood strong.

Prime Minister Brnabic at Global COVID-19 summit organised by White House, September 2021

22 September 2021

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic participated today at the Global COVID-19 summit, organised by the White House, which was opened by US President Joseph Biden.

The video messages are attended by a large number of world leaders and officials of international organizations, including UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, British and Canadian Prime Ministers, Boris Johnson and Justin Trudeau, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and many others.

In the message, the Prime Minister pointed out that Serbia was among the first European countries to procure a covid vaccine, and that she was the first European Prime Minister to receive the vaccine.

Thanks to years of investment in digitalisation and development of eGovernment, we have managed to organise a complicated and complex vaccination process very efficiently and in a way that it is focused on citizens, she explained.

However, as she added, from the very beginning we were aware that this is not just a matter of our citizens and only our struggle. In the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, we are all safe or no one is safe.

That is why, in addition to procuring vaccines for our citizens, we donated vaccines to the citizens of the Western Balkans, but also to other countries, she reminded and specified that Serbia donated 230,000 doses of vaccines to the region, we vaccinated foreign citizens in Serbia with approximately 300,000 doses and set aside we have 570,000 doses of vaccines for countries in Africa and Asia.

Brnabic mentioned that Serbia has already started the production of covid vaccine from one manufacturer, and that it will start production from another by the end of the year, because in that way we want to help and support all people and countries that need vaccines.

This is a pandemic in which we will either win together or lose together, but we must fight together, the Prime Minister repeated.

That is why Serbia supports the goals of this global summit, she emphasised, and expressed her gratitude to the United States of America and President Biden for organising the summit and supporting joint efforts in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vaccines are the only way out in the fight against the pandemic, concluded Brnabic.

The Genocide Victims Museum's reaction to David Goldman's text published in the Jerusalem Post on August 14th 2021

To the Editor-in-Chief of the Jerusalem Post

Dear Mr. Katz,

Museum of Genocide Victims, a national cultural institution of the Republic of Serbia that researches and nurtures the memory of victims of Genocide committed against Serbs in World War II, victims of the Holocaust and other victims of Nazism and Fascism, expresses astonishment and sends a public protest to your daily newspapers.

Despite its carefully created reputation as a relevant daily, Jerusalem Post published just before the sad 80th anniversary of the establishment of the concentration and death camp in Jasenovac (Croatia) - one of the most monstrous execution sites in all of Europe during the Second World War which functioned within the framework of the puppet Independent State of Croatia – a pseudo-scientific and revisionist text by journalist David Goldman.

With the text entitled "This disgraceful mocking of the Holocaust needs to stop immediately", author, without any professional qualifications and completely unknown to the international scientific community, became involved in the ongoing debate on the phenomenon of Holocaust distortion as a phenomenon on a global scale.

And that's where almost everything positive in this article ends.

Using a series of inaccurate statements and semi-information with only few sentences author tried to make meaningless 76 years of continuous research, both by experts and institutions of Yugoslavia, later Serbia and Croatia, as well as institutions such as Yad Vashem and the USHMM.

The system of concentration and death camp in Jasenovac, founded and managed by the Independent State of Croatia, without the influence of Nazi Germany, was taken as an example of the mentioned distortion.

The only thing that is correctly stated refers to the geographical position of Jasenovac and the percentage share of Jews in human losses (15%).

And that is where the factual and historical reliability of the claims presented in the article ends.

In a series of problematic information contained in that revisionist review, we first point to the statement about forensic research conducted in Yugoslavia, which allegedly determined that the total number of Jasenovac victims was between 2,500 and 4,500, which is an absolute and shameful untruth.

Museum of Genocide Victims, above all, points out that forensic research cannot yield results in the number of victims which ranges in a huge range from "from - to".

Above all, no exhumations were performed in 1947 and 1948.

During 1946, four graves near the Uskočka Forests were excavated in which 967 remains were found (311 men, 467 women and 189 children).

Based on the further research, it was estimated that there ere about a thousand killed in the tomb near the Strug Forest, but experts concluded that due to the position and the intertwining of the victims as well as the condition of the bodies, it was not possible to perform a completely precise investigation.

Thus, there is no forensic examination that resulted in data on 2,500 to 4,500 Jasenovac victims, conducted during 1947 and 1948, as stated in this revisionist text.

It is also indicative that this article misses the opportunity to mention the actual forensic research conducted during 1964 by a commission of experts composed of: Alojz Šercelj, Vida Brodar, Anton Pogačnik and Srboljub Živanović. These researches resulted in the discovery of the remains of a total of 284 victims, in 7 probes (of which 197 were in one grave).

This extremely revisionist article also mentions various established and/or estimated numbers of people killed in the system of the concentration and death camp in Jasenovac, as follows: 59,000 (census of victims of the Second World War conducted in 1964), 72,000 and 77,000, which at one point represented achieved result of supplementing the number of victims based on the revision of the already mentioned census from 1964 which is conducted by the Museum of Genocide Victims.

The Museum of Genocide Victims uses this opportunity to emphasize that its databases contain data on almost 90,000 identified victims of the Jasenovac concentration and death camp system which currently represents only the smallest possible, but not the final number of all those killed at that execution site.

As the research of the experts of the Museum of Genocide Victims, which is conducted according to the same methodology as it has been done for decades in Yad Vashem, continues, it is to be expected that the number of identified Jasenovac victims will be corrected in the coming years. The estimated total number of Jasenovac victims is, unfortunately, far higher than the one that historical science will ever be able to identify with the precise data.

The same revisionist text also mentions the number of 99,000 victims of the system of the concentration and death camp in Jasenovac which at one time was an estimation of the USHMM, but also a scientifically completely unknown estimation of about 250,000 victims. Finally, the same text contains some, alleged, number of 800,000 killed at all Jasenovac execution sites.

The Museum of Genocide Victims possesses no information that Yad Vashem demanded "original documents from Jasenovac" from the Republic of Serbia during the last decade of the previous century since historical science does not know that there is a significant corpus of material other than the one Antun Miletić has already published in four books (three of which as early as the late 1980s of that same century).

It is also possible that this revisionist-intoned article refers to the evacuated museum material from the Jasenovac Memorial Centre (Republic of Croatia) which was located in Bosanska Dubica (Bosnia and Herzegovina) during the 1990s.

However, that is a question to which some others can and should give, but not the Republic of Serbia.

Moreover, in 1997, the Museum of Genocide Victims submitted to Yad Vashem a list with the names of 52,500 Jews killed in Yugoslavia during World War II (of whom 10,500 lost their lives in Jasenovac), which is included in the official Yad Vashem list of Holocaust victims.

Following the ridiculous, pseudo-scientific, anti-civilization and shameful logic which in this revisionist article denies the number of victims in Jasenovac solely on the grounds that there are no adequate forensic data (except for 2,500 to 4,500 victims, as the author falsely claims), we could ask a question as to whether it is possible to deny in the same way the number of 1,200,000 to 1,500,000 killed in Auschwitz since there is no forensic evidence for that claim either?

It would be interesting if the author of this revisionist text, denying the number of victims in Jasenovac, answered the question regarding where 30,000 Jews who lived within the teritorryof the Independent State of Croatia came from?

The Museum of Genocide Victims reminds that, according to available data, about 7,500 of them were killed in German concentration camps.

What happened to the remaining 22,500 of them?

Where did they "disappear"?

Through many years of research by its experts, the Museum of Genocide Victims has shown that between 18,000 and 19,000 Jews from the Independent State of Croatia were killed in the Jasenovac concentration and death camp system and that their share in total civilian casualties was many times higher than their population (10.23 times higher).

Experts from the Museum of Genocide Victims continuously clearly separate the suffering in the Holocaust victims from the victims of the Genocide committed against the Serbian people on the territory of the Independent State of Croatia.

The research of the Museum of Genocide Victims continuously emphasizes that the loss of Jews in the concentration and death camp system in Jasenovac, given the representation in the population, was realistically 13 times greater than the loss of Serbs in the camp, which refutes the absurd claim that " "Serbia is trying to oust Jews from the Holocaust and replace them with Serbs."

Dear Mr. Katz,

Pointing out only the most obvious untruths presented in the article published in the Jerusalem Post, Museum of Genocide Victims points out historical facts, but at the same time calls on everyone to treat the victims of the Second World War with full responsibility and reverence.

One can rightly ask how it could have happened that an internationally relevant daily newspaper such as Jerusalem Post published a distinctly revisionist text that essentially denied the specific character and tragic consequences of the existence of the Jasenovac death and concentration camp system?

Museum of Genocide Victims points out that, among numerous others, even three Presidents of the Republic of Croatia publicly stated that a Genocide committed against the Serbs had been performed by the state system of the Independent State of Croatia between 1941 and 1945.

Having that in mind, the one and only disgraceful mockery is that the author of this revisionist article tries to deny this tragic historical fact.

Following such logic, is it possible to expect that an equally revisionist-intoned text written by David Irving, which denies the existence of the Auschwitz death and concentration camp system, will soon be found on the pages of your paper?

Dear Mr. Katz,

Museum of Genocide Victims publicly and resolutely rejects and condemns the untrue claims contained in the above mentioned revisionist article which attacks historical truth and dignified memory of the victims of World War II and request from you to publish this reaction so that the Jerusalem Post readers would be aware of what really happened. in Jasenovac - one of the largest and most monstrous execution sites in all of Europe during the Second World War.

Best regards,

Dejan Ristić

historian

Museum of Genocide Victims Acting Director

Belgrade,

August 16th 2021

Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns publication of text in "Jerusalem Post", August 2021

17 August 2021

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemns the publication of an article in the "Jerusalem Post", titled "This disgraceful mocking of the Holocaust needs to stop now", by David Goldman, which is full of inaccurate and malicious data.

We are surprised by this shameless attempt to revise history and relativize the biggest and most monstrous crime in this area.

Among the myriad of texts created on the wave of historical revisionism and apologetics of the fascist ideology of evil, this one published on 14 August 2021 in the newspaper "Jerusalem Post" stands out for its ruthlessness. On the pages of a reputable newspaper, the author of the article titled " This disgraceful mocking of the Holocaust needs to stop now" insults the innocent victims of the Jasenovac concentration camp, but also the common sense of Israeli and international readers, claiming that no more than 4,500 victims were killed in the largest concentration camp of the Nazi Independent State of Croatia.

Hundreds of thousands of victims of the camp, which was the center of the Ustashi genocide against Serbs, Jews and Roma have been denied and repudiated for a long time, first by revisionists from the margins, followed by the political leadership of the restored Croatian state in the early 1990s who joined this unfortunate endeavour. The most shameless minimization of the number of victims of the Jasenovac camp was insisted on by the former President of Croatia, Franjo Tudjman, talking about 30-40,000 people killed, and no one could have guessed that the most respected Israeli newspaper would surpass him in the madness of revisionism.

The Republic of Serbia and the Serbian people as a whole have always stood in defense of the truth, preserving the memory of the innocent victims of the Holocaust, strongly opposing any attempt to relativize in any way the scale of the gravest crime in the history of the world. By remembering the six million Jews killed in the monstrous Nazi bloodshed, we also defend the dignity of every Serb victim who suffered from the same evil, and in the area of the Independent State of Croatia from the same hand. We believe that in the freedom and truth dedicated people of Israel we will continue to have the most sincere ally in defending the right to remembrance, despite the nefarious attempts at manipulation that we are unfortunately witnessing.

Marking the Remembrance Day of all Serbs who died and were expelled in the armed operation "Storm", August 2021

5 August 2021

The President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, attended the marking of the Remembrance Day of all the victims and expelled Serbs in the armed operation "Storm" and said that Serbia remembers!

"Today, when we remind ourselves again of what happened in August 1995, the terrible pogrom, the expulsion of more than 250,000 Serbs, the exodus and ethnic cleansing, we, at the same time, and finally, remind ourselves of who we are, what we are, where we come from and where we are going. Thank you all for being here together tonight and for showing how much we love our people", said President Vučić, adding that we will not forget any of the things that the Krajina people had to go through.

"For us, these are not just terrible numbers of victims", said President Vučić and emphasized that Serbia will not forget.

"History has never been rewritten like today. That is why I want to remind us all not only of what others have done to us, not wanting us to exist, but also of what we have done to ourselves, just as if we ourselves did not want to exist", said the President, noting that we must never again allow Serbia to forget its silent heroes.

President Vučić emphasized that we must never again cover our eyes, ears, and mouths in front of something that truly was a pogrom and the downfall of all humanity.

"Pretending that this is not true, avoiding saying it, is a crime not only against the victims, but also against ourselves, every living Serb, people from Krajina, as well as Serbia and its future", said President Vučić and underlined that people can stand up straight and live with themselves and the others without hesitation, fear and doubt, only if they remember.

President Vučić pointed out that Serbia must fight for peace and cradles with children, as well as that not remembering annuls and erases us from the history and the future, depriving us of the right to tomorrow.

President Vučić: We have decided – our goal is the EU, but China is an important partner, July 2021

22 July 2021

We have decided – our goal was and remains the EU, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said in an interview with the German daily "Handelsblatt", adding that there is no alternative for Serbia, but also stressing that China is an important partner for Serbia, and that the task of the state is to take care about the interests of its citizens.

He thus answered the question of what Serbia will choose once it has to choose between close relations with Beijing or the EU. Vučić emphasized that Serbia wants to become a full member of the EU.

"We are connected by history, common culture, EU members are already undoubtedly our most important partners", he explained and added that the trade exchange between Germany and China is 3,000 times higher than between Serbia and China, and, as he noted, even despite that, Serbia's business operations with China are portrayed as a problem.

Serbia has achieved great success in the field of digitalization, July 2021

20 July 2021

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, stated at a gathering dedicated to digitalization and the IT sector, which was held in New York, that since she became Prime Minister, she is most proud of Serbia's success in the field of digitalization.

Brnabić, who is on a two-day visit to the United States, said that when she was elected Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government in August 2016, she wanted to do everything to change the public administration and what bothered her as a citizen.

She stated that, when she took office as Prime Minister, she knew what her priorities were and that first of all, digitalization needed to be raised to a higher level, that the education reform was supposed to begin, as well as work on strengthening the economy.

Address by the President of the Republic of Serbia at the session of the United Nations Security Council

09. June 2021.

Address by the President of the Republic of Serbia at the session of the United Nations Security Council

Dear Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, members of the delegations

I would point to a few ongoing issues in my speech that refer to the competences of the Mechanism, namely, the possibility of serving the sentences passed by the ICTY and Mechanism in the Republic of Serbia, with the current practice of disabling early release of the sentenced persons as well as obligation of the Mechanism regarding protection of sentenced persons.

The second part of the speech will be dedicated to issues that are opened by the six –month Report on the work of the Mechanism by Mechanism President Mr. Agius and Report by the Chief Prosecutor Mr. Serge Brammertz, especially regarding current cooperation of the Republic of Serbia and the Mechanism.

The third part of my speech, and I noticed that in many of your statements even today, is going to be the view of Serbia on everything that took place in The Hague Tribunal and what the Tribunal verdicts brought to people in the region of former Yugoslavia.

The Republic of Serbia has initiated before the Security Council, on several occasions, the issue of possibility of serving sentences passed by the ICTY and Mechanism in the Republic of Serbia. Beside the efforts to move this issue from “square one”, not a single response was obtained from the Security Council. The majority of persons that are serving their prison sentences are citizens of the Republic of Serbia, and it comes naturally that the Republic of Serbia is interested in enabling them to serve their prison sentences in the Republic of Serbia.09. June 2021.

Investment opportunities in Serbia - Why to invest?

Minister Selaković presented the new e-Consulate service, May 2021

20 May 2021

Minister Selaković presented the new e-Consulate service

A new service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs "e-Consulate" was presented in Belgrade today, intended for foreign citizens who apply for a visa and aspire to come to Serbia to work.

On that occasion, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Nikola Selakovic said that this service was one of the indicators of good development of our country, which, as he pointed out, was becoming a magnet for serious foreign companies, which brought a large number of workers from other countries to work in Serbia.

"Not to be pretentious, but completely realistic, this service represents a turning point in the functioning of our system. E-Consulate and digitalization of the procedure for issuing work visas for foreign citizens who want to work in Serbia, is the first electronic service offered by the Foreign Ministry, and I can promise you that this is indeed our first, but by no means the last e-service", Selakovic emphasized.

The Head of Serbian diplomacy pointed out that "e-Consulate" reflected the modernization of an extremely important segment of the activities of diplomatic and consular missions of Serbia, and that we were actually talking about something that was essential for the further development processes of our country.

The Minister recalled that, when the President of the Republic visited the construction site of the Moravian Corridor, he was told that some construction works were delayed because Bechtel company was not issued work visas on time.

“The moment we saw that and heard the President, I alerted the services in the Ministry. We were surprised, as we knew that the issuance of visas in Turkey had a good dynamic, and then we determined that it was actually workers from Bangladesh who applied for a visa through our Embassy in India, where we have a problem with staff shortage”, the Minister explained.

As he added, this is a demanding and laborious task, each of our employees had to receive the documentation on paper, check it, then request additional information, and only then forward it.

"Today, this has been fantastically perfected for our consular officers, all that documentation is submitted in electronic form. We used to have two filters to check the documentation, now we actually have three. And the work is significantly more efficient", Selakovic pointed out.

As he emphasized, this is a service which was promised less than four months ago and it becomes available on Monday, in 95 diplomatic and consular missions of Serbia, i.e. in all our embassies and consulates general.

The biggest result of that endeavor, the Minister pointed out, apart from the advantage it would bring in the future work, was the fact that it was not a project of one state body, but a joint endeavor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, IT and eGovernment Office, General Secretariat of the Government, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs, National Employment Service.

“We did an extremely good job in record time. This is to the pride of our Ministry, to the pride of the entire state. I am convinced that in the period ahead, we will further modernize our affairs and make Serbia one of the few countries that has such mechanisms and such state-of-the-art provision of consular services", Selakovic said.

Speaking about the "e-Consulate" portal itself, the Minister explained that there is a cartoon of Nikola Tesla and the building of the old railway station with one crane, which actually symbolizes a historical fact - that Tesla was in Belgrade in the year when it was built.

"Today it is the place behind which the Belgrade of the future is rising, and what we managed to do together is an indicator of something that is the future of Serbia, the development of artificial intelligence, IT and creating conditions for more people to live and arrive here in Serbia in the future seeking good life and employment", concluded the Minister.

The Director of the Office for IT and eGovernment, Mihailo Jovanovic, said that this was the first time that e-services were focused on foreign citizens, which was the case with our citizens so far.

In the period from 1 January 2019 to 17 May this year, the most applications for Serbian visas were submitted at the Embassy in Beijing, 6,766 applications, then in New Delhi - 2,973, Shanghai 2,115, Tokyo 1,798, and Cairo 1,756.

In that period, 1,270 requests were submitted in Algiers, 1,095 in Jakarta, and 1,077 in Beirut.

In terms of their nationality, Serbian D visa for employment is most requested by citizens of China - 9,516 applications, followed by India 1,955, and Ukraine - 673.

Selakovic: Incorrect claims of the Israeli Ambassador, May 2020

12 May 2021

Selakovic: Incorrect claims of the Israeli Ambassador

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Nikola Selakovic said today that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, during the signing of the Washington Agreement, had resisted horrific pressures and managed to preserve our dignity and national position, and that it was "rude" to claim that Serbia had anything to do with Israel's decision to recognize the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo.

In a statement for TV Prva, reacting to the claim of the Israeli Ambassador in Belgrade Yahel Vilan that Israel had recognized the so-called Kosovo on the basis of the documents that Serbia and Pristina signed with the United States, Selakovic said that this was not true.

“What the Ambassador of Israel in Belgrade said is not true and is a rudeness of sorts, primarily having in mind that Belgrade and Pristina signed two different documents. The Israeli Ambassador said that they did it (recognized the so-called Kosovo) under the United States’ pressure, while our President endured that horrific pressure”, Minister Selakovic underlined.

He explained that Serbia should be proud of its President who was able to resist such horrific pressures.

Selakovic showed the documents that President Vucic and the representative of Pristina signed in Washington with the then US President Donald Trump, which clearly indicate that these are two completely different papers.

“The one signed by (Avdullah) Hoti reads as follows: Kosovo, that is, Pristina and Israel agree to recognise each other. The document signed by President Vucic says that Belgrade agrees to open a state commercial office in Jerusalem by 20 September 2020 and move its Embassy by 1 July 2021. President Vucic signed a document that makes no mention of either Kosovo or Pristina while the state of Israel, on the other hand, succumbed to pressures that our President managed to resist - to the pride of the entire Serbian nation and Serbia”, Selakovic explained.

"We should be proud of the kind of President we have, a President who was able to withstand terrible pressures in the middle of Washington, and not to sign what someone tried to hold against him today, and which the State of Israel failed to do. Namely, it did not manage to resist those pressures", Selakovic emphasized.

Referring to the issue of moving the Serbian Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Selakovic said that "it is unlikely that something like this will happen, especially after the Israeli recognition of the so-called Kosovo."

The Serbian Foreign Minister explained that President Vucic talked with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a few days after the signing of the Washington Agreement, and that he said that Serbia, if respected by Israel, that is, if Israel does not recognize the so-called Kosovo, would move the Embassy to Jerusalem.

"Let there be no confusion that we have signed something and then changed something. No. The President clearly spoke about it in front of the journalists in Washington as well", Selakovic said.

Telegram of condolences to the President of the State of Israel, 30 Аpril 2021

30th April 2021

Telegram of condolences to the President of the State of Israel

President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić conveyed today a telegram of condolences to the President of the State of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, which reads as follows:

"We were deeply moved by the news of the tragedy in Meron. At a time when we are all struggling to save every life, this great calamity has inflicted another wound not only on Israel but on the whole world. On behalf of the people of Serbia, I want to express my deepest condolences to you, the families and friends of the victims and the citizens of Israel, and wish the injured a speedy recovery", reads the President's telegram of condolences.

Source: www.predsednik.rs

Photo: www.predsednik.rs

Telegram of condolences from Minister Selakovic to Israeli Minister Ashkenazi, April 30, 2021

April 30, 2021

Telegram of condolences from Minister Selakovic to Israeli Minister Ashkenazi

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Nikola Selakovic sent today a telegram of condolences to Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel Gabi Ashkenazi, following the death of a large number of believers during the celebration of the Jewish religious holiday Lag b 'Omer.

"At this difficult hour, the Republic of Serbia commiserates with the pain and sorrow of the people of Israel. In the wake of this tragedy, allow me to extend, on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and on my own, the expressions of sincerest condolences to you and the people of Israel. May I ask you to convey the expressions of my deepest sympathy and solidarity to the families of the victims and wishes for a speedy and successful recovery to the injured", reads the telegram of Minister Selakovic.

President Vučić met via video link with representatives of the IMF delegation

21st April 2021

President Vučić met via video link with representatives of the IMF delegation

President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić talked today via a video link with the representatives of the delegation of the International Monetary Fund led by the Head of the Mission, Jan Kees Martijn. The interlocutors concluded that Serbia's main goal remains to preserve the hard-earned reputation of a fiscally secure country, as well as to continue with a responsible fiscal policy so that public debt does not exceed 60 per cent of GDP, whereby Serbia continues to work on further economic growth.

During the conversation, President Vučić and Jan Kees Martijn especially referred to the incentive measures and adopted three packages of measures to help the economy and citizens, which preserved macroeconomic stability and even achieved a higher employment rate. Martijn commended the responsible economic policy of Serbia and the successful crisis management during the pandemic.

"Serbia achieved one of the best results last year despite the challenges of the pandemic", Martijn said, noting that Serbia was one of the few countries to which the IMF did not adjust the initial projection of the 5% growth rate it gave last year.

President Vučić added that following the first quarter of 2021, Serbia is well on its way to achieving the planned growth of 6% as planned, since one of the main focuses of the Government is investing in large infrastructure projects and intensifying work on attracting foreign direct investments.

"In 2020, Serbia was at the very top in terms of economic growth in Europe, and I am convinced that this year we can enter the first three or four countries in terms of growth", said President Vučić, adding that he was satisfied that Serbia still, despite the pandemic situation, has an extremely strong inflow of investment.

President Vučić and Jan Kees Martijn also discussed a new advisory arrangement, which is of special importance in light of the improvement of the general investment climate in Serbia, as well as in the context of even greater investor assurance.

"Given Serbia's tremendous progress over the past eight years, the priority goal of this arrangement will be to preserve the results achieved, but also to provide support for further implementation of structural reforms aimed at even faster, stronger and more sustainable growth", said President Vučić and thanked the IMF and the personal engagement of Jan Kees Martijn in the professional and expert support that Serbia is counting on.

President Vučić pointed out that Serbia will pay special attention to reforms in public companies, and that priorities will continue to be investments in infrastructure, creating an even better climate for investments, greater investments in the environment, science and capital projects, which will further contribute to the long term stable financial growth in the coming years.

Source: www.predsednik.rs

Photo: www.predsednik.rs

Meeting with the World Health Organization Regional Director for Europe, April 2021

20th April 2021

Meeting with the World Health Organization Regional Director for Europe

President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić met today with the Regional Director of the World Health Organisation for Europe Hans Kluge, to discuss cooperation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as cooperation in improving health care in our country and other joint activities.

President Vučić thanked Dr Kluge for his personal engagement and support during the current pandemic, especially for technical assistance and expertise. On this occasion, he informed the WHO official about the results of immunisation in Serbia and plans on how to provide the vaccine to all citizens who want to get it.

Dr Kluge congratulated President Vučić on his leadership and personal commitment to provide vaccines. He emphasised that Serbia, with its good immunisation strategy, ranked among the global leaders, thus becoming an example of humanity and solidarity by enabling vaccination of elderly people in rural areas, foreign citizens and donating vaccines to other countries.

"Serbia has accepted the vaccine as a life-saving product and has not looked at it geopolitically", said Dr Kluge.

The two interlocutors agreed that the world should increase production capacities for vaccines, as well as develop new adequate therapies for the fight against COVID-19, and, in this regard, work on increasing the level of citizens' trust in science.

President Vučić informed Dr Kluge about the plans for improving the work of the Institute for Virology, Vaccines and Sera "Torlak".

"We want to make 'Torlak' one of the best vaccine factories in Europe", said President Vučić.

Source: www.predsednik.rs

Photo: www.predsednik.rs

WHO describes immunisation process in Serbia as impressive, April 2021

19 April 2021

WHO describes immunisation process in Serbia as impressive

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic talked today with World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge about the epidemiological situation and the course of immunisation of citizens in Serbia.

Brnabic expressed gratitude for the cooperation in the fight against the pandemic, technical assistance and expertise, emphasising that the support of this organisation is very important for our country.

She informed the WHO Regional Director for Europe about the course of immunisation of citizens in Serbia, expressing her belief that, thanks to the large number of vaccinated people, we will be able to create collective immunity and return to normal life.

Kluge assessed the immunisation process in Serbia as impressive, and added that Serbia has made a good decision to offer citizens all available vaccines used in the fight against coronavirus.

Expressing concern over the emergence of new strains of the virus, he stressed the need to speed up the immunisation process and show mutual solidarity.

The WHO Regional Director for Europe praised Serbia for the humanity it has shown by donating vaccines to the countries of the region and enabling vaccination for those who do not have a sufficient number of vaccines for their citizens.

The Prime Minister said that Serbia will continue to cooperate with the countries of the region and help in accordance with its capabilities.

When it comes to the project "Roadmap for Health in the Western Balkans 2021-2025", it was stated that, if epidemiological conditions allow, a regional meeting will be held in Belgrade at the end of the year, important for future improvement of cooperation between countries in the field of health challenges.

Source: www.srbija.gov.rs

Photo: www.srbija.gov.rs

Selakovic: Pristina persists in its campaign of hatred against the Serbian people, April 2021

13 April 2021

Selakovic: Pristina persists in its campaign of hatred against the Serbian people

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Nikola Selakovic stated today that Pristina further persisted in its campaign of hatred against the Serbian people, which was most drastically seen in the unfounded accusations of mass rapes and genocide.

At the UN Security Council meeting discussing the Report of the UN Secretary-General on the work of UNMIK, Selakovic emphasized that the efforts of the provisional institutions in Kosovo and Metohija to create a narrative about mass rapes of Albanian women were obvious, and that propaganda methods and lies were used for that purpose.

"It is clear that there were victims on all sides in the conflict, as well as that our side has evidence of numerous Serb victims. But the precondition for ensuring the protection of rights that belong to each individual victim is a rational and well-argued approach", Selakovic said responding to the slander of the Pristina representative.

Selakovic underlined that, contrary to the claims of politicians from Pristina about 20,000 raped Albanian women, the information provided by the Commission for the Verification and Recognition of Sexual Violence Victim Status indicates 912 raped persons, however, failing to include in this number the Serb women who were victims of violence.

"Let me emphasize that Serbia condemns every act of sexual violence in conflicts and is committed to achieving justice for all victims. The number of victims certainly does not diminish the horrific effect of this type of violence on each victim individually, but also, speculating on numbers does not contribute to justice being served and leads to politicization and slowing down the reconciliation process", Selakovic said.

Regarding the genocide accusations, Minister Selakovic stated that they only went to prove that Pristina further persisted in its campaign of hatred, propaganda and open hostility towards the Serbian people.

"Through statements given on a daily basis, they attempt to paint a picture that Serbia is to blame for everything and that genocide was committed against Albanians, all in order to hide their own responsibility for the committed crimes", the Serbian Foreign Minister said.

He underlined that anyone who knew what the definition of genocide implied would understand that it was not Serbia that committed something, but that the Serbian people was instead a victim of the "state-building" project of the Kosovo Albanians, based on the dangerous idea of ethnically clean territories, as evidenced by more than 200,000 expelled Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija.

"We are convinced that the civilized world will not agree to be their accomplice in concealing and covering up their crimes, and that a clear message will be sent to them that they must take responsibility for their actions", Selakovic said.

He reminded that until 1999, around 40,000 Serbs lived in Pristina, and that today there were only about twenty of them, that around 17,000 Serbs lived in Pec, and that today there were only the Serbian nuns in the Patriarchate of Pec, that around 12,000 Serbs lived in Prizren before the war, and that today only 17 families remained there, and that in Urosevac, out of 10,000 Serbs who lived there before the war, only the family of a Serbian priest remained.

Selakovic: Political extremism of Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija is becoming stronger

13 April 2021

Selakovic: Political extremism of Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija is becoming stronger

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Nikola Selakovic warned, at the United Nations Security Council meeting, that the political extremism among Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija was not decreasing, but on the contrary, was becoming stronger.

At the meeting discussing the Report of the UN Secretary-General on the work of UNMIK, Minister Selakovic recalled that the obligation to form the Community of Serb Municipalities remained unfulfilled for 2,917 days now and that, in fact, 19 April marked eight full years since the agreement was reached in Brussels, while Pristina still refused to follow up on its commitment and enable the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities.

The Minister reminded that the current Prime Minister of the provisional institutions of self-government in Pristina repeatedly threatened to unite the self-proclaimed Kosovo and Albania, and that he also stated that the dialogue with Belgrade was low on the list of his priorities.

Minister Selakovic pointed out that it was high time for Albanian leaders in Pristina to show responsibility in fulfilling their commitments, but also a sincere commitment to reaching a compromise solution and building mutual trust.

"Serbia is determined and will not give up on identifying a compromise solution, which will be sustainable for future generations as well. The only way to build lasting peace and stability in our region is by working to build trust and insisting on positive political agendas", Selakovic concluded.

According to the Minister, lasting peace and stability can only be achieved if none of the participants in the dialogue pursued maximalist demands and insisted on the complete humiliation of the other.

He pointed out that the Serbian and Albanian peoples, as the two most numerous peoples in the Western Balkans, needed to find a way to reach reconciliation and a basis for cooperation, both in terms of the economy and in achieving shared prospects for membership of the European Union.

"Belgrade has made sincere steps in that direction, by being one of the initiators of the idea of relaxing the flow of people, goods, capital and services, popularly referred to as "mini-Schengen", the Minister underlined.

Pointing out that Serbia had time and time again demonstrated its commitment to dialogue as the only way towards a peaceful, political solution to the problem in Kosovo and Metohija, Selakovic underscored that the recent elections in the Province confirmed that political extremism among Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija was not decreasing, but on the contrary, was becoming stronger, which could be seen during the recent pre-election process.

Minister stressed that political pressures on Serbs continued even after the election process was completed, by denying Serbs fair representation in provisional institutions as the new so-called government in Pristina decided to assign only one ministry to the Serb community.

Marking the Day of Remembrance of the victims of the NATO aggression, March 2021

24 March 2021

Marking the Day of Remembrance of the victims of the NATO aggression

President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic made a statement on the occasion of marking the Day of Remembrance of the victims of the NATO aggression.

"Your Holiness, distinguished Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, distinguished Speakers of the National Assemblies of the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Srpska, distinguished Prime Ministers of the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Srpska, distinguished Ministers of both Governments, dear guests and friends, representatives of the Serbian People from Montenegro, North Macedonia, Croatia, thank you for the fact that we are all together tonight and that the Serbian spirit is unbreakable and invincible.

One child a day and a little more than that. That is the most difficult, sickening and painful number of the NATO aggression from 1999. Killed, stopped, guilty of nothing, having committed no sin, without the right to defence, without the right to justice and without the right to life.

No one has ever been held accountable for this crime, a crime greater than a crime. No one, for the 2,500 killed civilians, but also soldiers and policemen who were only guilty of guarding, protecting themselves and their homes. No one has ever been held accountable for more than 6,000 persons injured.

Even today, 22 years after the aggression, it is not possible to explain that, there is no universal justification, despite all the work done to that end, there is no reason, it makes no sense, and only names remain, as eternal as sin.

Miljana Milic, fifteen years old,

Vladimir Milic, twelve years old,

Miomir Mladenovic, fourteen years old,

Dragan Dimic, three years old,

Julijana Brudar, ten years,

Olivera Maksimovic, twelve years old,

Miroslav Knezevic, thirteen years old,

Dajana Pavlovic, five years old,

Stevan Pavlovic, eight years old,

Marko Simic, two years old,

Milica Rakic, three years old,

Ivan Ivancic, seven years old,

Marko Ivanovic, three years old...

And the list goes on, eighty nine names, not only Serbian ones...

The senselessness of sheer killing did not choose. Sixteen children, aged two to seventeen, from the Ahmetaj and Hasani families, were killed in a convoy returning home to Prizren.

In one headline in the West, this was simply explained as a "tragic mistake". The deaths of Marko Roglic, Milan Ignjatovic, Gordana Nikolic, Irena Mitic, Milica Stojanovic, Bojana Tosovic, Branimir Stanijanovic, our Sanja Milenkovic...could not expect or get even such an explanation.

Those deaths were not tragic, for those who caused them, much less a mistake. It was just an excuse, a miserable excuse.

They were a result of intent and a clear decision, as a severe judgment against one country, its people, its children.

And that is why today we will refrain from speculation in giving a name to everything that happened during the spring of 1999. Because a crime happened, a heinous and terrible one. And it was an aggression, not a bombing, not an intervention, not a campaign, not an operation. An aggression is what happened. An attack on a sovereign country, without a decision of the United Nations, without a sufficient reason that would justify attacking the then Yugoslavia or a neighbouring or NATO country.

No one was attacked by Serbia or the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia at that time. They attacked us, with one goal. To defeat us, to keep killing us, and in the end to take away a part of our territory.

And no matter how much we analyze things today, no matter how harsh and critical we are towards ourselves, our policy and leadership at the time, it is clear that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Serbia were left with almost no choice then. The choice was horrible, either the loss of territory and people on the one hand, or the complete disappearance of the Serbian state, morals, honour, Serbian spirit, names and surnames. And we could not help but lose. Nineteen big ones attacked one small country, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. They attacked both Serbia and Montenegro. And even when they don't talk about it today, in one of the two independent countries, those are the facts. And that small country, and that small nation, to all nineteen of them so great and powerful, held a lesson in what matters most - honour, morals and love for freedom that a nation can have.

Yes, justice, lest we forget justice. All those nineteen great ones today still silently talk about their military success, avoid answering questions, while - can you imagine, one small, only numerically small Serbian people, that small but magnificent nation, with sadness, tears in their eyes, proudly remembers their resistance and struggle against the nineteen cruel and arrogant ones.

We lost a lot, we lost our fathers, brothers, spouses, children, but the honour and Serbian heart are still there, to protect Serbia, which is eternal and indestructible.

We lost children, we lost people, we lost control over a large part of the territory, we lost billions because of the destroyed infrastructure and economy.

And all that was left for us was the body of a tortured, destroyed country, a country in disintegration, mutilated, looted, wounded, deserted, and guilty, condemned for everything that happened not only in the 1990s, but throughout history.

A country that, even ten years after the aggression, did not have the strength to stand up, rise to its feet, and do anything but be silent, or bow its head and obediently apologize, for everything, even for its dead, even for its murdered children.

Today, it is no longer that failed, tortured, devastated, mutilated Serbia.

Today, it is Serbia, which has found its strength and its pride again.

Serbia, which calls things by their real names.

Serbia, which turned its back on war and defeats, and started working.

Serbia, which rose to stand on its own feet and has a voice of its own.

Serbia, which, even when they don't believe it, they listen to. Which is capable, which is growing, and is no longer part of the problem. Serbia, which is and will be, at least we will do our best to this end, the very solution that enables the entire region to live in peace and understanding.

And that Serbia, today, when there are still many more bombs in the world than vaccines, sends not bombs, but precisely those vaccines to the region. Today, it is ready to produce them as well, and in just a few months we will do just that, but not only for ourselves, but also for others, for the entire Balkans.

We are ready, and we are willing to help.

We are not ready to be and we will not be silent, nor be humiliated again.

We draw the right to that not only from the victims we had, but also from the fact that we stopped looking at others only a long time ago, and looking for fault and guilt only in them, and not sometimes in ourselves as well.

We looked at each other and admitted. Every loss, every defeat and every crime that someone committed in our name, every failure and every wrong policy.

And we are no longer doing anything that could endanger anyone.

We continue to work and work, and grow more and more, gaining strength with only one goal - to be the best in economy and education, health, in culture, science, sports...

And we want to be safe, on our own. We want our army to be much stronger than it was in 1999. So that we never again face a situation that someone is killing our children, destroying the country, or expelling our people.

We want to remain free, to decide our own destiny, and for no one to take everything away from us ever again, and give us nothing.

And that nothing today, and I will repeat it as much as necessary, is the idea of some great, powerful ones, but also those who serve them, the idea that "Kosovo" should recognize us, so that we could recognize "Kosovo".

We do not need that recognition. And Serbia will not allow you to walk over our victims, our history, our past, but also to walk over our future. You will get the answer of reasonable, kind and responsible people. We need a compromise. We need all the obligations that we and Pristina have assumed to be fulfilled, but only we have fulfilled them so far.

And this is not our whim. It is not a phantasmagoria about a Serbian world that we want to create.

Even today, when they threaten us with the formation of a Greater Albania, when they say that the Community of Serb Municipalities is not going to happen, it is ours to be calm, to take care of our people in Kosovo and Metohija, but to send a clear message to all those great, powerful ones that we are not as weak as we were, that we will be able to preserve what is our own, not touching anything that belongs to anyone else. After all, Serbia is not and will not be but a handful of oats that every crow from the whole wide world can eat. As for those who used the strength and power of the nineteen arrogant and cruel ones, I only ask them not to threaten us. Please, please, don't threaten us. They should not think that Serbia is broken and that it will not have the strength to respond. Please, please, our Albanian neighbours, do not threaten us. And we ask all others, who have demonstrated their cruelty towards Serbia, not to help you in that. That is all we are asking and nothing more.

And we will respond to calls for peace, calls for compromise, and always with good will, because we do not want to have children killed again. And we do not want the children of others to suffer again. But do not underestimate Serbia, and do not look at Serbia with the same eyes as you did in 1999.

Today, Serbia is much stronger, much more powerful. Today, Serbia is a united country of togetherness, not a divided one. Today, Serbia is incomparably stronger and better in every aspect than it was in 1999, from the economy to our army. And we will never threaten anyone, we just ask you and request from you to respect us and nothing more.

Today, we are building roads that will connect us, among ourselves, with the region and with the world. Until the end of the year, we will work on eight motorways, on eight routes in the entire Balkans, not only Serbia, eight roads of peace and cooperation.

Only a crazy person would trade this for war, for dead children, for demolition and new loss. And yes, we want to have the closest relations with everyone who took part in the aggression against our beautiful Serbia, we have forgiven a long time ago, but no, we will never forget. And don't ask us to. That one day, every year, we will remind both ourselves and you. The nineteen of you, the most powerful, strongest, greatest in terms of might and force, but not so much when it comes to honour and morality. We will keep remind you and ourselves, just so it would never happen again. Not to us only, but to none other freedom-loving people in the world.

And if we have an offer, today it reads as follows: we are ready to make the whole Balkans a winner, for everyone to win, as long as no one tries to make Serbs the only losers.

And the path to this goal is not difficult at all.

We just need to respect and understand each other and not try to humiliate each other.

And not to touch into what everyone paid the highest and bloodies price for. Freedom. And we, Serbs, know the price of freedom.

Into our right to have it, to keep it and to remember all the victims who are part of it.

And our defeats, our lives and our children are built into ours. And the lives of our heroic pilots, and our giants from Kosare and Pastrik, and our children, innocent, completely innocent, and only guilty of living in Serbia.

This is too high a price to be quiet about it.

Because that would mean that we are ready for another defeat, for another humiliation.

And we are not.

And when all go quiet, we will keep repeating.

A child a day, and a little more. This was how much you killed us. In an aggression that even you did not understand why you carried it out.

And we will keep repeating this, just so it does not happen to us again.

With special reverence, we are fulfilling our obligation to pay tribute to all innocent Serbian victims who laid their lives on the altar of the homeland, both civilians and our heroic soldiers and policemen, the heroes of Kosare, Prizren, Mitrovica.

Today, for us Serbs, life in Kosovo and Metohija is like Via Dolorosa, using their last strength on the road to Golgotha, but we would not be Serbs if we were not capable to "exist in a terrible place".

And today, tonight, I can conclude with one important sentence. On the soil of Europe, there was, and today is stronger than ever, an indomitable, unwavering, unconquerable and never conquered Serbia.

May eternal glory be to all the victims of the NATO aggression and let us all exclaim together - long live free and proud Serbia", President Vucic said.

Source:www.predsednik.rs

Photo:www.predsednik.rs

Pogrom in Kosovo and Metohija

Commemorating Remembrance Day of 17 March 2004 - Pogrom in Kosovo and Metohija

President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic participated today in the commemoration of the Remembrance Day of 17 March 2004 - Pogrom in Kosovo and Metohija. He said that exactly 17 years ago, a pogrom took place in Kosovo and Metohija, and that pogrom surpassed all other crimes.

"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest, these words of Elie Wiesel, a camp survivor and Nobel laureate, make it forever incumbent upon us not to remain silent against crime, regardless of who and for what reason committed it", President Vucic stated and added that we remembered and learned every lesson in which we were losers, each one in which we were silent to our own victims, and each one when we were ready to forget.

"Serbia is no longer weak today, nor is it a country of losers, it does not threaten, but it does not forget either, it is ready for talks, but not for humiliation. Serbia, just like everyone else, has the right to take care of its people, their safety and well-being. The right to life is a fundamental human right and we will always defend it", President Vucic said.

President Vucic said that pogrom surpasses all other crimes, because it is not only an act, but an intention, a policy, a premediated attempt to forcibly cleanse persons belonging to other peoples and faiths from a region or a country.

"We have no right to remain silent to that", said the President of Serbia, emphasizing that we have an obligation to be winners without blood spilled and war, to be the best in the economy, healthcare, sports, education and everything else that implies development and progress.

"We also wish others to work on themselves and be successful, because we are aware that crime is a tool for losers that winners do not need, as they remember, but forgive and move on, while the losers keep spinning in the same vicious circle. We Serbs do not want to be that anymore, we want a future in which we will remember, but from which we will not return. We know what happened and we call it by its real name", President Vucic concluded.

Photo: Dimitrije Goll

Selakovic: Fight against all forms of crime is a priority of the Serbian Government

8 March 2021

Selakovic: Fight against all forms of crime is a priority of the Serbian Government

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Nikola Selakovic said today that the fight against all forms of crime was a top priority of the Serbian Government and an integral part of the EU accession process.

"It is also our moral duty, in order to leave a better world for the generations to come", Selakovic said participating via video-link at the 14th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, held in Kyoto.

Minister Selakovic emphasized that Serbia, in its Second Serious and Organized Crime Threat Assessment from 2019, identified as its goal to eliminate cybercrime, human trafficking, terrorism and irregular migration.

The Serbian Foreign Minister pointed out that our country had established in a timely manner a normative and institutional framework that regulates prevention of abuse in this area, as well as that the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Cybercrime, a special court department and a special police unit were established.

The Minister underlined that, in the field of the fight against corruption, Serbia was guided by the postulates set out in the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the UN Convention against Corruption.

Selakovic pointed out the efforts made by the Anti-Corruption Agency, as an independent state body, to protect the public interest, build individual and institutional integrity, strengthen transparency and accountability of the public administration.

"We strongly condemn all forms of terrorism, including extremism and radicalism, and call for them to be fully eradicated, while implementing the relevant UN resolutions and conventions and the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy", the Head of Serbian diplomacy underscored.

In order to combat these complex phenomena efficiently and successfully, Selakovic said, it was of vital importance to build capacities of our societies and states, while exchanging experiences at the regional and global levels.

Minister Selakovic thanked Japanese Ambassador Hikihara for the skill he showed in conducting the talks on harmonizing and adopting the Kyoto Declaration, which, as he stressed, was an important indicator of the commitment to creating and maintaining the institutional framework for crime prevention as one of the main preconditions for promoting sustainable development goals.

"Back in 1970 when Japan hosted this event for the first time, we demonstrated strong political will to draw attention to the problem. Today, it is incumbent upon us to reaffirm this willingness and resolve and translate it into concrete steps", the Serbian Foreign Minister said.

The Investment Potential of Spa and Special Climate regions in Serbia

Metropolitan Porfirije of Zagreb and Ljubljana elected as the new Patriarch of Serbia

18 February 2021

Metropolitan Porfirije of Zagreb and Ljubljana elected as the new Patriarch of Serbia

The Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church elected His Eminence Metropolitan Porfirije of Zagreb-Ljubljana, PhD, as the new Serbian Patriarch, in its convocation in Memorial Cathedral of Saint Sava in Belgrade on 18 February 2021.

Immediately after the election a thanksgiving service was officiated and Many Years was chanted to the Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci and Serbian Patriarch Porfirije. Bells at Saint Sava Cathedral in the Vracar district of Belgrade rang a few minutes before 4:00 pm indicating that the 46th Patriarch of Serbia was elected.

Newly-elected Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci and Serbian Patriarch Porfirije (Peric) was born on 22 July 1961 in Becej, to father Radivoje and Mother Radojka. He was baptized as Prvoslav. He finished primary school in Curug, and the “Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj” Grammar School in Novi Sad. He was ordained a monk according to the rite of small schime by his spiritual father, then hieromonk Dr. Irinej (Bulovic), at Decani Monastery on Sunday of St. Thomas in 1985.

He graduated from the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Belgrade in 1986, when the then Bishop of Raska-Prizren Diocese, future Serbian Patriarch Pavle of blessed memory, ordained him a hierodeacon at the monastery of Holy Trinity in Musutiste.

He attended postgraduate studies in Athens from 1986 until 1990. That year, upon the blessing of Bishop Dr. Irinej of Backa, he joined the monastery of Holy Archangels in Kovilj, where he was ordained as hieromonk and became its abbot.

Many young monks and novices came to the monastery following him. These were the years when the Kovilj Monastery became a spiritual center for many young people: intellectuals, artists, popular actors and rock musicians, especially from Novi Sad and Belgrade. Since then abbot Porfirije has particularly dealt with drug-addicted patients. In 2005, he formed for this purpose a therapeutic community called “The Land of the Living”, which is recognized as the most successful drug-addiction therapy project and, under the leadership of Bishop Porfirije, it has more than a hundred residents in camps throughout Serbia today.

During the ordinary meeting of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Belgrade on 14 May 1999 he was elected as Bishop of Jegar, Vicar of the Diocese of Backa.

He defended his PhD thesis Possibility of knowability of God in St. Paul’s understanding according to the interpretation of Saint John Chrysostom at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Athens in 2004.

He became a lecturer at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology - Department of Pastoral Psychology - succeeding famous psychiatrist, academician Dr. Vladeta Jerotic. His lectures have been attended not only by students of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology, but other Belgrade faculties as well.

Together with a group of experts: psychologists, doctors, criminologists, sociologists, Bishop Porfirije founded a civic association that deals with the resocialization of victims of destructive religious sects and cults.

Bishop Porfirije has not been just president of the Steering Board for a decade, but a real spiritus movens of the Humanitarian Fund “Privrednik”, which has provided scholarships for a great number of gifted, but poor pupils and students, regardless of their nationality or religious affiliation.

In 2005, the National Assembly elected him as representative of all Churches and religious communities, to be a member of the Council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency, and in 2008 the RBA elected him its president. As President of the Council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency, Bishop Porfirije supported the long-term interests of society and citizens, unaffected by political influences.

Since then, church radio stations have been heard in the broadcasting spectrum of Serbia. He has made a key contribution to launching of a series of radio and television shows dealing with religious topics.

In 2010, The Holy Assembly of Bishops entrusted him to establish military chaplaincy in the Serbian Armed Forces. The fruits of his labour in that field include not only the suitable legal regulations, but also the selection of military chaplains, the organization and equipping of churches at barracks and performance of the first religious services.

His expert theological works Bishop Porfirije published in magazines both in Serbia and abroad. He participated in a large number of scientific conferences and symposia across the globe.

Bishop Porfirije, as one of the most prominent contemporary Serbian clergymen and intellectuals, has an extremely wide circle of friends, not only in the Homeland, and he fosters personal friendship and close cooperation with priests and representatives of other Churches and religious communities.

He speaks Greek, English, German and uses the Russian language, while his style of communication is always adapted to his interlocutors.

He was enthroned as the Metropolitan of Zagreb and Ljubljana on 13 July 2014 in the Cathedral Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Zagreb. The solemn Hierarchal Liturgy was served by Serbian Patriarch Irinej, accompanied by a large number of archbishops of the Serbian Church and other sister Churches, as well as priests and monks, and pious people.

Source: SPC/Serbian Orthodox Church

Serbian Statehood Day 2021

Today the Republic of Serbia celebrates more than two centuries of its statehood. The First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman empire, which began on February 15, 1804, paved the way for the modern Serbian state.

Statehood Day video 2021

President Vucic: Serbia is ready for dialogue on Kosovo and Metohija, but will refuse being humiliated

President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the Serbian Army Aleksandar Vucic attended a demonstration of capabilities of one part of Serbian Army units in the "Rastko Nemanjić" barracks in Pancevo. On this occasion, President Vucic stated that Serbia was ready to continue the EU-facilitated dialogue with Pristina at any point, while respecting also the position of the United States as well as the positions of Russia and China.

The President said that he would rather put his "head on the chopping block" than sign any document with a recognition and reminded that he had already once refused to do so in Washington, where there were two versions of the agreement.

He stated that he immediately had his delegation leave the meeting, that he told the U.S. delegation that Serbia would not sign such an agreement, while conveying that Serbia would always endeavour to hold peaceful talks in order to preserve peace, but that it would not take any humiliation.

The Serbian President thanked the U.S. President Joe Biden for the letter of congratulations on the occasion of the upcoming Statehood Day, in which, in addition to the usual emphasis on commitment to promoting economic cooperation, regional stability and democratic values, he unequivocally called for mutual recognition of Serbia and "Kosovo" as a result.

Mutual recognition between Serbia and "Kosovo" is not part of any act of any world organization, the President pointed out and reiterated that Serbia was ready to continue the EU-facilitated dialogue with Pristina at any point, while respecting also the position of the United States as well as the positions of Russia and China.

According to the president, the situation is difficult and will only be increasingly difficult.

"As I told you three days ago, I can see it and I expect it, I can see the situation slowly tightening, because the conflicts between them at the global level have been increasing and intensifying, and then we have to pay the price", the President said.

President Vucic said that said that it was up to our state to continue strengthening the country in the economic sense.

The President added that the role of the army was very important in the highly complex security and political conditions of the modern world, and that was why Serbia needed to do everything it could to deter any potential aggressor and attacks on citizens and the country.

"The policy of strengthening the armed forces will continue at a faster pace", the President emphasized, adding that the goal was for the Serbian Army to play a stabilizing role with regard to the political developments in the region.

According to him, it should be clear to everyone that Serbia was not a punching bag and that not everyone could attack and threaten it like it was the case in the past.

Vucic said that he was pleased with what he saw and that a lot had been done in the previous period, pointing out that the salaries of military personnel would be significantly increased as of April.

President Vucic also stated that investments in the Serbian Army would continue, whom he told that he expected the Army to continue to be the guardian of our country, its integrity and freedom.

"We expect you to be the guardians of our country, its integrity and freedom, the defenders of our people, the guardians of the homeland, the protectors of the interests of the state of Serbia and to be a deterrent factor for every aggressor and anyone who might consider attacking Serbia", Vucic said.

The military exercise called "Spearhead" demostrated the capabilities of the 72nd Special Operations Brigade, and the event, which the President of Serbia and the Supreme Commander of the Serbian Army assessed as very good, was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Nebojsa Stefanovic and Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, General Milan Mojsilovic.

Photo: Presidency of Serbia / Dimitrije Goll

Belgrade,

7 February 2021

Prime Minister Brnabić in talks with Israeli Minister Ohana

27 January 2021

Prime Minister Brnabić in talks with Israeli Minister Ohana

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić talked today with Israeli Minister of Public Security Amir Ohana and paid tribute to the victims of the Holocaust, on the International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

In the conversation, Brnabić said that we must never forget any of the victims who perished in Auschwitz, Dachau, Jasenovac and other concentration camps, as well as that this must be an eternal warning so that such senseless crimes would never happen again.

Furthermore, Brnabić and Ohana exchanged experiences in the fight against the corona virus, and the Prime Minister congratulated Israel on the excellent results that country was achieving in vaccinating the population.

She expressed gratitude for the help that Israel provided in the process of immunization in Serbia and sent greetings to the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Israeli Minister thanked her for the greetings and wished all citizens of Serbia every success in combating the corona virus.

Source: Tanjug

The Holocaust symbol of downfall of humanity

Prime Minister Ana Brnabić stated today that the Holocaust is a symbol of the downfall of the humanity, which is why it is important to talk about it because the horrors of the Holocaust must never be forgotten and repeated.

Speaking at a conference "The suffering of Serbs, Jews, Roma and others in the territory of the former Yugoslavia", and on the occasion of commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Brnabić underlined that today we remember all those who died in Auschwitz, Dachau, Jasenovac, at Sajmište and in many other concentration camps.

These places became a symbol of indescribable tragedy, horrendous, insane crimes which arouse pain, suffering, horror and shudder even today, almost eight decades later, the Prime Minister underlined and recalled that last year on this day she represented Serbia at a ceremony marking 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz.

For of all those who suffered, for their families, for us, for all future generations it is important to speak about this because the horrors of the Holocaust must not be forgotten and repeated, Brnabić stated.

We are here today again, as every year, to worship the shadows of a large number of victims, Serbs, Jews, Roma, anti-fascists, all those who suffered in the most cruel way although being innocent, because someone thought they had a wrong skin colour, name or surname, religion or way of life, and for their executioners they were only a number, she said.

The Prime Minister underlined that Serbia resolutely rejects any form of revision of history, relativisation of the crimes committed and any form of neo-Nazism, neo-fascism and hatred towards other nations and religions.

It is our duty, obligation and responsibility to fight clearly and loudly every time and every day against all types and relics of similar ideologies, today and in all subsequent years, she pointed out, adding that she is proud of the fact that Serbia cherishes and has always cherished an anti-fascist tradition.

She stated that today's conference also symbolises the fight against the evil, violence, injustice and fear which fascism gave birth to.

I want us all to be the voice of those who are no longer here and who gave their lives for our happier and better future, for the freedom we enjoy today. We must never allow silence to prevail and we must never forget, Brnabić stated.

Belgrade, 27 January 2021

Minister Selakovic speaks for Politika: The year of rejuvenation of Serbian diplomacy, January 2021

26 January 2021

Serbia's foreign policy positions are naturally being adjusted to the new developments at the international level, but our foreign policy priorities have not changed in a long time. Our top and most important interest is to preserve good-neighbourly relations and stability and peace in the region and, in the same context, to find a peaceful and just solution to the problems in Kosovo and Metohija, Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic said in an interview with Politika daily.

Another lasting interest of ours is full membership of the European Union, because this is the type of society we strive for. At the bilateral level, our goal is to strengthen ties with traditional friends, the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China, but also to build new partner relations with the United States. One of the most important tasks of our foreign policy is to improve the position and protect the rights and identity of our people in the region, as well as to provide various types of support to Serbs in the diaspora. All these are very important and more often than not complementary goals, Nikola Selakovic pointed out.

What kind of relations do you expect Serbia to have with the new U.S. administration?

It is too early to speculate about this in public. The new presidential administration in Washington is currently preoccupied with internal issues and this will be the case for some time. There are people in the team of President Joseph Biden who have dealt with our region, and it is likely that the Balkans and Serbia will be the focus of the U.S. foreign policy at some point. I will remind you that President Vucic and President Biden not so long ago had very substantive talks in Belgrade, after which our President stated that he had the opportunity to talk to someone extremely well acquainted with the situation in this part of the world and an extraordinarily prepared interlocutor. Taking their personal relationship into account, but also the importance of enhancing the ties between Serbia and the United States, we have reason to expect that a meeting between the two presidents will be organized in the foreseeable future. I am sure that the nature and dynamics of the relations between Serbia and the United States will be influenced by the fact that Ambassador Marko Djuric now represents us in Washington, whose presence at President Biden's inauguration ceremony is an important signal and, I believe, a harbinger of positive developments in bilateral relations between our two countries.

How would you describe our country's relations with Moscow, Brussels and Beijing?

Russia is our traditional friend and that friendship goes beyond merely political ties. These are deep spiritual, cultural and civilizational bonds, and it is only natural that we have a mutual interest in improving those ties, even though they are at a very high level. We have a relationship with the People's Republic of China which is, in addition to the sincere iron-clad friendship between our peoples and high political representatives, based on deep trust and mutual support. Full membership of the European Union is Serbia's strategic orientation that all our friends are aware of, but our country does not forget its friendships, but strengthens and promotes them instead, and approaches all with honesty and no ulterior motives. In this context, we do not seek any preferential treatment, but only the right to freely and independently make decisions about our future and relations with all who respect us.

OPEN CALL for the Co-Financing of Projects for the Translation of Representative Works of Serbian Literature into Foreign Languages in 2021

MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND MEDIA

Department of Contemporary Artistic Production and Creative Industries

announces this

OPEN CALL

for the Co-Financing of Projects for the Translation of Representative Works of Serbian Literature into Foreign Languages in 2021

The scope of this Open Call is co-financing of projects for the translation of representative works of Serbian literature into foreign languages

The overarching goal of this Open Call is the translation of representative works of Serbian literature into foreign languages.

Submissions in the following literary fields are eligible under this Open Call for the translation of representative works of Serbian literature into foreign languages: poetry, prose, drama, children’s literature (other than picture books and textbooks), anthologies and thematic selections and theoretical works in the fields of culture and arts intended for the wider readership.

Translations of classic works of Serbian literature and works acclaimed by the expert community will be given priority for support.

The minimum amount to be financed and co-financed per project is RSD 100.000,00.

Applicants submitting to the Open Call for the translation of representative works of Serbian literature into foreign languages must provide the following documents:

President Vucic: Serbia is the first in Europe in terms of growth, January 2020

President Vucic: Serbia is the first in Europe in terms of growth

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic pointed out that Serbia is the first in Europe in terms of economic growth, which will be officially confirmed at the end of March, and that this was possible owing to the reform measures taken since 2014 and the rapid opening of the country after the first wave of corona virus.

The President pointed out that Serbia had a growth of 5.2 percent in the first quarter, while the Eurozone was at minus 3.2 percent, in the second quarter Serbia had a minus of 6.3 percent, while the Eurozone was at minus 14.7 percent, and in the third quarter, when the Eurozone was at minus 4.3 percent, Serbia's figure was only minus 1.4 percent.

Vucic stated that Montenegro, for example, recorded as much as 26 percent minus in the third quarter.

Furthermore, the President emphasized that hospitals were built and renovated in our country, and that two hospitals were built from the ground up in just four months.

He said that the state made significant efforts to procure respirators, masks, gloves, protective suits, medicines, everything that was needed, and pointed out that work was being done on 10 general hospitals throughout Serbia, adding that all these were major achievements that were only possible owing to the success of the 2014 reforms, the enactment of the Labor Law, which yielded excellent results, and also through fiscal consolidation measures.

Every Serb in the diaspora is potentially a lobbyist, January 2021

3 January 2021

Every Serb in the diaspora is potentially a lobbyist

Our compatriots living abroad are one of the great potentials that the state has not recognized in the right way so far, which is why a different approach is needed to the issue of how to strengthen our diaspora and use the good will of people who are potential lobbyists for the interests of Serbia and the Serbian people, Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic said.

"When it comes to Serbs in the diaspora, and especially in the region, this issue has been a kind of an unattended crop which requires a lot of work, and even when a lot is done at once this is not apparent immediately ", Minister Selakovic stated in an interview with Tanjug.

He emphasized that the appointment of the Director of the Office for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region for the first time after almost seven years since this body was formed within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, shows that it is one of the priorities of the Ministry he is at the helm of.

Selaković notes that intensive efforts have been long underway on forming a plan to make the diaspora more visible both outside the borders of Serbia and in the mother country itself.

"Every person in the diaspora is a potential lobbyist for the interests of our country and people, and we need to find the right way to use that", he said.

Minister Selakovic: New ambassadors will be appointed this year, but the goals remain the same

2 January 2021

Minister Selakovic: New ambassadors will be appointed this year, but the goals remain the same

This year, Serbia could finally have Ambassadors and Consuls General appointed to about a third of the currently vacant positions in the country's diplomatic and consular missions in the world, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikola Selakovic is convinced that most of these positions will be filled, as he points out, by the best possible people.

"In the next year, I am convinced that the majority of these vacancies will be filled", Selakovic told Tanjug, emphasizing that the work is being done gradually, because the state wants to show that is has a quality staff who will represent Serbia's interests in the best possible way.

The Head of Serbian diplomacy reminded that in a number of diplomatic missions, the four-year mandate of Ambassadors and Consuls General has already expired, so that the procedure for appointing new ones will follow, after their recall.

One of the "vacant" spots is the post of the Serbian Ambassador to China.

"We are working hard to find the best possible solution for our new Ambassador to China and as we appointed one of the best people in the state system as Ambassador to the United States, who, I am sure, will perform his duties in the best possible way, I am convinced that it will be the same for the Ambassador in Beijing", Selakovic said.

President Vucic: Serbia to remain on the course of a winning policy of stability, December 2020

Preservation of peace, taking care of the health and better living standard are key for Serbia in 2021, underlined President of the Republic Aleksandar Vucic, convinced that even though the completion of this ambitious and by no means easy task will be anything but straightforward, best results can be achieved by working in concert with the Government, while ensuring security and a future of certainty for the citizens.

The President said that Serbia has set for itself great and ambitious goals for the next year, notwithstanding the complex international and regional circumstances, and that it will endeavour to fully preserve peace and stability in the region and the country, while safeguarding the vital national and state interests.

"Serbia will remain on the course of a winning policy - the policy of stability", President Vucic said and stressed that our country remains on the European integration path and that it will carefully foster its friendship with Russia and China, while building a friendship with the United States as well.

According to the President, Serbia will continue to pursue a winning policy, with the country itself as a top priority, i.e., a policy that will enable Serbia to continue being one of the top three countries in Europe in terms of growth rate in the next two years.

A precondition for that, the President noted, is to crack down on criminal groups, but also to ensure even bigger investments in the police and army forces.

"Serbia is the country that recorded the highest growth in Europe in 2020", the President pointed out at the annual press conference and added that he expects to conclude a new arrangement with the IMF, as well as that Serbia, by the end of next year or early 2022, will raise its credit rating to an "investment" one, which will put our country's rating on par with the most developed EU countries.

As the greatest success in 2020, Vucic noted that Serbia will end the year with the highest growth rate in Europe, which, as he said, is expected to be from minus 0.75 percent to minus one.

"I am proud to be the President of a country that is the European champion in terms of GDP", Vucic pointed out and added that German Chancellor Angela Merkel was also pleased with Serbia's success.

According to President Vucic, this result will encourage Serbia to accelerate its European path, while continuing friendships with those who did not turn their backs on Serbia when it was at its darkest hour, namely Russia and China.

The President pointed out that the activities to attract foreign investors will continue, then that work will be done on investments in agriculture, primarily the food industry, new machinery, and digitalization of agriculture.

President Vucic also emphasized that the goal is for salaries in the public sector to average between 560 and 570 euros by the end of the year. Only in Belgrade, the average salary would be around 700 euros.

President Vucic reminded that the salaries of health care workers will increase by five percent from January 1, while the salaries of others in the public sector will increase by 3.5 percent and an additional 1.5 percent as of April 1, while corporal, private first class and non-commissioned officer army ranks will get an increase of an additional 10 percent. He noted that the minimum wage will be increased by 6.6 percent and so will pensions from January 1, by 5.9 percent, with the plan that the average pension amounts to 270 euros by the end of 2021. The President especially pointed out investments in health care, reminding that two new covid hospitals have been opened and that the renovation and construction of health facilities continues throughout Serbia, while stressing that Serbia is by far the first in the region in terms of hospitalized persons per 100,000 citizens, which is why it has recorded a low mortality rate , and also that Serbia this year has been among the top three countries in the region according to the number of PCR tests performed.

Speaking about tourism, the President said that, next year, efforts will be made on the development of the Danube basin region, from Apatin to Kladovo, that the Ovcar-Kablar Gorge will be developed, as well as our mountain centers.

Discussing the field of culture and information, President Vucic said that the implementation of the media strategy and the completion of the reconstruction of the National Theater in Subotica are important for next year, and he announced investments in museums, especially emphasizing the relocation of the History Museum to the train station building. He also stated that the floor heating in the Church of Saint Sava will be completed next year.

He pointed out that the state will continue to take care of our citizens in Kosovo and Metohija, that no one can forbid Serbia to help its people, and that Serbia will not give up on helping our people.

As he emphasized, Serbia is ready to send medicines and vaccines to the Albanian population as well, and pointed out that in the upcoming period our country will pursue a policy of peace in the region and will endeavour to cooperate with Zagreb, Sarajevo, Podgorica and others.

Serbian Prime Minister the first PM in Europe to receive a Covid-19 vaccine, December 2020

Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia Ana Brnabic received today the first vaccine against the coronavirus made by Pfizer company, at the Torlak Institute of Virology, Vaccines and Sera.

Brnabic, who is the first European Prime Minister to receive the vaccine, pointed out that this day may be the first since 6 March that we have a reason for a smile on our faces as it marks the beginning of the end of the coronavirus pandemic in Serbia, but also in Europe and the world.

As Prime Minister and as someone who leads the COVID-19 Crisis Response Team, I felt obliged to be the first to receive the vaccine, to show that we believe in it, as well as in our institutions - the Medicines and Medical Devices Agency of Serbia and experts who worked round the clock to test the vaccine, she said.

Underlining that it was an honour to do this for her country and be the first to pave the way for all citizens, the Prime Minister said that she agreed with President of the Republic Aleksandar Vucic that the two of them receive different vaccines, so he will most likely receive the next one that arrives, most probably the one produced by China.

At the moment we have the Pfizer-BioNTech consortium vaccine, and the vaccines from the Chinese Sinopharm are expected in the near future, as well as certain quantities of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V.

She expressed her belief that at the end of the first quarter or the beginning of the second quarter of next year we will have the vaccine of the company AstraZeneca, and after that the vaccine manufactured by Moderna.

As we promised, all vaccines licensed in their countries and approved by relevant international agencies will be available to our citizens, and of course they will be tested by all of our agencies and institutes as well, the Prime Minister pointed out.

She said that prior to the vaccination of health care workers, Minister of Health Zlatibor Loncar will also receive a vaccine shot as we endeavour to serve as an example and show how confident we are in the vaccines and institutions.

Brnabic pointed out that Serbia, not counting Great Britain, is the first country in Europe to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and the third to start a mass immunization and campaign for giving the vaccine - after Great Britain and Switzerland.

We achieved something very important and we will not stop even for a moment until the immunization of the population is completed, the Prime Minister said.

She specified that our country will receive another 16,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in January, as well as that together with other vaccines we will have a total of one million doses in January, and a total of approximately two million doses during the first quarter of next year.

There is a dynamic on which Pfizer delivers vaccines and it varies depending on the production, and this is the case with deliveries to both Serbia and all other countries worldwide. We expected to receive 10,000 doses from Pfizer-BioNTech in December, however 4,807 doses arrived, the Prime Minister explained.

Serbia demonstrated that it is able to fight and succeed if we all work as a team, Brnabic said and called on all not to see the beginning of vaccination as the end of the fight already, but to continue to apply all measures instead.

This is to be certain and to be able to help our health care workers, and once the immunity is acquired we will be able to slowly start taking off the masks in 2021, but until then we should not see this as a victory but as the beginning of the end, the Prime Minister concluded.

After the Prime Minister, vaccine shots were also administered to the Minister of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs and a member of the COVID-19 Crisis Response Team Darija Kisic Tepavcevic and to Predrag Kon who is also on the COVID-19 Crisis Response Team.

Furthermore, vaccine shots were also given to Head of the MMA Department for the Prevention and Control of Nosocomial Infections prof. Dr. Vesna Suljagic and academician Predrag Pesko, professor of Belgrade and Heidelberg universities and full member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts.

The first quantities of the vaccine arrived in Serbia on 22 December, and today they will be administered to patrons of nursing homes in Belgrade and Novi Sad.

Serbia is the first country in the region to receive a shipment of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

In addition to procuring the vaccine among the first countries in the world, even before EU countries, Serbia is one of the rare countries that managed to build and open two covid hospitals in record time. The hospitals with 930 beds in Batajnica and 500 beds in Krusevac are a major contribution to the expansion of capacities and strengthening the health care system in the fight against coronavirus and, as President Vucic said, represent a monument of the future, that will talk about the accomplishments the state made in a short time.

Also, we recall that investments in health infrastructure have been large in Serbia, and since 2016, 80 health centers and clinics have been renovated, and works are underway on six large health centers. This way more than EUR 200 million was invested in the reconstruction, construction and equipping of hospitals and more than 300 million in the renovation of clinics and specialized hospitals, and many have already been completed, such as the University Children's Hospital Tiršova, and KBC Zemun nad KBC "Dragiša Mišović" hospitals.

The absolute priority of the Serbian Government is the successful completion of health infrastructure projects that are underway, but great attention is also paid to health workers,

whose salaries have, by 2020, been increased by 56.8% for specialist doctors, and 66.9% for

nurses, while significant funding is invested in the education of health professionals, as well as in equipment and working conditions.

Like other countries, Serbia has faced great challenges this year, most notably health challenges, and all factors in the state were focused on preventing the spread of the virus and safeguarding the lives and health of citizens. Serbia has faced these challenges better than many wealthier and more developed countries in Europe and the world.

Mandatory PCR test for foreigners entering Serbia as of 20 December 2020

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Nikola Selakovic congratulates Hanukkah, December 2020

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Nikola Selakovic extended his congratulations for Hanukkah to Rabbi Isak Asiel and members of the Jewish community in Serbia.

"On the occasion of Hanukkah, the festival of lights, one of the greatest Jewish holidays, I would like to extend to you and all members of the Jewish community in Serbia, most sincere congratulations from the bottom of my heart, and my wish that the lighting of candles reminds us of the meaning of the everlasting light of God's love which encourages us to preserve the memory of our faith and tradition", reads the congratulatory message by the Foreign Minister.

Minister Selakovic wished the believers to spend this joyous holiday with their loved ones "under the light of Hanukkah candles, inspired by the warmth and love of God".

"May today's holiday of warmth and light be an opportunity to together recall the idea in all of us that by safekeeping our faith we can respond to all challenges of the modern society. Happy Hanukkah!", reads the congratulatory message by the Serbian Foreign Minister

International Human Rights Day, Statement of the MFA, December 2020

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

On the occasion of 10 December, the international Human Rights Day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia reaffirms its commitment to the principles and values of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted on this day in 1948.

The principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights have been the foundation for the development of international law in this field, and of the international system for the promotion and protection of human rights, as a unique achievement of modern civilization. It is incumbent upon us today to safeguard and strengthen the international system ensuring respect for human rights, to develop human rights standards, control the implementation of commitments, and also to continue cooperating with international and regional institutions on the protection of human rights.

Serbia is fully committed to the universal values of human rights and implementing in practice the international legal instruments relating to human rights. Our continued cooperation with the Human Rights Council mechanisms in the framework of the United Nations, with the Council of Europe and the mechanisms of the OSCE human dimension, represents an important segment of activities carried out by all state authorities, thus demonstrating our consistent commitment to the implementation of international human rights standards.

The international Human Rights Day is an opportunity to point out once again that Serb and other non-Albanian population is being deprived of its rights in Kosovo and Metohija and to call again on the international community to ensure the respect for the guaranteed international human rights norms and contribute to creating conditions for the return of internally displaced persons and giving them back their usurped property.

The Workshop on Serbian language, culture and history, November 2020

Dear friends,

We are pleased to inform you that the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Tel Aviv, for the first time in Israel, is launching a workshop on Serbian language, culture, and history.

Our goal is to teach Israeli kids to read and write in Serbian, Cyrillic, and Latin script through conversation, singing and playing party games. In addition to the language, we would also like the youngest generation to learn about their parents and grandparents' country, about Serbian culture, tradition, historical events, geography, etc.

The workshop will include celebrations of our holidays, visits to museums, field trips, and other activities. It will be led by Jelena Mihailović Rozencvaig, a highschool teacher at the Herzliya High School in Tel Aviv. She has extensive experience teaching the Serbian language and subjects mentioned.

The workshop is for students aged 6 to 17. Given the restrictive measures implemented to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, we'll initially organize the ZOOM platform lectures. When the overall situation improves, children and parents will meet at the Embassy, where the workshop will be held every Friday, from 1 to 3 p.m.

The application deadline is November 16, 2020, and the beginning of the workshop is November 20, 2020.

If you want your kids to join the workshop, please fill out the online application form at the following link. For additional details feel free to contact Jelena Mihailović Rosenzweig and Dušan Vujović, consul at the Embassy via email srpskizadecu.il@gmail.com

Travel to Serbia, October 2020

Israeli citizens are permitted to travel to Serbia without any restrictions regarding COVID-19 testing or quarantine.

You can find additional information about travel conditions on the internet site of the Ministy of Foreign Affairs of Serbia.

For further questions please contact the Embassy.

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SERBIA - Emerging tech development hub, October 2020

Executive summary

Serbia is an emerging tech hub in Europe, conveniently located and open for business.

• An internationally acclaimed and growing engineering talent pool. Compulsory coding from the 5th grade, specialized IT streams in secondary schools, increased number of students in STEM programs, incentives to attract top talent.

• The most competitive corporate taxation in Europe. Companies can achieve 0% corporate income tax by combining the accelerated R&D deduction and IP box regimes. There is also a 30% tax credit for startup investments and attractive taxation of employee share plans.

• The Serbian Government as a partner committed to digitalization. The digitalization of public services and the growth of the tech private sector are number one national priorities.

• Top international tech companies, such as Microsoft, NCR, Epic Games, Continental and others, have already established R&D centers in Serbia with great success. Node, the first AI-as-a-service platform for businesses, recently opened in Serbia as a hub for its European expansion.

• Serbian tech companies are also making it big abroad. Nordeus is the world’s leading mobile gaming developer and publisher; Seven Bridges is a leading genetic research company and is rated as one of the world’s 50 smartest companies.

Embassy is reopened for visa applications, May 2020

22.05.2020.

The Embassy of the Republic of Serbia reopened its Consular section for new visa applicants. Visa requirements can be found at CONSULAR SERVICES > TRAVEL TO SERBIA.

We kindly ask all applicants visiting the Consular section to follow the basic hygiene rules due to post-COVID-19 situation (wearing a mask and gloves, 2m distance, appointing a meeting in advance).

Visa application suspension, March 2020

16.03.2020.

In regard to declared state of emergency in the Republic of Serbia on March 15, the Embassy from now on will not take any new visa applications. Response regarding the old applications that are still in the procedure, will be available when the situation with coronavirus finishes.

Consular services during the measures against COVID19 epidemic in Israel, March 2020

03.02.2020

Considering the new special measures taken by the Israeli government and the Government of the Republic of Serbia to prevent the spread of the coronavirus epidemic in Israel, the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia, Consular Section, will not be open for the public on Tuesdays and Fridays, as up until now.

If there is any emergency consular case you need to solve, please contact the Embassy via phone number +972 3 604 55 35 or consular.srb@013net.net so we could arrange an appointment for you as soon as possible.

Мере српских власти на спречавању ширења и сузбијању заразне болести COVID 19, март 2020. године

Држављани Републике Србије који долазе из држава, односно подручја са интензивном трансмисијом болести COVID-19, односно жаришта епидемије, и то из: Италије, Швајцарске, Ирана, Румуније, Шпаније, Немачке, Француске, Аустрије, Словеније и Грчке, обавезно се упућују у изолацију у трајању од 28 дана.

Српским држављанима који долазе из других држава, одредиће се мера стављања под здравствени надзор у трајању од 14 дана (изолација у кућним условима).

При уласку у Србију, грађанима ће бити уручено обавезујуће решење.

Примена наведених мера стриктно ће се контролисати, те ће свако непридржавање истих бити најстрожије санкционисано прописаном казном.

Мере забране се односе на све стране држављане (и из трећих земља) који долазе из наведених држава и подручја.

Двојни држављани могу ући у Србију само уколико прикажу пасош Републике Србије, а не државе која се налази на листи за које важи забрана.

Одлука је ступила на снагу 14. марта 2020. године

Детаљне информације и процедуре за сва лица на граничним прелазима приликом уласка у Републику Србију можете наћи на интернет страници https://covid19.rs/algoritam1/

Commemorating the Armistice Day in Israel, November 2019

On the occasion of the Armistice Day in the First World War (November 11, 1918) on Sunday, November 10th, at the official ceremony with the representatives of the other allied forces, Serbian Ambassador Stanojevic and defense attache LTC Isailovic paid a tribute to Serbian solders who died in the WWI and laid a wreath at war memorial monument at the Ramleh War Cemetary south of Tel Aviv. s

Serbian companies at the ISRAFOOD - The 36th International Exibition for Food & Beverage in Israel, November 26-28, 2019

Ten Serbian companies involved in the production, processing and export of fruits and vegetables (frozen berries, fruits, vegetables, natural juices, dried fruits, honey and bee products, etc.) are going to participate in the upcoming ISRAFOOD 2019 - The 36th International Exibition for Food & Beverage in Israel, November 26-28, 2019 (Hall 1, Expo Tel Aviv). Support for their participation is given by the Serbian Development Agency and the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which delegations will also be present at ISRAFOOD 2019.

Please read the catalouge about the Serbia's participation and visit the following websites of companies involved.

ITN Group https://www.itn.rs/sr/itn-ekopovlen.html

SANUM PER FRUCTUS http://honey-land.com/

AGRANELA http://www.agranelasrbija.com/

COLD PRESSOK http://coldpressok.com/

AGROPARTNER https://agropartnerfruit.com/

BMN MALINAS http://bmnmalinas.rs/

EURO FRIGO https://euro-frigo.rs

MASTER FRUITS http://mffruits.com/

INTERFOOD 60 http://interfood.co.rs/

PIK BEČEJ http://www.pikbecej.rs/

КАТАЛОГ ISRAFOOD 2019

The Art Exhibition "Street Art Belgrade - White Cities" - Belgrade's graffiti in Tel Aviv, 29.10.-05.11.2019.

The exhibition Street Art Belgrade "White cities" was opened on October 29th in Overstay Jaffa hostel

The aim of the exhibition and the book "Street Art Belgrade" from which the artwork is exhibited is to present the fantastic street art of Belgrade.

Street art is exposed to time and emotions, and whit exhibition and book mission of Street Art Belgrade project is to preserve this specific art form, to document it and make it more visible because it represents an indispensable part of the urban surrounding.

Both Belgrade and Tel Aviv are "white cities," where street art is vibrant, dynamic, and engaging. Famous street artists Dede and Nitzan Mintz have visited Belgrade and left their artwork on the walls of the city, and Serbian artists spent time in Tel Aviv, where they acquired new insights and inspiration for their street art.

The exhibition will be open from the 29th of October till the 5th of November.

The exhibition is realized trough the Ministry of Culture and information and with support from the Israeli embassy in Serbia and the Serbian embassy in Israel.

Jelena Popovic Djordjevic

coauthor

The Embassy of the Republic of Serbia, with great pleasure invites you to the opening of the exhibition "Street Art Belgrade – White cities” and book promotion in Tel Aviv.

The exhibition and the book "Street art Belgrade" presents the street art of Belgrade. Street art is exposed to time and emotions. The desire of the author of the book, Aleksandar Đorđević is to preserve this specific art form, to document it and make it more visible, because it represents an indispensable part of the urban surrounding. The book "Street Art Belgrade" and the exhibition are the most comprehensive overview of street art in Belgrade, both stylistically and historically.

The authors of the exibition are Aleksandar Djordjevic and Jelena Djordjevic Popovic, with the support of the Ministry of culutre and information of the Repubic of Serbia.

PLACE: Overstay JAFFA Hostel, 31 She'erit Ysrae'el
DATE: 29. 10. Tuesday
TIME: 19h

Exhibition will be open from 29th of October till 5th of November.

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/403371520555585/

International Basketball Tournament (U18) in Tel Aviv and gold medalist Belgrade Red Star, October, 2019

At the 2nd International basketball tournament (U18), held between October 14-18, 2019, in Tel Aviv, Belgrade Red Star basketball players won all matches, including the final game against Hapoel from Tel aviv. Other teams, as Maccabi Tel Aviv, Gilboa Maajanot, the Israeli national under-16 team, Locomotive from Kuban (Russia), Alba from Berlin (Germany) and Stella Azura Academies from Rome (Italy) also took part in the competition. Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai and Serbian Ambassador to Israel Milutin Stanojevic presented the trophy and gold medals to Belgrade team.

Annual gathering of members of the Hitahdut Olej - Association of Jews from the Former Yugoslavia, October, 2019

On the first day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, on October 14, 2019, members of the Hitahdut Olej - Association of Jews from the Former Yugoslavia traditionally gathered in the Ben Shemen Forest, located between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Representatives of the Serbian Embassy were also present.

Peštan and Gaon Group representatives visited the Embassy of Serbia, September, 2019

On September 26, 2019 Ambassador Milutin Stanojević received Mr. Marko Bogdanović and Mr. Veljko Gušić, representatives of the Peštan Company from Arandjelovac, Serbia and Mr. Nisim Laham and Mr. Aleksandar Nikolić, representatives of the Gaon Group based in Or Yehuda in Israel.

The Peštan Company manufactures and exports variety of products for irrigation and household needs. It already exports world-wide, to 64 countries, and this year their products will reach Israeli market. The pipe-shaped products are intented for both low-rise and high-rise construction, and range of needs for water supply, heating, sewage treatment, drainage and cable protection. Products are made of polyethylene, polypropylene and PVC.

Gaon Group is Israel's leading public company in the field of water and energy infrastructure, with high financial credibility. The second largest, among its eight factories, is Plassim from the Merhavi kibbutz, near Afula in the Lower Galilee, which directly obtains products from Peštan. Contacts between the two companies were established during 2018, and since February 2019 container shipments from Serbia have started.

For more information, please visit Peštan and Gaon Group websites

https://pestan.net/en/ & http://www.gaon.com

Visit of the National Coalition for Decentralization from the City of Niš, September, 2019

The National Coalition for Decentralization from the City of Niš paid a visit to the Embassy in September, 2019. Delegation stayed in Israel for several days to learn about the Israeli model of decentralization and its experience in regional development.

Charity Football Tournament for children from Kosovo and Metohija, September, 2019

On Saturday, September 14th, 2019, a charity football tournament was held in Tel Aviv in order to raise funds to help school students from Elementary school "Miladin Popovic" in Bostan, Municipality of Novi Brdo in Kosovo and Metohija, southern Serbian province. The organizer of the tournament was a group of "Partizan" fans "Grobari - Israel", who, along with other friends, "Maccabi" fans from Tel Aviv, "Zenit" St. Petersburg supporters, and fans of other Serbian clubs made this initiative possible, with an intent that this charity tournament becomes a tradition.

There were more than hundred participants and supporters from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia, Northern Macedonia, as well as friends from Tel Aviv, Haifa and other Israeli towns. Representatives of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Tel Aviv also took part in football games, and at the end of the tournament Ambassador Milutin Stanojevic handed the trophy to the winners - team of Partizan fans.

The main people behind the organization Goran Mekic, Sandra Janicevic and Srdjan Zlatanovic thanked all the participants and announced that over 3000 Euros had been raised for the kids of Kosovo and Metohija.

Candidacy of the Republic of Serbia for the UNESCO Executive Board

The Republic of Serbia is a candidate for reelection in the UNESCO Executive Board for the period 2019-2023. The brochure about the candidacy can be opened using this link.

Visit to the Assembly of the City of Ashdod, July 2019

Group of Ambassadors from the Balkans visited the Assembly of the City of Ashdod on July 25, 2019 upon the invitation by the Deputy Mayor Eli Nacht with whom they met along with other city officials. Apart from the Ambassador of Serbia, the activity was participated by the Ambassadors of Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Albania.

During the visit many possible ways of enhancing the cooperation were examined, through mutual activities, and also on the bilateral level with each of these countries, by means of strengthening the links between the cities, for which the city of Ashodod being the 6th biggest Israeli city and strategic port, as well as industrial and cultural center has great potentials. Possibilities of mutual projects by these Balkan countries were discussed, especially in the economy, technology and innovations, as well as culture in the form of “Balkan Day” organized in the city of Ashdod.

Seminar on the Holocaust in Yad Vashem for Teachers and Educators From Serbia, July 2019

Organized by the International School of the Holocaust Studies of Yad Vashem in Jerusalem a week long seminar was opened on July 21, 2019 for a group of 25 educators from Serbia. This is the eleventh annual seminar for the participants from Serbia organized in the cooperation between the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Serbia and Yad Vashem.

Participants were welcomed by the Director of the Department for Europe of the Yad Vashem International School Ms. Richelle Budd Caplan and by the Head of the Balkans Section of the school Ms. Lia Miha, as well as the Ambassador Mr. Milutin Stanojevic.

In his address Ambassador Stanojevic thanked the hosts for organizing the seminar and hailed the endeavors by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Serbia, pointing out the importance of this activity within the scope of the cooperation of the two countries.

Minister Popovic Visits Israel

Minister for innovation and technological development of Serbia Nenad Popovic visited Israel on June 25-26, 2019 to participate in the international expert conference on cyber security Cyber Week 2019 in Tel Aviv. As a panelist he participated in two panels Promotion of Cyber Innovations – The Role of the Government and Identifying Critical Infrastructure. On the sidelines of the conference he had a series of meetings with experts in this field from Israel and abroad.

During the visit Minister Popovic met with Amiram Appelbaum Israeli Chief Scientist and Chairman of the Board of the Israeli Innovation Authority in the Ministry of Economy and Trade in Jerusalem. The two agreed to formalize cooperation by signing the memorandum of understanding in the field of innovation and new technologies.

Minister also visited Peres Center for Peace and Innovation in Jaffo, and the Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, where he toured the Cyber Center and Smart City Center, and he also met with the representatives of several Israeli investment funds to discuss about possible investments in Serbian start-ups.

Evening of Poetry and Prose Marked by Serbian Author, April 2019

The Hebrew Writers Association in Israel, supported by the Embassy of Serbia, organized an evening of Poetry and Prose on April 3, 2019 in its premises in Tel Aviv featuring a Serbian writer Miodrag Jaksic, who has, on the occasion, presented his works to the Israeli public.

H.E. Milutin Stanojevic participated the event, and has prior to it hosted in the Embassy our writer, who is also a member of the Association of Serbian Writers’ Committee for International Cooperation.

Formal Unveiling of the Panel in Serbian Language in Yardenit, the Site of the Baptism of Jesus on the Jordan River, March 2019

A panel with inscription in Cyrillic in Serbian language – a quote from the New Testament – was formally unveiled on March 1, 2019 in Yardenit, a place marked in Israel as the site of the Baptism of Jesus.

The panel was erected thanks to the donations by Serbian pilgrims, especially those from Sabac, with the support by the head of the Church of St. Apostles Peter and Paul father Tomislav Lukic. In the presence of dozens of pilgrims from Serbia, the panel was formally unveiled, following a short ceremony and speeches, by the director of the Yardenit Center Sarit Gani, Ambassador of Serbia Milutin Stanojevic and father Tomislav Lukic. This is 112th panel in Yardenit, in 112 different languages with the same quote from the Gospel According to Mark – chapter 1:9-11 – that refers to the Holy Baptism in the Jordan River.

In his address Ambassador Stanojevic acclaimed the installing of Serbian Cyrillic inscription among so many others from around the world, congratulating father Tomislav, the donors and the pilgrims. He stressed that even though it is not clear if this location is the authentic site of the Baptism of Jesus, the very fact that it is located on the Jordan River which is perceived as a sanctuary by all the Christians in the world, as well as the fact that the site is visited by half a million Christian pilgrims each year, testify of the great importance of installing the panel with Serbian inscription, especially for Serbian believers and pilgrims.

Serbian Mayors at the International Mayors Conference in Israel, February 2019

The Mayor of Belgrade prof. Dr Zoran Radojicic and the mayor of Sabac Nebojsa Zelenovic have participated, along with 25 mayors from around the world, at the 33rd International Mayors Conference (Jerusalem, Tel Aviv February 24-28, 2019).

The topic of the Conference - organized by the American Jewish Congress, American Council for World Jewry, Federation of local authorities in Israel and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel - was "Innovative cities", as well as the current issues and challenges that the urban centers are facing, as well as issues of sustainable development of the cities, using innovations, high-tech, energy and cybernetics. Within the scope of the program the guests were received by the Prime Minister of Israel Benyamin Netanyahu.

Serbian National Day and Armed Forces Day Reception, February 2019

On the occasion of the National Day, the Embassy has hosted, on February 19, 2019 reception at the "Carlton" Hotel in Tel Aviv, marking at the same time Serbian Armed Forces Day.

Representatives of the Israeli institutions, diplomatic and military corps, public circles, media, Jerusalem Patriarchate, religious communities, as well as Jewish community with Serbian origin attended the reception.

In his speech, the Ambassador H.E. Milutin Stanojevic emphasized the tradition of good relations between the two peoples, forged in the hardest of historical circumstances, as well as good current bilateral ties between the countries. He expressed special appreciation for the Israeli position regarding Kosovo and Metohija and pointed out that the two countries stand together in the fight against revisionism and distorting history. He underlined the development of bilateral relations and cooperation in all areas past years, manifesting also through the increased intensity of visits in both directions. In this regard, he especially named two visits from last year, both historical: the first ever visit by an Israeli president to Serbia, and the first ever visit by the President of the National Assembly of Serbia to Israel.

The guest of honour at the reception was Mrs. Tzipi Hotovely, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel. In her speech, Mrs. Hotovely said that the good relations between the countries in many areas are based on excellent relations between the two peoples. She reminded of the mutual struggle of the two peoples in II World War and stressed the importance of teaching the young generations about it. Once again she has conveyed the appreciation of the Israeli side to the Government of Serbia for the steps taken towards the adoption and implementation of the legislation on the restitution of Jewish property and has expressed hope that in the period to come a Holocaust Museum will be built in Belgrade. At the political level, she talked about the importance of the historic visit by the President of Israel H.E. Ruven Rivlin to Serbia, during which a street in Zemun was named after Theodor Herzl. She wished Serbia to have peace, stability and economic prosperity and for the friendship between the two countries to grow ever stronger as each day goes by.

Remarkable Participation of Serbia at the International Tourism Fair in Tel Aviv – IMTM 2019, February 2019

Tourist Organization of Serbia, Tourist Organization of Belgrade, Tourist Organization of Subotica, AirSerbia and several agencies presented Serbia’s tourism potentials at the International Tourism Fair – IMTM 2019 held on February 12-13, 2019 in Tel Aviv. On the first day of the fair, Belgrade received acknowledgement as one of the most popular destinations of Israeli tourists in 2018, according to the most important Israeli travel portal Lametayel. It was awarded, in the form of a plaque, to the deputy director of Tourist Organization of Belgrade Mr. Slobodan Unkovic. Israeli tourists were in 2018 on the 7th place by the number of overnight stays in Belgrade and in the top 15 of the overall visitors.

Participation of the Serbian tourism sector at the fair in Tel Aviv was supported by the Ambassador Mr. Milutin Stanojevic and the counsellor Mr. Dejan Blagojevic.

Unveiling of „Kladovo Transport“ Memorial in Kfar Saba, February 2019

Memorial dedicated to the Jewish victims of the “Kladovo transport” was unveiled in Kfar Saba On February 1, 2019. Deputy mayor of Kfar Saba Mr. Amir Coleman, Ambassador of Serbia H.E. Mr. Milutin Stanojevic, Ambassador of Austria H.E. Mr. Martin Weiss, Director of “Ben Gurion” school Ms. Maya Ganon, and the representative of the Association “Kladovo Sabac” Mr. Ofer Rot, on behalf of the relatives and descendent of the survivors, addressed the audience at this event organized by the city of Kfar Saba.

In his address H.E. Ambassador Milutin Stanojevic stressed the importance of preserving the memory of this tragedy in which most of the 1,200 Jewish refugees were killed, as well as the memory of all the murdered Serbs, Jews and Roma during the German occupation of Serbia in the II World War. In this regard, he praised the activities organized to that end, in previous years, by the city of Kfar Saba and its residents, and especially the activities of “Ben Gurion” school its teachers, pupils and parents. He emphasized that each year in Serbia commemorative events take place on the memorial sites dedicated to “Kladovo transport”, in Beolgrade, Sabac, nearby Zasavica and Pancevo. Also, he informed about the “Seminars on Jewish families” that are held each May in Kladovo, and are dedicated to the preservation of the memory of the victims of the convoy. Ambassador stressed he feels proud of the then residents of Kladovo and Sabac, who did all that was in their power, under the circumstances, to ease the struggle of the Jews and save them. He underlined the importance of the memory of the Holocaust and educating the young generations about it, because it is the only way of preventing it from ever happening again.

Citizens of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis and the Republic of Palau Do Not Need Serbian Visa, January 2019

In accordance with the decision by the Government of the Republic of Serbia, starting from January 25, 2019 the citizens of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis and the Republic of Palau, holders of all types of passports, can enter, transit and stay in the Republic of Serbia without a visa up to 90 days from the date of the first entry into the country, within the period of 180 days.

Young Ambassadors of Serbia in Israel, December 2018

Thirteen students of the 3rd and 4th grade of the XIII Belgrade Gymnasium, escorted by the director Mr. Bojan Vuckovic and two professors, visited Israel from December 20 to 24, 2018. The goal of the visit by the young ambassadors of Serbia, done within the scope of established cooperation between the Gymnasium and Israel Center for Young Leaders, was to promote development of leadership skills, social impact, encouraging volunteerism and social engagement. During their stay, the students had the opportunity to learn about Israeli and Jewish tradition and culture, as well as the specificities of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

On Sunday December 23, 2018 they visited the Embassy in Tel Aviv, where the Ambassador Milutin Stanojevic explained the basic goals of the Embassy, talked about the history of the friendly ties between the Serbs and the Jews and the current bilateral relations between Serbia and Israel, as well as about the specificities of the diplomatic life in Israel.

President of the Government of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina Igor Mirovic Visits Israel, December 2018

President of the Government of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina Igor Mirovic payed a working visit to Israel, where he participated on December 17, 2018 the promotion of tourist potentials of Vojvodina, organized in Tel Aviv by the Tourist Organization of Vojvodina, and attended by over thirty representatives of agencies and journalists from Israel.

The event promoted potentials and possibilities of attracting Israeli tourists to visit our country.

The same day, President Mirovic had a bilateral meeting with the CEO of the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Shlomo Ben Eliyahu, with whom he talked about the cooperation in the field of agriculture and economic development.

Member of the National Assembly of Serbia Dr Milorad Mijatovic participates the Seminar on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Jerusalem, November 2018

Member of the National Assembly of Serbia Dr Milorad Mijatovic, member of the standing delegation of the National Assembly to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, has participated in the Seminar on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals organized in the cooperation between the Knesset and the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and held in Jerusalem on November 20-22, 2018.

Ambassador of Serbia in Tel Aviv H.E. Milutin Stanojevic participated in a part of the official program of the Seminar.

Remembrance Day, November 2018

On the occasion of the Remembrance Day, a commemorative ceremony organized by the British Embassy was held on November 11, 2018 at the Commonwealth Cemetery in Ramla.

On behalf of the Embassy of Serbia, H.E. Ambassador Milutin Stanojevic and DA Col. Predrag Kostic laid a wreath.

Citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Commonwealth of Dominica, and Trinidad and Tobago Do Not Need Serbian Visa

In accordance with the decision by the Government of the Republic of Serbia from October 25, 2018 the citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Commonwealth of Dominica, and Trinidad and Tobago, holders of all types of passports, can enter, transit and stay in the Republic of Serbia without a visa up to 90 days from the date of the first entry into the country, within the period of 180 days.

Citizens of the abovementioned countries, holders of all types of passports, that wish to enter and stay in the Republic of Serbia longer than 90 days, or wish to study, live, get a job, do media or some other activity, are obliged to apply for a visa prior to their entry into the Republic of Serbia.

Visit by the Minister of Agriculture, Foresty and Water Management of Serbia Mr. Branislav Nedimovic to Israel, October 2018

Minister Nedimovic visited Israel on October 11, 2018 upon the invitation by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Mr. Uri Ariel.

At their bilateral meeting the two ministers expressed satisfaction with friendly relations between the two countries and the level of political cooperation. They agreed on concrete steps to enhance the cooperation – harmonization and signing the free trade agreement in agricultural products, as well as the updating and broadening the scope of the existing agreement on cooperation in the field of agriculture between the two countries, signed in 2009. Also, they discussed the possibilities of joint projects in the field of agriculture in third countries.

Minister Nedimovic, apart from the meeting with the Minister Ariel, during his visit to Israel, had a series of meetings with representatives of Israeli companies interested in investing in Serbia, as well as doing joint projects.

Assistant Minister of Health of Serbia in Israel, July 2018

Assistant Minister of Health for EU Integration and International Cooperation of Serbia Mrs. Danijela Urosevic visited Israel, where she has participated in the work of the meetings of the World Health Organization and the South-Eastern Europe Health Network.

On the first day July 10, 2018 a ministerial meeting was held organized by WHO, Ministry of Health of Israel and SEEHN, the central topic being improving the healthy ageing. Opening and welcoming remarks were made by Deputy Minister of Health of Israel Mr. Yakov Litzman and WHO Regional Director for Europe Mrs. Zsuzsanna Jakab. The following day, 40th Plenary Meeting of SEEHN was held on the topic of ensuring primary health care for ageing population.

Mrs. Danijela Urosevic actively participated in the work of both meetings, and with several addresses and presentations has informed about the situation in Serbia as regards to the abovementioned topics, as well as the cooperation of Serbia with the WHO in these and other areas. Also, she has presided the meeting of the Executive Committee of the SEEHN.

Marinkovic in Knesset at Celebration of 70 Years of State of Israel, July 2018

National Assembly Deputy Speaker and Head of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Israel Prof. Dr Vladimir Marinkovic attended the conference on July 11, 2018, marking the 70th anniversary of the State of Israel at the Israeli Parliament – Knesset.

The conference was hosted by the Speaker of the Knesset Yuli-Yoel Edelstein and attended by the heads of 32 countries’ parliamentary friendship groups with Israel. Marinkovic highlighted the excellent relations between Serbia and Israel, the friendship between the Serbian and Jewish people bound together by the same grim fate and fight during World War II. The excellent relations are evident in the expanding trade, investment of Israeli companies into Serbia and the increasing numbers of Israeli tourists in Serbia. He invited the Head of the Knesset’s PFG with Serbia Oded Forer to visit Serbia and help maximize parliamentary cooperation which is very important for the two countries’ overall relations.

This visit comes in the wake of the hugely successful visit of National Assembly Speaker Maja Gojkovic to Knesset in February this year, which had opened up the doors to parliamentary cooperation.

State Secretary in the Ministry of Interior of Serbia Ms. Dijana Hrkalovic visits Israel, June 2018

State Secretary in the Ministry of Interior of Serbia Ms. Dijana Hrkalovic has visited Israel, and participated in the International Ministerial Homeland Security Forum in Jerusalem.

In her address at the Forum, Ms. Hrkalovic talked about the activities of Serbia on maintaining security and efficiently fighting terrorism both internally, and internationally, through cooperation and coordination with the countries of the region, and worldwide. She pointed out that the goal of Serbia is to prevent the recruitment of potential terrorists and to cut their channels of financing and communications.

The Forum was held from June 12 to June 14, 2018, with the participation of the interior ministers from more than 20 countries worldwide.

Minister Nenad Popovic visits Israel, June 2018

Minister of innovation and technological development of Serbia Nenad Popovic visited Israel from May 29 to May 30, 2018 to participate in the International Ministerial-Level Scientific Conference “Thinking out of the box” in Jerusalem.

On the sidelines of the Conference, the Minister had a meeting with the Minister of Science and Technology of Israel Ofir Akunis, bilateral talks with the representatives of Germany, Czech Republic, and Japan and a series of encounters with the representatives of other participating countries. He has actively participated in one of the panels “From Product Development to a Global Success”.

On May 30, the next day, he had a meeting in the Knesset with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Israel Uri Ariel, and was received in the Jerusalem Patriarchate by His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III.

Minister Popovic and Minister Akunis talked about the continuation of cooperation between Serbia and Israel in the fields of space technology and innovations, and have agreed to cooperate in the fields of start-up communities and scientific-research institutes.

At the meeting with Minister Ariel, the two ministers talked about digitalization and application of IT in agriculture and have agreed to intensify the cooperation between Serbian and Israeli experts from agriculture institutes through joint programs in the fields of precise agriculture and horticulture.

Director of the Agency for restitution of Serbia visits Israel, May 2018

Director of the Agency for restitution of Serbia Mr. Strahinja Sekulic visited Israel from 14 to 17 May, 2018. The visit was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Social Equality of Israel, where Mr. Sekulic had working meetings. On this occasion, the Israeli side has once again stressed that Serbian legislation is a model for regulating issues of restitution of property to heirless Holocaust victims, a fact that Israel and relevant Jewish organizations have been publically praising, calling on other countries to follow Serbia’s example. During the visit Mr. Sekulic had talks with the representatives of the Jewish World Organization and the World Jewish Congress, and met representatives of the Association of emigrants from former Yugoslavia.

Provincial Secretary MSc Vuk Radojevic visits "Agritech 2018", May 2018

Provincial Secretary for Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina MSc Vuk Radojevic has visited Agro Technology Exhibition Agritech 2018 from May 7 to May 9, 2018. The delegation was composed of the Director of the public water management company "Vode Vojvodine" Mr. Slavko Vrndžić i Undersecretary in the Provincial Secretariat Ms. Ljiljana Andric.

During the visit, apart from touring the Agritech, Mr. Radojevic had separate meetings with the Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Israel Mr. Shlomo Ben Eliyahu, and with the representatives of the renowned Israeli companies Avital, Netafim, Rimon, and Tahal and has also visited the biggest agricultural research center in Israel Volcani.

Minister of Education, Science and Technological Development of Serbia Mladen Sarcevic visits Israel, May 2018

Minister of Education, Science and Technological Development of Serbia Mladen Sarcevic has visited Israel with the aim of holding talks with the representatives of Yad Vashem on enhancing the cooperation in the area of Holocaust studies and on the possibilities of undertaking joint activities in this field. During the visit he met with Yossi Gevir, Senior Assistant to the Chairman of the Directorate and Director of External & Governmental Affairs at Yad Vashem, Haim Gertner Director of the Archives, and Richelle Budd Caplan, Director of International School for Holocaust Studies. Minister Sarcevic paid respect to the victims of the Holocaust by laying a wreath, especially honouring the victims of the Ustasha camp Jasenovac.During the visit minister Sarcevic met with Theophilos III, the Patriarch of Jerusalem and All Palestine.

Co-financing of projects - activities for strengthening connections between Serbia and Diaspora and Serbia and Serbs in Region

The competition for co-financing of activities for strengthening connections between Serbia and diaspora, as well as Serbia and Serbs in Region that is underway is being announced once a year and this year will last until March 30th. The information, conditions and manner of realization of the competition, can be found at the links below:

For diaspora:

http://www.dijaspora.gov.rs/konkurs-za-finansiranje-za-sufinansiranje-projekata-organizacija-iz-dijaspore/

For Serbs in Region:

http://www.dijaspora.gov.rs/konkurs-za-finansiranje-za-sufinansiranje-projekata-organizacija-iz-regiona/

Visit by the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia to the State of Israel, February 2018

Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia Maja Gojkovic has, on the invitation by the Speaker of Knesset Yuli Edelstein, paid an official visit to the State of Israel on February 13-14, 2018.

Gojkovic and Edelstein had a very meaningful meeting in which both sides reaffirmed good relations between Serbia and Israel based on the traditional friendship between the two peoples, expressed willingness and openness for cooperation, both within the scope of the committees of the two parliaments and parliamentary friendship groups, as well as on the multilateral level within international parliamentary organizations. Speakers of the two parliaments also discussed deepening the cooperation in the fields of economy, information technologies, innovations, construction, agriculture, and tourism.

Apart from the meeting with Edelstein, the Speaker of the National Assembly had separate meetings with the leader of the opposition in the Knesset Isaac Herzog and with the leader of Yesh Atid MK Yair Lapid.

During the visit, the Speaker of the National Assembly visited the Holocaust Remembrance Center Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, where she paid her respect to the victims of the WWII Holocaust by laying a wreath, especially honouring the victims of the Ustasha camp Jasenovac.

This visit had a special historic aspect, being the first ever visit by a Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia to the State of Israel. Both sides have assessed the visit as very important for furthering the parliamentary cooperation, and also for the development of the overall bilateral relations between the two countries. Presidents of parliamentary friendship groups Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Vladimir Marinkovic, PhD. and Oded Forer have contributed, by their participation, to the success of the visit.

Presentation of the tourist potentials of Serbia in Israel, February 2018

The presentation of the tourist potentials of Serbia was held at Hilton Hotel, Tel Aviv, on February 7th, with the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Israel. The presentation was organized by the Tourist Organization of Serbia (TOS) and the Tourist Organization of Belgrade (TOB), in partnership with the OpenSky Israel Agency, with the participation of representatives of tourist organizations from Serbia who took part in the International Tourism Exhibition IMTM 2018, a large number of representatives from israeli turist sector and representatives of the media.

In his address, Ambassador Milutin Stanojevic highlighted the high level of tourism exchange, especially from Israel towards Serbia, achieved in the past year, with the emphasis that the growing trend is especially present in the past year when there was an increase of 195% in the number of overnight stays of Israeli tourists (Israel second by number of overnight stays in Belgrade, and 11th in Serbia). On this occasion, Ambassador emphasized that Serbia has always had friendly relations with Israel, but that in the last few years, more than ever, it has become a very attractive location for Israeli tourists, thanks to the promotion of this kind - through the gathering of the most important tourist representatives of both countries in one place at presentations and fairs, but also through active and continuous promotion of Serbia's tourist advantages throughout the year. He welcomed the efforts in order to further enhance tourism cooperation and invited the Israeli side to continue promoting and discovering Serbia as a suitable tourist destination, in support to a positive trend in tourism cooperation.

Presentations on the tourist offer of Serbia were held by Marija Labović, Director of TOS and Jelena Stankovic, from the Public Relations Department at TOB. On this occasion, direct talks (B2B meetings) of Israeli and Serbian tourist representatives were held, with in order to concretize proposals for improving cooperation in the field of tourism.

International tourism exhibition IMTM 2018 - participation of delegation from Serbia, February 2018

The International Tourism Fair - Tourism Exhibition IMTM 2018 started on February 6th 2018, with representatives of the tourism sector of Serbia attending this event (Tourism Organization of Serbia, Tourist Organization of Belgrade, Tourist Organization of Subotica, Serbia Tour Operator, Omniturs, S-Travel DMC, Atomska Banja from Gornje Trepče and JP Stara Planina). In order to establish even stronger cooperation in the field of tourism, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia Dr Miroslav Knezevic visited Israel, during the Fair. In front of the Tourist Organization of Serbia, Director Marija Labović is also present at the fair.
On the margins of this event, the state secretary of the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Dr M. Knezevic and Ambassador M. Stanojevic, had a meeting and a meeting with the Minister of Tourism of Israel Jariv Levin. Both sides agreed that tourism is one of the areas in which there is the greatest potential for further development of cooperation, which can have a positive effect on the overall bilateral relations.

New Honorary Consulate of Serbia in Israel, Headed by Boris Krasny, January 2018

At the ceremony organized on January 10, 2018 in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, Boris Krasny was handed the Exequatur by the chief of State Protocol Meron Reuben and the original Letters patent by Ambassador Milutin Stanojevic, thus becoming the new Honorary Consul of Serbia in Israel, with the seat in Jerusalem.

Ambassador Milutin Stanojevic has, on the occasion, stressed that opening of another Honorary Consulate in Israel is itself a confirmation of good relations between the two countries, expressing strong belief that Boris Krasny, a consultant and businessman, respected in as well as outside Israel, will contribute to their further advancement.

Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia Receives the Acknowledgment of the State of Israel for Extraordinary Contribution to Strengthening the Ties Between Israel and Serbia, December 2017

At the formal ceremony held at Knesset on December 26, 2017, organized by MK Oded Forer the President of the Parliamentary friendship group with Serbia, acknowledgements for extraordinary contributions to strengthening the ties between Israel and Serbia have been awarded.

The Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the State of Israel Milutin Stanojevic, being one of the recipients, has on this occasion expressed his gratitude for this significant acknowledgment, stressing the long-lived tradition of friendship between the two peoples, forged in the toughest historical circumstances, based on which the two countries can look at the future development of their relations with great optimism. He pointed out that, as the Serbian Ambassador to Israel, his endeavors were made easier thanks to the contribution of the prominent individuals, recipients of this acknowledgment, many of whom have dedicated their entire professional careers to building bridges between the two peoples and countries, while as a recipient feels exceptionally honoured to be in this group among them.

Recipients of the award are journalist and President of the Israel-Serbia Friendship Association Michael Freund, designer Dan Raizinger, musicologist Dusan Mihalek, author Ana Shomlo, interpreter Dina Katan Ben Cion, as well as other prominent members of the Assosiation of Jews from the Former Yugoslavia Miriam Aviezer, Aleksandar Nikolic, Eliezer Papo, Ivan Cereshnesh and editor of the bulletin “Most” Milan Fogel.

The host MK Oded Forer, director for Balkans at the MFA Ambassador Dan Oryan, and engineer Josef Zamboki, the initiator of the establishment of the Israel-Serbia economy association have addressed the participants. The three of them, have as signatories of the awards, handed them out on behalf of their respective organizations.

Visit by Minister Nenad Popovic to Israel, December 2017

Minister without portfolio responsible for innovation and technological development of the Republic of Serbia Nenad Popovic paid an official visit to the State of Israel December 23-25, 2017. During the visit he had separate meetings with the Minister of Science, Technology and Space Ofir Akunis, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Yuval Rotem, heads of the Israel Innovation Authority, research center Volcani of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Bar-Ilan University, as well as the representatives of some of the leading companies of the IT sector. During the visit Minister Popovic has also visited The Holocaust Memorial Complex Yad Vashem where he laid a wreath.

Ministers Popovic and Akunis agreed upon signing the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the fields of innovation and digital economy between the two countries, as well as setting up an Intergovernmental Committee for cooperation. Both sides assessed the meeting as very important for the further development of innovational and technological cooperation between Serbia and Israel.

Seminar in "Yad Vashem" for archivists and librarians from Serbia, December 2017

A seminar for archivists and librarians from Serbia, organized by the International School at the Holocaust Memorial Center "Yad Vashem" was opened today, 4th of December, attended by 25 representatives of the most important archival and librarian institutions from Serbia. This is the first seminar of this kind organized in "Jad Vashem", which in itself speaks of a high level of cooperation between the relevant institutions in Serbia and this memorial center. It focuses on specific issues related to archival and library work in the Holocaust field and how to use the available documentation for disseminating knowledge about the Holocaust.

On this occasion, participants were welcomed by the Director of the Department of Europe, R. Bad Kaplan, Foreign Affairs Director and Assistant President Dr. J. Gevir, Director of the Library, Dr. R. Rozet and representatives of the Yad Vashem Archives. In the name of participants spoke Miško Stanišić, director of Terraforming, an NGO from Serbia that was engaged in the implementation of this project. Ambassador Milutin Stanojević addressed participants and expressed gratitude to the hosts for the organization of the seminar, emphasizing the importance of cooperation in the field of studying the Holocaust.

Remembrance Day, November, 2017

On the occasion of the Remembrance Day, a commemorative ceremony organized by the British Embassy was held on November 12, 2017 at the Commonwealth Cemetery in Ramla.

On behalf of the Embassy of Serbia, H.E. Ambassador Milutin Stanojevic and DA Col. Predrag Kostic laid a wreath.

Jewish New Year's Reception, September, 2017

At a reception in Jerusalem on the occasion of the Jewish New Year, the President of the State of Israel Reuven Rivlin has hosted the representatives of the diplomatic corps.

On that occasion the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the State of Israel Milutin Stanojevic had a short meeting and conversation with the president.

Republic of Serbia Abolishes Visa Regime For Holders of Diplomatic and Official Passports of the Kingdom of Thailand, September, 2017

The Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand on abolishment of visa regime for holders of diplomatic and official passports has entered into force on September 8, 2017. Starting from this date, citizens of both countries, have the right to enter, transit, and stay on the territory of the other country without visa, up to 90 days from the date of the entrance.

Republic of Serbia Abolishes Visa Regime For Holders of Diplomatic And Official Passports of the Republic of Indonesia, September, 2017

The Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Government of the Republic of Indonesia on abolishment of visa regime for holders of diplomatic and official passports has entered into force on September 2, 2017. Starting from this date, citizens of both countries, have the right to enter, transit, and stay on the territory of the other country without visa, up to 30 days from the date of the entrance.

Day of Remembrance of Expelled and Killed Serbs, August, 2017

The Embassy of the Republic of Serbia to the State of Israel has marked the Day of Remembrance of expelled and killed Serbs by the parastos held in the Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Peter and Saint Tabitha in Tel Aviv (Jaffo) on August 5, 2017.

Seminar in "Yad Vashem" for teachers and educators from the Republic of Serbia and Republika Srpska, July, 2017

Organized by the International school of the Memorial Center “Yad Vashem” in Jerusalem the seminar on the Holocaust was executed from July 24 to July 31, 2017 for educators from the Republic of Serbia and Republika Srpska. This was the tenth annual seminar organized for the participants from Serbia (sixth for participants from Srpska) as „Seminar for Serbian Speaking Тeachers аnd Еducators“.

Chargé d'affaires a.i. Dejan Blagiojevic participated the formal ending of the seminar on July 31 and has on the occasion in his address thanked the hosts for excellent organization and many years of successful cooperation. He has pointed out the importance of studying the Holocaust and preserving the remembrance of its victims, as well as passing on the knowledge to the next generations in which the educators are a key part.

Visit by the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vulin to the State of Israel, July, 2017

Minister of Defence of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vulin paid an official visit to the State of Israel July 24-25, 2017, during which he meet with the Minister of Defence Avigdor Liberman. The two ministers signed the Agreement of cooperation in the field of Defence between the coutries.

During the visit minister Vulin met with Theophilos III, the Patriarch of Jerusalem and All Palestine, and has also visited The Holocaust Memorial Complex Yad Vashem where he laid a wreath.

Serbia Abolishes Visa Regime for the Citizens of Peru, May, 2017

The Government of the Republic of Serbia has, on May 11th 2017, adopted Decision to abolish visa regime for the citizens of the Republic of Peru, holders of ordinary passports, allowing them to enter, transit and stay in the Republic of Serbia up to 90 days within six months from the date of the first entry.

International Course on Integrated Pest Management, April, 2017

Closing ceremony of the International Course on Integrated Pest Management was held on April 6th in Tel Aviv.

The course was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation (MASHAW) in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Center for International Agricultural Development Organization (CINADCO), Volcani Center and the Agricultural Research Organization (ARO).
Participants of the course had the opportunity to meet experts from this field, especially regarding protection of plants – integrated pest management, and also to discuss, through concrete projects, opportunities for the implementation of Israeli technology in our conditions.

Our representatives from Serbia – dr Sonja Tančić Živanov from the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crop Novi Sad, dr Milan Brankov from the Maize Research Institute Zemun polje and M.Sc. Miloš Petrović, Teaching Assistant at Agriculture Faculty, University of Novi Sad, received diplomas - certificates for the participation. Diplomas were handed to our participants by the consul dr Sonja Stoiljković, on the behalf of the Embassy.

Public international open competition for the design of a conceptual solution for the Zoran Djindjic Memorial, March, 2017

We would like to inform you that the Belgrade City Administration, Secretariat for Culture, has announced a “Public international two-phase open competition for the design of a conceptual solution for the Zoran Đinđić memorial at the Students square in Belgrade”.

The aim of the competition is to obtain the best quality conceptual solution for the Zoran Đinđić Memorial at the Students Square in Belgrade and to create a dignified memory of Zoran Đinđić, his life, work and social and historical changes he initiated in Serbia, as well as of his tragic death at the entrance to the building of the Government of the Republic of Serbia on March 12, 2003.

Zoran Đinđić was one of the founders of the Democratic Party and served as President of the Executive Board from September 1990, and as President of the Party from January 1994. He was a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Philosophy and Social Theory, member of all three multiparty sessions of the National Parliament of the Republic of Serbia and of the Council of the Republics in the Parliament of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

He was elected Mayor of Belgrade on the 21st February 1997, representing the Together coalition, which topped the polls in many Serbian cities in the 1996 local elections. In June 2000, Đinđic took on the role of coordinator in the Alliance for Change and then became head of the Central Election Committee and promotional campaign coordinator of the Serbian Democratic Opposition (DOS) for the elections held on the 24th September 2000.

He became Prime Minister of Serbia on 25th January 2001, after the victory of DOS in the Serbian parliamentary elections in December 2000. Zoran Đinđic was murdered on March 12th 2003 in front of the Serbian government building, for striving to liberate Serbia from her past and to lead her into the future. Đinđic left behind his wife Ruzica, daughter Jovana and son Luka.

Please find more information at the following link: ZORAN ĐINĐIĆ MEMORIAL

Ensemble For New Music "The Construction Site“ Performs in Tel Aviv, December, 2016

The „Construction Site“ ensemble for modern music from Belgrade has, with its performance on December 13, 2016, opened a new concert season of contemporary music in the Clermont Hall of the University of Tel Aviv.

Pianist Neda Hofman, mezzo soprano Ana Radovanovic, flutist Marina Nenadovic and cellist Srdjan Sretenovic, performing pieces by Serbian and Israeli contemporary composers, have in a virtuous way presented Serbian musical culture to the Israeli public.

Present at the concert were H.E. Milutin Stanojevic Ambassador of Serbia to Israel, Israeli composers whose pieces were performed, members of the Israeli composers’ association, as well as professors and students of the Tel Aviv University’s Mehta-Buhman Academia.

The Church Choral Society “Branko” from Nis visits Israel

The Church Choral Society “Branko” from Nis performed on November 27 at the Auditorium of the Notre Dame Cemter in Jerusalem. This concert was organized on the initiative of the members of the society, through the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Israel, with the blessing and the support by the Serbian Patriarch Irinej and the Patriarch of Jerusalem and all Palestine Theophilos III.

The turnout at the concert was very good, and apart from the members of the diplomatic corps, it was attended by the representatives of the Jerusalem Patriarchate headed by the Patriarch Theophilos III.

After a few introductory, salutatory hymns performed by the St. Jacob Orthodox Cathedral Choir from Jerusalem, the choir “Branko” presented the local public, in the best way, with its excellent performance, the Serbian spiritual and secular choir music.

Remembrance Day

On the occasion of the Remembrance Day, a commemorative ceremony was held on November 13 at the Military Cemetery in Ramla, near Tel Aviv. At the cemetery, as well as in all of Israel, there is no distinct Serbian military memorial and traditionally the ceremony in the memory of the victims of World War I is organized by the British Embassy.

Representatives of Israeli institutions and Military, Israeli veterans, diplomatic and military representatives took part in the ceremony.

On behalf of the Embassy of Serbia, H.E. Ambassador Milutin Stanojevic and DA Col. Predrag Kostic laid a wreath.

INVITATION TO TENDER FOR THE PROVISION OF REAL ESTATE SALES SERVICES – THE SALE OF DIPLOMATIC REAL ESTATE IN NEW YORK (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA), TOKYO (JAPAN), BONN (GERMANY), AND BERNE (SWITZERLAND)

- Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia, the Republic of Slovenia, and the Republic of Serbia – as the sole Successor States to the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (hereinafter "the SFRY") – and the co-owners of diplomatic and consular property of the SFRY, as the previous title owner, hereby issue an invitation to tender for the provision of the service of brokering the sale of the following immovable property¹:

a) Permanent Mission of the SFRY to the UN, New York, USA (854 Fifth Avenue, N.Y. 10065); additional indicative data: block 1391, Lot 6, site area 3,600 sq. ft./30 x 120, gross living area 16,125 sq. ft, est. 1910;

b) Residence of the Permanent Representative of the SFRY to the UN, New York, USA (730 Park Avenue, N.Y. 10021); additional indicative data: Apt. 16/17B, cooperative interest, 718/30.000 shares, block 1385, Lot 37, project name: Park 71st St. Corp., gross living area above grade 4,294 sq. ft., Act. Age: 1929;

c) Embassy and residence of the SFRY in Tokyo, Japan (7-24, 4-chome, Kitashinagawa Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo); additional indicative data: land 316-37 Kita Shinagawa 4-Chome, Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, registered total area 995.27 m2 (app. 28 m x 30 m), building 316-37 Kita Shinagawa 4-Chome, Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, total floor area 1,725.70 m2 (size in building design document), time of completion 1965;

d) Embassy of the SFRY in Bonn, Germany (Schlossallee 5, 5300 Bonn 2), additional indicative data: land register Mehlem, entry no. 2,865, building and garden/courtyard area 5,441 m2, Schlossallee 1 and 5, floor area 1,565 m2 (ground floor, cellar, attic, underground garage with 14 parking spaces);

e) Embassy and residence of the SFRY in Berne, Switzerland (Seminarstrasse 5, 3006 Bern), additional indicative data: estate: nr. 199 Bern 4, land area: total 1,760 m2, building gross area 540 m2, garden area/courtyard 1,220 m2, construction year: 1978.

The Successor States underline the following:

- The service of brokering the sale of all the immovable property listed above will be awarded to a single real estate agency, which will be awarded the contract by the Successor States;

- The deadline for submitting tenders is 30 days from the day following the issuing of this invitation to tender, while the Successor States will notify tenderers of their decision within 50 days from the deadline for submitting tenders;

- Among the references qualifying them to successfully broker the sale of the listed property, interested tenderers will submit the following documents, and define their conditions for providing brokerage services. In their offer, the interested tenderers will include:

a) Documents certifying that the tenderer is a registered company;
b) Documents proving that the tenderer has offices, branches, or partner organisations in the countries where the property on sale is located, operating in the listed cities (New York, USA; Tokyo, Japan; Bonn, Germany; Bern, Switzerland);

c) Documents showing the tenderer's turnover amounted to at least US$ 100 million²in the last three years;

d) Guarantee for the offer in the amount of US$ 50,000.00 (the guarantee will be returned to the tenderer upon the signing of the brokerage contract);

e) Performance guarantee in the amount of US$ 100,000.00 (the performance guarantee will be returned to the tenderer upon the completion of the contract);

f) Evidence of financial and business solvency;

g) Evidence of technical and professional capacities and references proving the successful provision of brokerage services;

h) Certificate of no conviction of the tenderer/legal entity and its CEO, in accordance with the legal provisions of the country of the registered seat of the tenderer and permanent residence of its CEO;

- The period of validity of the tender shall be at least 90 days from the date of submission;

- Interested tenderers will specify their tenders as a brokerage fee, which is a percentage of the total gross sales price of the property listed above;

- The lowest brokerage fee shall be the decisive criterion in selecting the successful tenderer, provided that the tenderer meets all the above conditions;

- Interested tenderers will submit their tenders (in a sealed envelope, marked with the designation 'Do not open') by registered mail addressed to:

Stanislav Vidovič, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, SI-1001 Ljubljana, Prešernova cesta 25.

- The Successor States will provide appraisals of the market value of all the listed immovable property to the successful tenderer; the property's appraised market value will represent the minimum asking price for the property concerned, unless otherwise decided by the Successor States;

- The sale of the immovable property will be conducted preferably by way of public auction or by any other method in accordance with the local real estate market practice for each immovable property concerned, as advised by interested tenderers in their tenders;

- The Successor States reserve the right not to select any tenderer, even if all conditions are met;

- The immovable property listed in this invitation to tender may be sold separately or not. Each Successor State must confirm the sale of each immovable property under the terms to be negotiated with the best offer/potential buyer prior to concluding the sale if the purchase price offered is below the appraised market value or the minimum asking price.

- Contact details for additional information: gp.mzz@gov.si or sekretariat.mzz@gov.si.

Please find the documents required for applying here:
Tenderer information sheet
Tender Bond (Guarantee) Form B-1
Performance Bond (Guarantee) Form B-2

[1] The information on property in this invitation to tender are only indicative. The Successor States accept no responsibility for their accuracy. Precise information may be obtained by consulting public databases of the countries where the immovable property is located. The Successor States will submit relevant data in their possession regarding the immovable property listed in this invitation to tender to the successful tenderer after the completion of the selection process.

[2] Or the equivalent in €, CHF, or ¥.

Funeral of Shimon Peres

President of the Republic of Serbia Tomislav Nikolic attended, on September 30th in Jerusalem, the state memorial ceremony and the state funeral of 9th President of the State of Israel Shimon Peres. Attending the funeral, as part of the presidential delegation of the Republic of Serbia, were also Milutin Stanojevic Ambassador to Israel, and Ivan Mrkic, advisor to the president.

DETORIORATION OF THE SECURITY SITUATION IN ISRAEL AND WEST BANK

Security situation in Israel, especially in the Old City of Jerusalem, where the most visited tourist sites are located, has been deteriorating since mid-September 2015. The situation is followed by violent incidents, and the possibility of terrorist attacks, in which foreign tourists could be dragged in, should also not be ruled out.

In that regard, citizens of the Republic of Serbia are advised to avoid traveling to Israel and the West Bank, while those who remain determined to travel should avoid areas of public gathering. Also, it is necessary to pay close attention to the local media for updates on the developments.

The Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Tel Aviv is paying close attention to the developments and is at the disposal of the citizens of Serbia staying in or planning to travel to Israel, for all the available information on the current security situation.

Lecture of the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to Israel at the Institute "Shem Olam"

H. E. Milutin Stanojevic, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the State of Israel, this Monday, 1st of August, held a lecture at the Institute for Holocaust "Shem Olam." On that occasion he had a long conversation with the director of the Institute Rabbi Avraham Krieger. The initiative for the meeting and lecture is the result of a very good cooperation between the Embassy and the Ambassador with Professor Gideon Greif, chief historian of the Institute and former " Yad Vashem" researcher.

In a lecture on the Holocaust and genocide, before prominent members of the Institute "Shem Olam", Ambassador Milutin Stanojevic pointed out the connection and friendship among Serbian and Jewish people, dating from the most difficult historical moments, and also shared responsibility in countering the attempts of audit and erasing of the history, as well as equalizing criminals and victims.

On the same occasion , Ambassador handed a gift book "From cradle to Jasenovac" to Rabbi A. Krieger.

Seminar on the Holocaust in "Yad Vashem" for educators from the Republic of Serbia and Republika Srpska

Organized by the International school of the Memorial Center “Yad Vashem” in Jerusalem, on July 24, 2016 a seminar on the Holocaust began, with the participation of a group of eighteen educators from the Republic of Serbia and eleven from Republika Srpska. This is the ninth annual seminar for participants from Serbia (fifth for participants from Srpska) as „Seminar for Serbian Speaking Тeachers аnd Еducators“, which was carried out, in the case of Serbia, in the cooperation between the Ministry of education, science and technological development and "Yad Vashem".

In his address the Ambassador of Serbia Milutin Stanojevic expressed gratitude to the hosts for organizing the seminar pointing out the significance of cooperation in the field of studying about and remembering the Holocaust. In this context, he emphasized the importance of the role the educators have in conveying the knowledge in the field of Holocaust studies, underlining also the importance of utilization Israel’s experiences when speaking about the remembrance of the genocide committed against the Serbian people during the World War II.

Commemoration dedicated to Jasenovac - contribution to the organization

On May 8th 2016 in New York was held 15th Annual Commemoration dedicated to Jasenovac, organized by "Jasenovac Research Institute " in New York, with the support of the Department of Migration Policy, Diaspora and Social Arrangements of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia and organizations of Serbs in diaspora. Among the main guests, historian from Israel, an expert from the Institute for Holocaust "Shem Olem" Professor Dr. Gideon Greif also took a participation.

Having in mind the importance of Commemoration marking the 75th Anniversary of the establishment of the Jasenovac camp, at Assembly of All Serbs (Svesrpski sabor) held 3-4 of June this year in Zurich, the Swiss Association of Serbian businessmen awarded a plaque for the contribution to the organization of the Commemoration in gratitude to H.E. Milutin Stanojevic, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the State of Israel.

Victory over Fascism Day

The Victory over Fascism Day was traditionally marked in Israel, with ceremony in The World Holocaust Remembrance Center Jad Vashem.

On this occasion, H.E. Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the State of Israel Milutin Stanojevic and Colonel Predrag Costic laid a wreath.

Air Serbia and EL AL Sign Codeshare Agreement

At the solemn ceremony in the premises of the Israeli international airport Ben Gurion on March 28, 2016, director general of Air Serbia Dane Kondic and CEO of EL AL David Maimon, have signed the Codeshare agreement.

In his address on this occasion, H.E. Ambassador Milutin Stanojevic has extended his congratulations and assessed that signing of the agreement will positively affect not only the two companies but also their customers. He also stressed that this step will contribute to closer connections between people from the two countries, as well as to furthering cooperation and relations between Serbia and Israel.

Information on the forthcoming elections in the Republic of Serbia

Please see information details on the forthcoming elections in Serbian language, Latin and Cyrillic versions.

Visit of Israeli Business Association in Serbia to the State of Israel

Business delegation consisting of representatives of Israeli Business Association in Serbia, with Mr. D. Bogunovic - president of the Jewish community in Belgrade as a founder of the organization, is currently visiting Israel.

During the visit, the delegation met with H.E. Mr. Milutin Stanojević, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the State of Israel.

Bilateral defense consultations with the State of Israel

Bilateral defense consultations of the Republic of Serbia with the State of Israel were held from 17-20th January 2016. Head of the Serbian delegation was Captain Milan Konjikovac .

The delegation comprising Captain Milan Konjikovac, Colonel Predrag Kostic and Lieutenant Colonel Branko Misic laid a wreath on January 19th, at the Memorial Centre Yad Vashem, in memory of Holocaust victims.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TRAVELS

In case of intent, in the forthcoming period, to travel to Israel, please bear in mind the deteriorating security situation, which has, since mid September 2015, been manifesting itself through almost daily violent incidents and terrorist attacks. Due to their frequency and dispersion, a possibility of a terrorist attack involving foreign tourists, should not be ruled out.

In that sense, we advise the citizens of Serbia to reconsider their decision to travel to Israel, and if they do travel, during their stay to pay close attention to safety in places of public assembly, especially in Old City Jerusalem.

We suggest our citizens to inform themselves, on regular basis, in the local media on the developments. The Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Tel Aviv is paying close attention to the developments and is at the disposal for all the available information on the current security situation.

Pay close attention to safety if traveling to the West Bank, while travel to Gaza is not recommendable.

Also, more information may be obtained at the site of Ministry of Foreign Affairs: http://mfa.rs/sr/index.php/konzularni-poslovi/putovanja-u-inostranstvo/vize-za-inostranstvo-i-informacije-o-drzavama/100-spisak-zemalja-za-putovanje-u-inostranstvo/10533-izrael-konz?lang=cyr

Exhibition of Ljiljana Bursać’s Art in Ein Hod

On Saturday December 5th, 2015 in the “Janco-Dada” Museum in the art colony/village of Ein Hod, near Haifa, exhibition of our academic painter Ljiljana Bursac’s art was opened.

The exhibition will be open for visitors until February 15th 2016.

For more information go to http://www.jancodada.co.il/?page_id=1820&lang=en

Remembrance Day

On the occasion of the Remembrance Day, a commemorative ceremony was held on November 8, 2015 at the Ramla Military Cemetery, organized by British Embassy in Tel Aviv. At the cemetery, as well as in all of Israel, there is no distinct Serbian military memorial. Traditionally, the ceremony is held in the memory of the victims of World War I on Sunday preceding November 11. Representatives of Israeli institutions and Military, Israeli veterans, diplomatic and military representatives took part in the ceremony.

On behalf of the Embassy of Serbia, H.E. Ambassador Milutin Stanojevic and DA Col. Predrag Kostic laid a wreath.

DETORIORATION OF THE SECURITY SITUATION IN ISRAEL AND WEST BANK

Donation of The Holocaust Art Institute in the honour of Righteous Serbs

The artist Joseph J. Sherman and Mr. Boruch Rizel from The Holocaust Art Institute visited the Embassy on October 27th and donated a painting by Mr. Sherman, as a sign of gratitude for the courage of Righteous Serbs who were helping members of the Jewish community during the Second World War. Mr. J. Sherman is a painter of Jewish origin, a member of the ultra-orthodox Jewish community, who grew up in the United States where he completed his studies in marketing.

Amb. M. Stanojevic expressed the gratitude for this gesture and recalled the long tradition of friendly relations between the Serbian and Jewish people, particularly emphasizing solidarity in difficult period for both of the nations during the World War II. He expressed the belief that two people in the future, just as throughout the history, will continue to develop close friendly relations.

Meeting of the Kfar Saba Rotary club

Rotary Club Kfar Saba held a meeting on Sunday, 11th of October and H.E. Ambassador Milutin Stanojevic, together with his spouse Ms. Svetlana, attended the meeting as a special guest. Among other guests were representatives of the City Administration of Kfar Saba and Rotary Israel.

Club is well known by collecting donations for Serbia. This meeting was dedicated to the donation of the Club to the school for children with special needs "Milan Petrovic" in Novi Sad.

Visit of the delegation from the Ministry of agriculture and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Serbia to Israel

Delegation from the Ministry of agriculture and environmental protection of the Republic of Serbia, composed of representatives of the Ministry and International Management Group (IMG), visited Israel from 11-16 of October. Working visit occured during the Water Technology and Environment control Exibition and Conference - WATEC, which gathers a large number of participants - companies from water resources field.

The participation of Serbian representatives in The International Competition of Vocal Arts in Jerusalem

International Competition of Vocal Arts has been opened last night, 28th of July, in Jerusalem. Beside the members of La Scala Milano, Berlin Opera, Metropolitan Opera NY and Israeli Opera, representatives of Belgrade National Theatre Opera are also participating - director of the Opera Ms. Jelena Vlahovic and primadona Jasmina Trumbetas.

Manifestation has been opened by gala concert in Gerard Behar Hall, in Jerusalem, with the special performance of Jasmina Trumbetas. Many members of diplomatic corps and diaspora have been present at the concert and special thanks went to Josef Zamboki, member of Association of Jews from former Yugoslavia and also to the Embasssy of the Republic of Serbia to the State of Israel, which contributed to the organization of the concert.

Visa Abolition Agreement between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Moldova

Embassy of the Republic of Serbia to the State of Israel informs you that the Visa Abolition Agreement between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Moldova, signed od 23rd of December 2014, will enter into force on 6th of August 2015.

Acording to this agreement, citizens of both countries, with valid passports, do not need visa to enter the territory of other country from the agreement (and for stay up to 90 days).

Seminar for Serbian Speaking Teachers and Educators in Yad Vashem

Today has begun "Seminar for Serbian Speaking Teachers and Educators", organized by The Ministry of education, science and techonogical development of the Republic of Serbia and The International School for Holocaust Studies within The Memorial Centre Yad Vashem. This is the eight seminar and this time there are 18 participants from Serbia and almost the same number from Republic of Srpska.

Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the State of Israel H.E. Milutin Stanojevic addressed the opening and underlined the importance of memory of Holocaust, with special role of educators in transferring the knowledge in this matter.

Forming the Israeli-Serbia Parlamentary Group of Friendship

The Knesset has yesterday formed the Israeli-Serbia Parlamentary Group of Friendship, constisting of new Israeli Parlament members. Head of the Group is Israeli former minister of foreign affairs, Mr. Avigdor Liberman.

Ambassador Milutin Stanojevic addressed the members of the Group and welcomed the forming, underlining that this initiative will deepen interparlamentary cooperation and general relations between two friendly countries.

Director of Simon Wiesenthal Center Visits Serbia

Director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Israel, Efraim Zuroff, in the capacity of the expert collaborator of the Commission for building a Memorial “Staro sajmiste” in Belgrade, has on July 13, 2015 visited Serbia, where he had separate meetings with the President Tomislav Nikolic, First Deputy Prime Minister and MFA Ivica Dacic and other representatives of the Republic of Serbia.

President Nikolic highlighted the importance of this project and pointed out that it will realized because it is necessary for Serbia to have one such center as a reminder of all Serbian victims and sufferings.

MFA Dacic pointed out the importance of strengthening the cooperation between Serbia and Israel in the field of research and commemoration of Holocaust and war crimes in a time in which the trend of their relativisation is ever more present and visible.

Zuroff thanked for the support of this project and expressed his wish for “Staro sajmiste” to be put on a map of must-see monuments in Serbia, for its every visitor.

Visit of business delegation to Israel

In order to concretize projects in the agriculture field, during the first day of three-day visit to Israel, business delegation from Vojvodina has visited several Israeli institutions - Export Institute, Kibbutz Industries Association and Volcani Research Center within the Ministry of Agriculture of Israel.

H.E. Ambassador Milutin Stanojevic welcomed a business delegation on the behalf of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia to the State of Israel.

Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism

The 5th Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism was held from 12 to 14 May, 2015 in Jerusalem, with the participation of more than 1.000 guests from around 80 countries.

Ambassador of Serbia to Israel Milutin Stanojevic and head rabbi of Serbia Isak Asiel, as well as associate of the Jasenovac Committee of the Serbian Orthodox Church Ms. Ivana Bartulovic, attended the forum.

Conference on Environment and Health, Haifa

Conference on Environment and Health, organized by Government of Israel and World Health Organization (WHO), was held in Haifa from 28-30 of April. Head of Serbian delegation was H.E. Ambassador Milutin Stanojević and members of delegation were: Ms. Biljana Filipović, from Ministry of agriculture and environment of the Republic of Serbia, m.a. Branislava Matić Savićević, from Institute of Public Health of Serbia and dr Petar Bulat, proffesor of Medical Faculty. During the conference, H.E. Ambassador Milutin Stanojević and Biljana Filipović, as national coordinator in WHO Working Group, addressed the present delegates from different countries.

Promotion of Serbia during the exibition in Kfar Saba

The Republic of Serbia is one of the countries being promoted at the exibition "Travelling around the world and soul" opened in business-comercial centre in Kfar Saba (city near Tel Aviv). Part of the exibition is video-promotion of Serbia, consisted of promotional material of National Tourism Organisation of Serbia, which is going to be presented to the visitors during the next three months of exibition, in the cetral part of the space. H.E. Ambassador Milutin Stanojevic attended the opening of the exibition.

Holy Fire in Serbia

The delegation of the Serbian Orthodox Church visited Israel on April 10-11, 2015 with the aim of bringing the Holy Fire to Serbia.

On April 10 the delegation got the blessing from Patriarch Theophilos III in the Jerusalem Patriarchate.

The next day (April 11) delegation attended the service in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, received the Holy Flame and then brought it to Belgrade.

This is the first time in the history of our country that an official delegation has brought the Holy Flame to Serbia. The activity was blessed by three Patriarchates: Serbian, Russian and Jerusalem, and was realized with the aid of the Russian church.

The Start of Serbian Film Week

On March 2 in Tel Aviv, Serbian Film Week was opened by screening the debut feature of the director Mina Djukic “Disobedient”. The official opening and screening in Tel Aviv Cinematheque was attended by esteemed representatives of the Israeli public life, diplomatic corps, Serbian Diaspora and Jewish community originating from the former Yugoslavia, culture workers and journalists.

Festival was opened by the Ambassador Milutin Stanojevic, who emphasized the friendly relations and good cooperation between Serbia and Israel in all fields, and pointed out that events like this transfer the spirit and culture of a nation to another, which contributes to a better mutual understanding and the development of overall relations between two countries. Guests were greeted by Mr. Alon Garbuz Director of Tel Aviv Cinematheque and by the guest from Serbia director Mina Djukic, who answered many questions after the screening.

In the days to come, the Israeli audience in try major cities: Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa will have an opportunity to get to know the latest achievements of Serbian cinematography. Apart from “Disobedient”, within the Serbian Film Week the following movies will be screened “See You in Montevideo”, “Monument to Michael Jackson”, “No One’s Child”, and “So Hot Was the Cannon” and a documentary “Rabbitland”.

PROGRAM - SERBIAN FILM WEEK

	TEL AVIV	JESRUSALEM	HAIFA
DISOBIDIENT	Monday 02/03 at 21.00	Tuesday 03/03 at 20.30	Thursday 05/03 at 19.00
SEE YOU IN MONTEVIDEO	Tuesday 03/03 at 18.00	Saturday 07/03 at 18.30	Monday 09/03 at 20.30
MONUMENT TO MICHAEL JACKSON + RABBITLAND	Wednesday 04/03 at 20.00	Thursday 05/03 at 19.00	Saturday 07/03 at 19.00
NO ONE'S CHILD	Thursday 05/03 at 19.00	Wednesday11/03 at 18.00	Tuesday 10/03 at 19.00
SO HOT WAS THE CANNON	Saturday 07/03 at 21.00	Tuesday 10/03 at 18.00	Sunday 08/03 at 21.00

Serbian Film Week in Israel

Embassy of the Republic of Serbia to the State of Israel, Film Center Serbia and Israel-Serbia Friendship Association, in cooperation with Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa Cinematheque, have the honor to invite you to the Serbian Film Week, which is going to be held from 2nd to 11th of March in Israel.

Cooperation of Audit Institutions of Serbia and Israel

A delegation of the State Audit Institution of Serbia, headed by its president Mr. Radoslav Sretenovic was in a study visit to Israel from 17 to 20 of February 2015. This visit, financed within the framework of a UNDP Program, was mutually assessed as very useful and significant. Having in mind the planned return visit by the representatives of Israeli audit institution to Serbia it represents the beginning of establishing a close cooperation between the audit institutions and is another confirmation of excellent bilateral relation between the two countries in all areas.

On the first day of the visit a working lunch was held in Jerusalem, hosted by Mr. Joseph Shapira, State Comptroller and Ombudsman of Israel, attended by Ambassador Milutin Stanojevic and spouse.

Participation of Serbia in the International Tourism Fair in Tel Aviv

On February 10, 2015 the 21st International Tourism Fair was officially opened, with the participation of more than 30 countries worldwide.

Serbia very successfully participates in the fair every year, and this year Serbian booth drew much interest among the visitors. Tourist cooperation between Serbia and Israel has been increasing, with a couple of times more Israeli tourists visiting Serbia in 2014.

Project of building a Memorial “Staro sajmiste”

During his stay in Israel, Bishop John (Culibrk) of Slavonia, in the capacity of the president of the Commission for building a Memorial “Staro sajmiste” in Belgrade, met on February 5, 2015 with Avner Shalev Chairman of Yad Vashem, The Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Memorial in Jerusalem. At the meeting, also participated by Ambassador Milutin Stanojevic, the possibilities of establishing cooperation on the conceptual solution, and the realization of the project of building the Memorial in Belgrade were discussed, first of all in order for our memorial to fulfill all the international norms and standards so as to become a member of world community of memorials.

Bishop John (Culibrk) of Slavonia, during his stay in Israel, visited the Embassy of Serbia in Tel Aviv, where he discussed with Ambassador Milutin Stanojevic about the next steps in the realization of “Staro sajmiste” project.

International Workshop on Innovative Entrepreneurship

International Workshop “Innovative Entrepreneurship – from Idea to Starting a Business” was carried out in the International Training Center of Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation (MASHAV) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel in Haifa. The Workshop, assessed by the organizers as one of the most successful in the previous period, presented the participants from more than twenty countries all around the world with the opportunity to learn about the Israeli innovative solutions in this area, as well as to share their own experiences and ideas.

At the closing ceremony of the workshop held in Haifa on 29th of January, 2015, counsellor at the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia Dejan Blagojevic handed in the certificate to the representative from Serbia Mr. Dragan Stankovic, coordinator for international cooperation of the Valjevo Town Hall.

Meeting of Heads of Government of China and 16 Central and Eastern European Countries

Тhe 3rd Meeting of Heads of Government of China and Central and Eastern European Countries, held in Belgrade оn 16 December 2014 was attended by, apart from the Prime Ministers of China and of the host nation Serbia, Prime Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Albania and Deputy Prime Ministers of Bulgaria, Croatia and Poland. Participants considered the possibilities of strengthening, first of all economic relations with China, and also their mutual relations, especially in the fields of infrastructure, transport, energy, science and tourism, and also several multilateral and bilateral agreements were signed.

During the Summit a bilateral meeting between the Governments of Serbia and China was held, within the frame of which the two countries signed several agreements, memorandums and protocols on cooperation in various fields, from state of the art technologies and telecommunications to building a power plant, but also on the export of Serbian food industry products to China.

Serbia and Hungary signed the Agreement on cooperation between the Serbian and Hungarian railways and customs authorities, part of a deal to modernize the Belgrade-Budapest railway.

International Course on Vegetable Production in Protected Environment

Closing ceremony of the International Course on Vegetable Production in Protected Environment was held on December 9th in Tel Aviv.

Participants of the course had the opportunity to meet experts from this field, especially regarding vegetable production. Our representatives from Serbia, Djordje Moravcevic, Professor from the Faculty of Agriculture and Dario Danojevic, Researcher from the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crop, received diplomas - certificates for the participation. Diplomas were handed to our participants by the consul Sonja Stoiljkovic, on the behalf of the Embassy.

Visit of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia Mr. Aleksandar Vučić to Israel

Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić visited Israel on 1st and 2nd of December, having meetings with the most important representatives of Israel in political and economic field.

Prime Minister of the State of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu said that this is the historic visit that demonstrates friendship with the people of Israel. Prime Minister Vučić underlined that, beside the historical significance, this visit represents invest in the future - in future cooperation of Serbia and Israel in all fields, including politics, economy and also security challenges.

During the meeting with MFA of the State of Israel Avigdor Lieberman, Prime Minister Vučić expressed the gratitude for the support of Israel to the territorial integrity of our country. Two sides also expressed the interest for further improvement of cooperation, both political and especially economic cooperation.

During the two-day visit, Prime Minister Vučić had meetings with the President of the State of Israel Reuven Rivlin as well as with the former President Shimon Peres. First day of the official visit, Prime Minister visited The Holocaust Memorial Complex Yad Vashem and laid a wreath.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dačić sent the letter of condolence to MFA of Israel Avigdor Liberman

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia H.E. Mr. Ivica Dačić sent the letter of condolence to Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel H.E. Mr. Avigdor Liberman regarding the attack at the Synagogue in Jerusalem.

In the letter, Minister conveys his deepest condolences and condemnation of the terrorist attack, that took away five lives.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia sees this crime as an act which seriously undermines the efforts aimed at renewing the peace process and appeals that no effort be spared to prevent a new spiral of violence and escalation of conflict in Israel.

Remembrance Day

On Sunday, November 9th, ceremony of memorial day for the victims of the First World War, Remembrance Day, was held at Ramla Military Cemetery (town near Tel Aviv) and it was organized by British Embassy in Israel. At this cemetery, as well in Israel, there is no Serbian military memorial, but traditional ceremony is held in memory of victims of First World War, every last Sunday before November 11th.

Event gathered representatives of israeli institutions and army, as well as israeli veterans and diplomatic representatives. On the behalf of the Embassy of Serbia, H.E. Ambassador Milutin Stanojevic laid a wreath.

Changes in the Visa Regime of the Republic of Serbia

Starting from November 8, 2014, foreign citizens, holders of all types of travel documents (with the exception of emergency travel documents and travel documents issued in accordance with international conventions) shall be permitted to enter, transit through and stay in the Republic of Serbia without a Visa for up to 90 days within the period of six months, provided they have a valid Schengen Visa, Great Britain or any other European Union member states’ Visa, and Visa of the United States of America, or provided they have a residence permit in countries of the Schengen Zone, European Union member states, or in the United States of America.

The 20th International Cartoon Contest

This year The International Cartoon Contest in Haifa is celebrating 20 years since its establishment. The theme of this year contest was "The Child in the Family and in Society. " A total of 492 caricaturists from 64 countries took part in the contest. Two of contesters from Serbia won special prizes, Miro Stefanović and Slobodan Obradović. The Embassy congatulates Mr. Stefanović and Mr. Obradović on this prize.

On the same occasion H.E. Mr. Milutin Stanojević, the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to Israel, received congratulations for the promoting of the 20th International Cartoon Contest.

The presentation of the book "Hell called Jasenovac"

The presentation of the book "Hell called Jasenovac" was organized in Yad Vashem's Educational Center for Holocaust, on September 22.

The author had been taken to Jasenovac camp as 17 year old boy. Story offers a lot of details from author's memories before the war, also during the war and his staying at the camp, but through the prism of the adult that decided to tell the world his story after 40 years (records from the book being dated back to the eighties).

Distinguished guests prof. Raphael Vago, Raul Teitelbaum, Mirjam Rajner, Iael Nidam-Orvieto and Alexander Korb gave their comments on the period of the existence of Jasenovac camp during the Second World War. Some of the representatives of the embassies in Israel also attended the event, among them Ms. Sonja Stoiljković from the Serbian Embassy.

Minister Dacic Met With the Deputy Minister of Interior of Israel Ms. Faina Kirschenbaum

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic met on September 12 with Deputy Minister of Interior of Israel Ms. Faina Kirschenbaum, during her working visit of the Republic of Serbia.

Interlocutors expressed their satisfaction with traditionally good and friendly relations between the Republic of Serbia and the State of Israel. The meeting addressed bilateral relations, especially that of economy and investment cooperation, as well as the possibilities of enhancing the relations in the areas of agriculture, tourism and scientific-educational cooperation. Prior to this meeting, the Israeli delegation had a meeting with the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ambassador Dragan Momcilovic.

Start Tel Aviv

On September 14th 2014 Start Tel Aviv started! Winners from 16 countries all over the world, including Serbia, met at the Rooftop of the Tel Aviv Municipality. Start Tel Aviv is an international competition for startups from 16 countries around the world who competed for a 5-day intense startup experience in Tel Aviv.

Congratulations to our representatives Mr. Nikola Mitić and Ms. Nevena Jovanović, from Cofa games.

Workshop on Economic Empowerment of Women

Workshop on Economic Empowerment of Women, in cooperation with UN Women Eastern&Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO), opened at The Golda Meir Mount Carmel International Training Center on August 25 2014, Haifa.

Representatives, mainly from Africa, Asia and Balkans, experienced Israel at its best. Through two weeks seminar they had lectures of eminent experts from all over the world. But real memories have been made through lasting friendship among these young and successful women.

Closing ceremony took place at the Training Center on September 11 and the representative of the Embassy of Serbia was there to congratulate Ms. Maša Mitrović, Regional Development Agency Backa and Ms. Jovana Ružičić, Center for Moms on this great success and valuable experience.

Security recommendations for Serbian Citizens

The citizens of the Republic of Serbia who live on the territory of Israel are asked to follow the instructions of the Israeli Home Front Command in case of a missile attack after the announcement of the air raid siren. The information and instructions are being distributed through the local media. Information regarding the procedure can be found on the Command’s website - www.oref.org.il

We suggest nationals temporarily residing in Israel not to travel within the area of 50 kilometres around the Gaza Strip (areas around the towns of Sderot, Ashkelon, Ashdod and Beer Sheva), and to avoid places with a high risk of a potential street violence. There is a greater risk of an outbreak of street riots in towns in Israel with a greater percentagIt should be noted that frequent protests are being conducted in Jerusalem, particularly East Jerusalem, including the Old City.

The citizens of Serbia who live or plan to visit Israel can contact the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Tel Aviv for all the available information and updates regarding the current security situation.

Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia on the Killing of Three Israeli Citizens in the West Bank

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia expresses its deepest condolences to the families and friends of Naftali Frankel, Gilad Shaar and Eyal Yifrach. Citizens of Serbia share concern and pain of the citizens of Israel regarding the atrocious killings of these teenagers.

We express our hope that the perpetrators of this heinous crime will be found and brought to justice.

The Ministry appeals to all parties in Israel and Palestine to make the utmost efforts and show necessary restraint in order to avoid this tragedy to further destabilize the Middle East.

Belgrade, July 2, 2014

Serbian National Team at the XX Mediterranean Swimming Cup in Israel (COMEN)

XX Mediterranean swimming cup took place at the "Wingate" Institute in Natanya, Israel from 28 to 29 June 2014. Serbia was represented by 9 competitors that have, competing with representatives of 18 countries, made a remarkable success winning many medals. Most successful competitor at the Cup, winning four gold medals, is our Anja Crevar. The Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia Milutin Stanojevic attended the Cup and handed out the medals to the winners of two races.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia condemns kidnapping Israeli teenagers

Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia,
Belgrade
Monday, 23 Jun 2014

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia condemns the kidnapping of Israeli teenagers in the West Bank.

We consider that these acts seriously damage the attempts of the peace negotiations renewal, which are the only way to achieve the compromise solution and to lay the solid foundation for peaceful coexistence in the Middle East.

The Republic of Serbia calls upon all sides to direct the efforts towards protection of civilians, decreasing tensions and preventing further escalation of the crisis.

(Translated from Serbian by the Embassy in Tel Aviv)

Donations by sending sms messages

Donations by sending sms messages to 1003 can only be done using telephone numbers of the mobile operators in Serbia.

Government declares three days of mourning for flood victims

The Serbian government declared at its session on May 20 three days of mourning over the death and suffering of a large number of citizens in the floods, to be observed on 21, 22 and 23 May 2014.

Book of condolence will be opened at the premises of the Embasssy, 10 Bodenheimer Street, Tel Aviv on 21-23 May between 10:00 and 16:00.

Humanitarian aid - payments to the account of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Tel Aviv

In order to avoid high banking fees, financial aid for the flood-affected people in Serbia can be paid to the account of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia:

Bank Haapoalim

Branch no. 532

Embassy of Serbia

Account number 354877

The Embassy shall transfer these payments to the account of the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

PayPal Account for Flood Victims in Serbia

Starting yesterday May 18, 2014 a PayPal account for humanitarian aid for flood victims in Serbia is available for donators from 193 countries and regions. Donations are accepted via http://www.floodrelief.gov.rs

The account belongs to the Serbian diplomatic mission in Brussels, and donations are automatically transferred to the special Serbian government account for flood relief.

Humanitarian Aid to the affected population in Serbia

The Embassy of the Republic of Serbia would like to inform its citizens and all other willing to help floods affected population in Serbia, that the Embassy will be open 24 hours a day for the aid packages acceptance.

We would like to inform of following product shortage:

- Bedsheets

- Diapers (babies and adults)

- Socks

- Underwear

- Torches and torch batteries

- Personal hygiene items (paper tissues and towels, soap, sanitary pads, disinfectans, toothbrushes, toothpastes, baby wet wipes,...)

- Asepsol type 5P

- Rubber boots

- Canned and baby food;

Photo courtesy: Aleksandar Stankovic

The Embasssy will, in cooperation with the national airline "Air Serbia", transport the collected aid as soon as possible.

Floods in Serbia - Embassy Press Release

   Амбасада Републике Србије - Тел Авив
Embassy of the Republic of Serbia - Tel Aviv
שגרירות הרפובליקה של סרביה

May 18, 2014

Due to the severe flooding caused by the heavy rains that strucked large part of the Republic of Serbia, the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia to the state of Israel is issuing a following:

P R E S S R E L E A S E

On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Serbia and Serbian people, the Embassy would like to express its gratitude to the State of Israel for the aid and emergency assistance provided to Serbia, which is currently facing the worst floods in history, caused by the heavy rains.

Furthermore, the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia would like to convey its gratitude to the people of Israel for their support and solidarity expressed during these hard and dramatic moments which showed that Serbia is not alone.

The Embassy would like to call upon all those who are interested to help to contact the Embassy on the following numbers:
+972-3-604-5535
+972-54-762-8019 (Hebrew)
+972-54-751-5047
+972-52-692-9807

Floods in Serbia - Urgent Relief Needed

Due to severe floodings that hit Serbia, tens of thousands of people are in need for urgent relief. The companies and individuals seeking to assist the people in Serbia affected by floods may do so by making payments to the following special account of The Government of the Republic of Serbia:

Account Number: 01-504619-100193230-000000-0000

SWIFTBIC: NBSRRSBG

Bank name: Ministry of Finance - Treasury, Belgrade, special account for assistance to flood-affected areas,

IBAN: RS 35908504619019323080

Instructions for payments in EUR and in USD can be found here http://mfa.rs/uplata_deviza.pdf

Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia has set up a Call Centre for this purpose, which will also serve as a focal point to coordinate activities with other State Agencies. Call Centre telephone numbers are:

+381113120741

+381113120739

+381113129939

+381113120742

+381113120646

Information may also be sought by e-mail: pomoc.vanrednesituacije@mup.gov.rs

The Emergency Headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may be contacted at +381668066020 or by e-mail: kriznistab@mfa.rs

Tenth Anniversary of Pogrom on Kosovo and Metohija

Embassy has marked the sad anniversary on March 20, 2014 by the projection of documentary film "Crime Without Punishment", attended by around 30 representatives of Israeli political and public life, diplomatic and military corps, media and Association of Jews from former Yugoslavia.

The documentary "Crime Without Punishment" is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SjnK_zyeR0

Ten years ago, on March 17 and 18, 2004, violence broke out tremendously in Kosovo and Metohia. Nineteen people were killed, eight of then Serbs, while 11 Albanians lost their lives in the fight against the international security forces. Two citizens of Serbian nationality are still accounted missing. More than 950 people were injured, more than 900 Serbs, Roma and Ashkali homes were torched, 4,000 people were expelled from their homes, nearly 100 Serbian churches and monasteries were destroyed and desecrated.

Six towns, and nine villages were ethnically cleansed, 935 Serbian houses and ten public buildings were destroyed, burned or damaged. 72 UN vehicles were destroyed. During the violence 39 temples of the Serbian Orthodox Church were destroyed and burned to the ground, including 18 cultural monuments, such as the temple of Bogorodica Ljeviška in Prizren (UNESCO listed). Priceless cultural heritage, thousands of icons, and other religious relics, old and rare books, documents of the Serbian Orthodox churches in Kosovo and Metohija were destroyed, damaged, lost or accounted missing. International prosecutors and judges in Kosovo prosecuted seven cases of destruction of churches and 67 people were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 21 months to 16 years.

Motive and pretext for the Pogrom was the local campaign in which the Serbs were accused of forcing with dogs Albanian boys to cross the Ibar river; three boys drowned in the river. UNMIK police investigation found that the allegations were false, and international police spokesman at the time stated that "surviving boys were under strong pressure from Albanian journalists and politicians to accuse Serbs from the neighbouring villages". At first, protests of Kosovo Albanians broke out in the southern part of Mitrovica, which later became armed attacks on Serbs in northern part of the town.

Ten years after the March violence in the province, Serbia continues alerting the international community to the ever-present threat to the local Serbian population and continuous campaign of intimidation carried out by some of the Kosovo Albanians. The incidents in Kosovo, which are listed in the report of the UN Secretary-General were a part of an orchestrated campaign of intimidation directed towards Kosovo Serbs, in order to continue the ethnic cleansing and total annihilation of the Serbian cultural and religious heritage. More than 200,000 non-Albanians were expelled from Kosovo and Metohija since June 1999, with only a few returning to their homes since. The international community at the time rated the "ethnic violence" against Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija "planned and well orchestrated".

Albanian extremists' terror was later condemned by the UN Security Council, and the EU; the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on April 29 2004 passed a relevant resolution. Even ten years after the expulsion, most victims of the March pogrom against Serbs have not returned to their homes, many are still in collective centres, container settlements or other people's houses in the status of internally displaced persons.

It is expected that, within the dialogue between Belgrade and Priština, the issue of protection of cultural and historical heritage and enabling the permanent return of internally displaced persons to Kosovo an Metohija will be one of the most important chapters of the dialogue that has already for a year successfuly been carried out with the active support of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Mrs. Catherine Ashton.

On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Pogrom, a documenatry film "Pogrom Ten Years Later" was prepared by the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Government of the Republic of Serbia - http://www.kim.gov.rs/rs/multimedia/video-galerija/item/3172-pogrom-ten-years-later---march-17-2004-march-17-2014

Reception on the occasion of the National Day of Serbia

On the occasion of the National Day of the Republic of Serbia, on February 18, 2014 the Embassy has hosted a reception in "David Intercontinental" Hotel in Tel Aviv, marking at the same time Serbian Armed Forces Day.

Serbian Film Festival in Israel

The Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Tel Aviv, Film Centre Serbia and Israel-Serbia Friendship Association in cooperation with Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa Cinemateque have the honor to invite you to enjoy the releases of the Serbian cinematography on the Festival to be held from 6th to 22nd October, 2013 in Israel

Cooperation between National Libraries of Serbia and Israel

Representative of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia presented in the National Library of Israel a set of books, gift of the Serbian National Library. On this occasion, both sides emphasized the importance of cooperation between the cultural institutions of two friendly countries and the need for strenghtening ties between people of Serbia and Israel through cultural cooperation.

Travel recommendations - security situation in Israel

Due to the unstable securty situation in the bordering zone between Israel and Syria, movement within this area is not recommended as well as in the Golan Heights region. In addition, due to persistent tension, free movement in the areas near Gaza is not recommendable.