Former Diplomat: Serbia’s Diplomatic Arena is Privatized

Srecko Djukic, former Diplomat (Photo: printscreen/youtube/N1)

Former diplomat Srecko Djukic stated on Oct. 7 that Serbia has abandoned its European path turning instead toward “easier” parts of the world, namely Russia, China, Turkey and Arab states – none of which expect the country to combat corruption or embrace the rule of law, media freedom and democratic standards.

In an interview for the Novi Magazin weekly, Djukic voiced his belief that Serbia had become a Robinson-Crusoe-like state: “an isolated island in a sea of EU and NATO countries.” “It’s not true that Serbia is the biggest or best [country] in the Balkans. No one sees us that way. The graph of Serbia’s foreign policy over the past ten years is full of ups and downs, [vacillating] between a clear European path with an evident outcome and a path no one has traveled before,” the former ambassador explained.

Djukic added that today’s Serbia, led by Vucic, no longer meets even the conditions for EU candidacy. Asked about how the world views Vucic as a statesman, Djukic said that – just like his teachers’ – Vucic’s true colors have been apparent for quite some time.

“He sees himself as ‘progressive’, while others know him as Milosevic’s ‘famous’ minister of information, [who made] statements [such as] ‘100 Muslims for one Serb.’ Today we have ‘the privilege of enjoying’ his delinquent vocabulary, untruths, deceptions [and] aggressive public presence. Under [his rule], we are literally living at rock bottom,” the diplomat declared.

Asked to comment on the hiring policies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Djukic responded that the Serbian diplomatic arena, despite two centuries of tradition, is as privatized as that of a one-party fief. “Sadly, interpretation of [our] foreign policy has been left to the tabloids and entertainment TVs, even with regards to the most delicate of issues such as relations with the US, Russia, the EU – [which are] unfailingly coupled with mentions of Kosovo,” Djukic said.