Diplomacy and Commerce No.40

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June 2019 | ISSUE No. 40 | Price 350 RSD

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THE MOST EXCLUSIVE OF ALL LUXURY CONCIERGE COMPANIES KATARINA LARISA HAM CEO of Quintessentially SEE

04 JUN

FESTA DELLA REPUBBLICA

AT ITALIAN EMBASSY

HAS TITO FINALLY BEEN SUSSED OUT? DENIS KULJIŠ

Writer and journalist

SPIRITS OF AGATHA CHRISTIE, HEMINGWAY AND COMRADE BROZ PERA PALACE IN ISTANBUL

COOPERATION AND GOOD NEIGHBORLY RELATIONS ARE ESSENTIAL DARIO SCANNAPIECO

EVEN THE MENTION OF MY TALK SHOW IS BLASPHEMY

SERBIAN PEOPLE DID NOT LOSE NATIONAL SELF-RESPECT

Journalist

The Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Serbia

OLJA BEĆKOVIĆ

Vice-President, European Investment Bank

Italy

H.E. ALEXANDER CHEPURIN

Netherlands The

FOCUS ON

H.E. CARLO LO CASCIO

Italian Ambassador to Serbia

H.E. HENK VAN DEN DOOL Ambassador of the Netherlands to Serbia

EDITORIAL

CONTENTS

Guess Who's Still Not Coming to Dinner In July last year, I wrote an article about top Serbian officials (not) frequenting receptions held by foreign embassies in Belgrade. It seems that today the situation is even worse compared to a year ago. The highest Serbian officials (the State President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the National Parliament, Foreign Minister, etc.) usually come to receptions held by the embassies of only five countries – the US, Germany, Russia, China and France, plus the reception held by the EU Delegation to Serbia apropos Europe Day. The Speaker of the Serbian Parliament, Maja Gojković was seen attending several other receptions throughout the year while, in regard to government ministers, only Zoran Djordjević (whose Ministry has nothing to do with diplomacy), attends most receptions and is warmly welcomed by the diplomats.

On the other hand, Serbian Foreign Minister is rarely seen at embassy receptions (which was not the case when he was Interior Minister).

The EU Integrations Minister, Deputy PM and Minister of Transport and Infrastructure have not attended a single reception alone (only with President Vučić). It is also interesting to note that the reception in celebration of the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, which is also a national holiday in Great Britain, a country that is a standing member of the UN Security Council, has not been attended by any of the top Serbian officials for years now.

In order to illustrate just how seriously foreign diplomats in Belgrade take this, let me just say that a number of foreign ambassadors attending the reception apropos the Norwegian Constitution Day said that they did not want to attend the official opening of the Corridor 10 segment in Grdelička Gorge because the Serbian government did not send a single minister to the receptions held in honour of their respective national days or independence days.

Furthermore, both last and this year, many important European countries celebrated huge jubilees – the centenary of statehood, the centenary of establishing diplomatic relations with Yugoslavia and other. Still, none of the Serbian officials showed up. Also, no government ministers or just one of them (mostly Zoran Djordjevic) usually attend the receptions held by embassies of the neighbouring countries.

Does this send a clear political message of “who is important to us and who is not”, or is it, maybe, a coincidence, lack of attention or a matter of personal will or taste of Serbian ministers? We can only guess.

However, if the latter is the case, the Serbian government should be more coordinated and delegate at least one minister to attend these receptions. Serbia does not have 200 embassies like Vienna does, where we have recently launched another edition of Diplomacy & Commerce magazine. 40 receptions in honour of statehood days the most are held in Belgrade every year. This means, that each government minister could have attended at least two receptions held by foreign embassies.

I believe that this is not too much to expect from the government of a country that is trying to win over international support in many segments, not just when it comes to Kosovo.

ROBERT ČOBAN Director

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DARIO SCANNAPIECO

OLJA BEĆKOVIĆ

COOPERATION AND GOOD NEIGHBORLY RELATIONS ARE ESSENTIAL Vice-President, European Investment Bank

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HAS TITO FINALLY BEEN SUSSED OUT?

SERBIAN PEOPLE DID NOT LOSE NATIONAL SELF-RESPECT H.E. ALEXANDER CHEPURIN The Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Serbia

CONCERN ABOUT THE POSSIBLE SLOWING DOWN OF REFORMS LAZAR ŠESTOVIĆ

2019

Writer and journalist

THE MOST EXCLUSIVE OF ALL LUXURY CONCIERGE COMPANIES KATARINA LARISA HAM CEO of Quintessentially SEE

Economist World Bank in Serbia

BONUS

DENIS KULJIŠ

56

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PIONIRI DRUŠTVENE ODGOVORNOSTI SRBIJA 2019

www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs TANJA BANKOVIĆ

tanja.bankovic@color.rs

SANJA ŠOJIĆ Journalist

sanja.sojic@color.rs

CIP - Katalogizacija u publikaciji Biblioteke Matice Srpske, Novi Sad 33 Diplomacy & Commerce / glavni i odgovorni urednik Žikica Milošević, 2016, br. 1 (mart)-.Novi Sad: Color Media Communications, 2016 - , -33cm Mesečno.

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Journalist

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EVEN THE MENTION OF MY TALK SHOW IS BLASPHEMY

ILIJA PETROVIĆ INDIGOCHILD Art director

indigochild.ilija@gmail.com

JOVANA MARKOVIĆ

Advertising manager

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ruza.ristanovic@color.rs

Advertising manager

DRAGANA RADOVIĆ

Magazine director

ROBERT ČOBAN Director

Advertising manager

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JELENA RANĐELOVIĆ

GORAN ZLATKOVIĆ

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ZLATNA KNJIGA Jagodina, Bagrdanski put bb

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THE PRESIDENT IN THE PALACE

Donald Trump’s Visit to Britain Goes Well—at Least for Him The president may not have registered the subtle digs from the queen

Donald Trump saw only people cheering, not protests, reports of which the president branded “fake news”. They did not seem so fake on Whitehall. Placards said “Dump Trump”, “Trump: Climate Disaster” and “Keep Trump away from our NHS”. One optimistic poster proposed “Stop Brexit, stop Trump”. Most bizarre was a banner saying “Man Utd fans against apartheid”. The mood was cheerful, even carnival-like—at least until it rained.

As ever, Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn came out to back the protests.

But his disdain was diluted after Mr Trump revealed that he had rejected a meeting request from Mr Corbyn, whom he dubbed a “negative force”. He said the same of Sadiq Khan, London’s mayor, calling him a “stone-cold loser”. This contrasted with his enthusiasm for Brexiteers, singling out Boris Johnson as a great potential successor to Theresa May as prime minister.

He also met Nigel Farage, whose new Brexit Party is eating into Tory support, suggesting he should be one of the Brexit negotiators.

The president clearly valued hobnobbing with royalty and feasting in Buckingham Palace with the queen (whom he called a “fantastic woman”) more than bilateral discussions with Mrs May. But although he said he would have negotiated Brexit differently, by suing the European Union, he also praised Mrs May’s deal.

And he glossed over differences on Huawei, a Chinese telecoms giant mistrusted by America but cautiously accepted in Britain, by saying that the two countries would soon reach an agreement.

Trade was trickier. Mr Trump promised a “phenomenal” post-Brexit deal that would double or even triple bilateral trade.

But he also echoed his ambassador by saying that everything should be on the table. That includes not just farm products but access to the NHS. When most Tory leadership candidates instantly said

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the NHS was not up for sale, Mr Trump backtracked. But his own trade negotiating documents make clear that the Americans will look for more NHS contracts and fair-

role of international institutions, which Mr Trump has criticised or in some cases abandoned. The prime minister openly admitted to differences on climate change

THE MOOD WAS CHEERFUL, EVEN CARNIVAL-LIKE—AT LEAST UNTIL IT RAINED er access for drugs. What’s more, Congress has said it will not ratify any trade deal if Brexit is seen to threaten peace in Northern Ireland. A bilateral deal looks both hard and far off.

The British managed to get in a few subtler digs of their own, with the queen and Mrs May going out of their way to praise the

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and Iran, and she used this week’s D-day commemoration to remind the president of the value of NATO in upholding the global order. Mr Trump’s response was to repeat his demand that NATO allies spend more on defence.

Besides praising Mr Johnson, with whom he spoke by phone, Mr Trump sought meetings with

Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, whom he said would make a good prime minister, and with Michael Gove, the environment secretary, whom he claimed not to know. The White House has clearly decided these are the three strongest candidates to succeed Mrs May. It is not obvious that Mr Trump’s support will prove helpful, any more than was Barack Obama’s backing for the Remain campaign in 2016. Yet it could weigh with some Tory party members.

Certainly Mr Hunt and Mr Gove seemed pleased.

From The Economist, published under licence. The original article, in English, can be found on www. economist.com

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INTERVIEW

Cooperation and Good Neighborly Relations are Essential The main challenges faced in the Western Balkan countries are fiscal imbalances, low levels of investment and suboptimal project preparation and implementation capacity, economic migration and substantial gaps in economic and social infrastructure DARIO SCANNAPIECO Vice-President, European Investment Bank

" EIB contribution to the economic growth of the region is twofold. On one side, EIB is supporting the public sector through investments in various sectors such as roads, motorways, railway, water, sanitation, electricity, health, education. On the other side, EIB largely finances the SME sector through loans and guarantees to local banks. Both sectors generate the creation of jobs and enhance the economy of the countries and hence its growth, "says the start of the DC conversation Vice-President, European Investment Bank (EIB) Dario Scannapieco.

EIB is enhancing its local presence in the Western Balkans by opening desk offices in Sarajevo and Tirana. What is the EIB's strategy for our region?

— The opening of two desk offices in Sarajevo and in Tirana in the premises of EU Delegations by the EIB, reinforces the regional presence of the EU Bank, besides already active Regional Office for the Western Balkans based in Belgrade. These two new desk offices will bring the region closer to the European Union while supporting countries' economic and social

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development. The Bank’s presence in those countries is especially important now when the European Union is strengthening its assistance in light with flagship initiatives set out by the Western Balkans Strategy. The more active presence of EIB will make it easier for all levels of authorities to have access to EIB's assistance whether financial or expert advice in the public and private sector. It will strengthen EIB’s commitment to those countries by being closer to the projects and citizens.

What are the biggest challenges for our region?

— The main challenges faced in the Western Balkan countries are fiscal imbalances, low levels of in-

institutions are priorities, which governments in the region should address. There is still an urgent need to rehabilitate and modernize the infrastructure of the region in order to improve the investment climate and to foster a sustainable and steady economic growth.

How is EIB contributing to address these challenges?

— The EIB is financing projects in four priority areas: innovation, SMEs, Infrastructure and the environment. The EIB seeks to promote sustainable and inclusive growth while protecting the natural and

LAST YEAR WAS THE RECORD YEAR OF THE EIB GROUP IN THE WESTERN BALKANS AS WE SIGNED OVER EUR 1 BILLION NEW FINANCINGS vestment and suboptimal project preparation and implementation capacity, economic migration and substantial gaps in economic and social infrastructure. Access to finance requires special attention as well, especially for micro and start-up companies. In addition, strengthening the rule of law, fight against corruption and increase efficiency in the public

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social environments in a holistic manner, thereby ensuring that requirements relating to the protection of the environment and human well-being are integrated into the definition, preparation and implementation of all projects financed by the EIB. By financing infrastructure projects and applying its environmental and social standards, the EIB is contributing

to promoting sustainable development for the region, and hence has a considerable impact on the integration process with the European Union. Finally, the EIB lending conditions to SMEs through financial institutions contribute to improving access to finance. Indeed, EIB loans are flexible in terms of size, duration, structure. Lending decisions to SMEs remain with the intermediary institutions, which also retain the financial risk of the on-lending. The intermediary transfers the EIB financial advantage reflecting the positive impact of EIB funding to the final beneficiary and hence positively affecting the economic development.

How important is transnational cooperation and interoperability of energy, transport and infrastructure systems?

— Successful economic integration within the region and with the EU will only be possible with enhanced connectivity, especially in terms of energy and transport sectors. Improving transport and energy links within the Western Balkans, as well as between Western Balkans and the European Union, is a key factor for growth and jobs and will bring clear benefits for the economies and

citizens of the region. The EIB has been very active in this context and I can mention for example successful financing of the Corridor Vc in Bosnia Herzegovina or the Corridor X in Serbia and North Macedonia. The countries of the region should also continue to focus on existing commitments and agreements, in particular, the development of a Regional Economic Area, which was agreed by the leaders of the Western Balkans in 2017. Regional Economic Area will further strengthen trade, investment and mobility within the region and between the region and the EU and will promote the digitization of the region's economies. Regional cooperation and good neighborly relations are essential for progress on the respective European pathways.

What are the current tasks of the EIB and what are the tasks assigned by the European Commission to the EIB?

— As the EU Bank, the mission of the EIB is to help countries of the Western Balkans develop their infrastructure while utilizing best banking practices in the co-financing of viable projects, which promote growth and employment. We are ready to support and continue supporting much-needed investments in the transport, but also the energy sector, which is important for reaching climate action targets with a particular accent on renewable energy and energy efficiency.

We are also supporting the digital infrastructure, as well as investments in health, education and R&D and bringing the experience we have gained in these sectors in the EU to the Western Balkans.

As an EU institution, we wish our Group to be the natural and primary partner that will help the countries on their paths towards the EU, and our activities will only increase, as that process becomes firm. We are here to stay as the EU Bank. This differentiates EIB from other financing institutions with whom we greatly cooperate.

water and sewerage with 17% and by transport sector with 14%. I can mention the recent signature of the EUR 40 million loans for the Municipal Infrastructure Resilience initiative in Serbia, which will be soon followed by the signature of EUR 10 million investment grant for helping to modernize and rehabilitate water, sanitation and wastewater infrastructure across many municipalities in Serbia.

WE WISH OUR GROUP TO BE THE NATURAL AND PRIMARY PARTNER THAT WILL HELP THE COUNTRIES ON THEIR PATHS TOWARDS THE EU, AND OUR ACTIVITIES WILL ONLY INCREASE, AS THAT PROCESS BECOMES FIRM What are the EIB's further plans for this region and Europe?

— We have long-standing relations with all the countries of this region. EIB is ready to continue acting as the key partner to boost the development of the public and private sectors. In addition to financing investments, EIB also provides advisory and technical support to prepare projects and implement them, working closely with the Government, municipalities, local banks and companies, as well as with the European Commission and other financing partners, developing strong ties with all the countries of the region. Last year was the record year of the EIB Group in the Western Balkans as we signed over EUR 1 billion new financings. It will be important to ensure that disbursement of funds progresses as planned in order for projects to be realized and citizens of the countries to feel the benefits of the EIB support, and to that end, we will continue working closely with all our partners. As far as Europe, the EIB Group, as the EU’s investment vehicle, plays an integral part in addressing market failures and investment gaps through the

creation of impact and additionality in the European economy. Overall, in 2019, it is expected our new financing to exceed EUR 50 billion (in the EU and outside the EU) with a continued substantial role in implementing EU policy initiatives.

Can you tell us more about the Economic Resilience Initiative (ERI)?

— The Economic Resilience Initiative (ERI) has been developed by the EIB in cooperation with the European Commission in response to a request by the European Council for a specific initiative aimed at rapidly mobilizing additional financing in support of growth, vital infrastructure and social cohesion in the Southern Neighbourhood and Western Balkans regions.

Economic resilience refers to the capacity of economies to absorb and respond to crises and shocks while maintaining strong growth.

As at the end of April 2019, 46 ERI EIB projects have been approved for EUR 4.5bn, of which 36 are fully or partly signed (EUR 3.4bn).

Within the 46 projects approved across both regions, 57% finance credit lines for SMEs, followed by

Serbia has withdrawn close to 90% of the signed financing with EIB, observing the statistics in the past ten years. In what period and on what will the remaining funds be used?

— Currently, under implementation are around 18 investment projects for a value of roughly 1 bn euros. The main projects under implementation include: Corridor X motorway (E-80, EUR 265m), Public Sector Research and Development (EUR 200m), Clinical Centres (EUR 200m), Municipal Infrastructure (EUR 75m), School Modernisation programme (EUR 50m), Apex loan for SMEs (EUR 150m), as well as the support channelled to financing of SMEs through credit lines in place with commercial banks such as Banca Intesa, Societe Generale, Erste Bank, Procredit and Raiffeisen leasing. In Serbia, we are financing the construction of motorways and by-passes, rehabilitating the national road and railway networks, refurbishing and building of new schools, hospitals, judiciary facilities, municipal infrastructure, as well as providing support to the scientific community. In the future, we intend to widen further our lending activities to sectors such as energy and energy efficiency and environmental protection, which have a positive impact on climate change.

This year and beyond we also envisage support for Serbia’s water sector, sanitation, wastewater as well as for the improvement of municipal infrastructure in general, all with the aim of supporting the creation of a resilient economy, ready to absorb shocks as and when they occur.

SINCE 1977 The EIB has been active in the Western Balkans since 1977. „Looking back, since 1977, I can proudly say that every significant motorway and road in Serbia has the stamp of EIB, starting from the Brotherhood and Unity highway in the early 70s, through bypass around the City of Belgrade as part of the Pan European Corridor X

that connects Salzburg in Austria with Veles in North Macedonia, to highway through Grdelica Gorge, the most difficult and demanding part of Corridor X. All financed by EIB," said Dubravka Negre, Head of the EIB Regional Representation for the Western Balkans, at a reception Europe Day, celebrated by the Bank as a financial lever of the Union.

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INTERVIEW

Serbian People Did Not Lose National Self-Respect There are just a handful of countries in the world, which, like Russia and Serbia, have been supporting each other and showing understanding for each other for centuries

H.E. ALEXANDER CHEPURIN The Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Serbia

The Russian Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Alexander Chepurin will soon be leaving his post in which he spent seven years. In his farewell interview, the Ambassador talks about his plans for writing a book about our country, the Serbs, the relations between our two brotherly nations and things he will remember about Serbia.

You were appointed Russian ambassador to Serbia in 2012.

Could you tell us what will you remember the most from your stay in Serbia?

— To be the Russian Ambassador in Serbia for seven years is a responsible, noble and thankful job.

It was an educational one too. I will remember Serbia as a persevering, courageous, patient, kind-hearted, and affectionate country, the Serbs as bold, sincere, incredibly amiable people who, as soon as they hear the Russian accent, always smile brightly at the person they are talking to. There are many reasons for such a warm relationship between our two nations, among them a great cultural similarity, history, religion, and language. There is also the unity we showed in the most difficult moments. A friend in need is a friend indeed, as they say. The Serbs remember this and they regard it with reverence. That is precious.

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Another thing that I will remember is this special Serbian quality that is attached to everything around you – you hear Serbian music wherever you go, taverns are more successful than restaurants with foreign cuisine, there is no celebration without guests dancing kolo and singing the amazing song “Tamo Daleko” which is, by the way, well-known and loved in Russia too. The Serbs honour tradition. Serbian slava, which is one of the most eagerly anticipated and joyous holidays, reflects the unity among family and friends that is nurtured. This is one of the attributes of the nation, its stability and eternity, if you will.

Of course, I have to mention the tangible changes in the country

positive national self-consciousness. Serbia has begun to more energetically determine its own interests and the directions of its own development.

Surely, I will always remember the people whom I was fortunate to meet in my capacity as ambassador.

We developed warm and friendly relations with many of them.

In addition, some of my fond memories are related to the 180th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between our two countries, which we celebrated together last year, and to the official visits of President Vladimir Putin to Belgrade in 2014 and 2019.

There are also many other Embassy-related events. It is impossible to mention them all here.

I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THE PEOPLE WHOM I WAS FORTUNATE TO MEET IN MY CAPACITY AS AMBASSADOR during the last seven years. The economic growth became sustainable, and it now ranges between 3% and 4% per annum. There are fewer unemployed people and more cars in the streets. Hopelessness is gone. Belgrade is becoming more beautiful. It is important that, regardless of the decades of drama that the Serbian people went through, they did not lose their national self-esteem and the belief in traditional guidelines. I would also like to note that, in recent years, there has been a noticeable rise in self-awareness in Serbs, a rise in a

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We can often hear people calling the Serbs and the Russians “brothers”. You had a chance to meet our people. How similar are Serbs and Russians in mentality?

— There are just a handful of countries in the world, which, like Russia and Serbia, have been supporting each other and showing understanding for each other for centuries. The Serbs, as well as the Russians, have "the Slavic soul", which was written about by Dostoevsky, Bunin, Kuprin, and many French and Italian writers

and poets. This Slavic soul means the opposite of rationality and ordinariness, the willingness to self-sacrifice, the ability to perceive someone else's sorrows as your own; sobornost (in Russian – togetherness in a spiritual sense).

The Serbs, as well as the Russians, are sincere, open, and generous. In Serbia, you are always received as a dear guest. By the way, in the Serbian language, the word domaćin (“host”) is not only a word, but also a philosophy.

We are united by the loyalty to the ideals of freedom, the highest justice, the readiness to bear responsibility for the destiny of our countries and to safeguard the right to our own way of life.

The Serbs, as well as the Russians, know how to stay calm in anything but simple circumstances. Probably, that is why the Serbs and we are always on the same side.

There is a trait that is originally Serbian and innate to their national character, and that's inat (“spite”).

This is more than just “stubbornness”. This is the quintessence of the uncompromising commitment to principle. In a sense, inat aims at a status of a national idea. Another difference is the talent inherent in the Serbs to effortlessly combine Balkan vitality and expressiveness with the traditional polako (“languidness”). Polako, do not rush, things will straighten out, everything will be fine in the end.

In Serbia, you never doubt that.

You are preparing a book about our country and people. What

NATIONAL DAYS

in June & July

made you do that and what inspired you the most to write it?

— Recently, an old friend of mine and I remembered a rule - someone spends two to three days in a country and they are ready to write a book, after a month or two they are ready to write an article, and after three years they understand they still do not know the country well enough, so they need to observe more. It is too early.

Since I have been here for almost seven years, I decided I might as well try to write one.

In Serbia, everything inspires.

It is a land of wonderful people, beautiful landscapes, a distinctive culture, a great history and a bright future. Life here is an experience I want to share both with the Russians and with the Serbs.

To convey my impressions, the way I feel Serbia.

regarding the socio-economic development, similar approaches to the development of interstate communication and the maintenance of international peace and security. The leaders of our countries meet on a regular basis.

We have supported and will continue to support Belgrade in protecting national interests, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia in accordance with the norms of international law, primarily the UN Security Council Resolution 1244. We highly appreciate the independent foreign policy exercised by the Serbian leadership and the preservation

Djerdap hydroelectric power plant.

We plan to strengthen industrial cooperation through joint production. Another important area of cooperation is the sphere of digitization and innovation, including the sphere of peaceful nuclear technology.

Much has already been done in the field of crisis management by the Russian-Serbian Humanitarian Centre in the city of Niš.

Together with the Serbian partners, we plan to further develop the Centre, with special attention given to the regional dimension of its activities.

A number of wonderful cultural

JUNE

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RUSSIA

Russia Day

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ICELAND

Republic Day

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MALTA

ational Day N (St John the Baptist)

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CROATIA

Statehood Day

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SLOVENIA

Statehood Day

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UKRAINE

You have travelled all over Serbia. Which parts of the country, not counting Belgrade, left the deepest impression on you?

— My wife and I are very fond of Novi Sad, the second largest city in Serbia, where the cultural treasures of the country are concentrated. By the way, this is one of the capitals of the Russian postrevolutionary emigration, including the religious emigration.

We toured monasteries, especially in Fruška Gora, the so-called Serbian Athos, dozens of times, always with great interest. It is a place of scenic beauty.

But I also have to say a few words about the Serbian capital city, Belgrade. I like it a lot. It is monumental, respectable, and comfortable at the same time.

It has its own face and its own tradition. It has a soul. The city’s architecture is unusual and paradoxical – there are both grand buildings and tiny houses that have not changed locations and appearances for hundreds of years. Lots of greenery and sunshine, the picturesque view of the Danube and the Sava, and most importantly, 1.5 million of amiable people - that is the treasure of the Serbian capital city.

During your term as the ambassador, President Putin visited Serbia on several occasions.

How would you rate the relations between our two countries and how can we improve them?

— Our strategic partnership with Serbia is based on trust and mutual respect, common priorities

Constitution Day

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VATICAN

National Day

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THE CONGO

Independence Day

JULY

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CANADA

THERE ARE MANY REASONS FOR SUCH A WARM RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OUR TWO NATIONS, AMONG THEM A GREAT CULTURAL SIMILARITY, HISTORY, RELIGION, AND LANGUAGE of military neutrality. Our military-technical cooperation is an important component of bilateral relations.

There are many positive developments in the economic sphere too. In 2018, the external trade between our two countries amounted to USD 3.06 billion, which is an 18.6% increase compared to 2017. That means we are heading the right way. Russia is in particular interested in increasing import from Serbia. Serbia's economic growth allows us to look forward to it. Among the significant bilateral projects, I would like to mention the reconstruction of the Serbian railway system, modernization of the underground gas storage Banatski Dvor, construction of the Bulgaria-Serbia-Hungary main gas pipeline and the rehabilitation of the

and humanitarian projects are being implemented too. The best illustration is the decoration of the interior of the Church of Saint Sava in Belgrade, which is the largest Orthodox temple in the Balkans.

The Church will become an important symbol of the indissoluble spiritual unity of our peoples.

Our relationship stood the test of time, hence the confidence that we can accomplish a lot. Further deepening and expansion of the Russian-Serbian ties are fully in line with the natural and objective interests of our countries.

Are you going to continue your diplomatic career in another country or are you definitely returning to Russia?

— I have a couple of very good job offers in Moscow. I will choose what interests me the most.

Canada Day

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BELARUS

Independence Day

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UNITED STATES Independence Day

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ALGERIA

Independence Day

05

VENEZUELA

Independence Day

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ARGENTINA

Independence Day

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MONTENEGRO Independence Day

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FRANCE

Bastille Day

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ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES

FRANCINE PICKUP UNDP Resident Representative in Serbia

Francine Pickup is appointed as the UNDP Resident Representative in Serbia as of May 2019.

Previously acting UNDP Resident Representative in India and, prior to that, UNDP Country Director in India, a position she assumed in

2018, Ms Pickup served as Deputy Country Director of UNDP Indonesia from 2016-2018. She successfully established new innovative financing initiatives and engagements with the private sector on SDGs in both India and Indonesia. She previously worked as a strategic planning advisor at the UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, based in New York (2012-2016). Between 2008-2012, she was Advisor to the Deputy Special Representative to the UN SecretaryGeneral for Iraq and headed the UN Inter-Agency Information and Analysis.

ANTE ARALICA New CEO of MOL Serbia

MOL Serbia has made the decision to appoint Ante Aralica, the current President of the Management Board and the CEO of Holdina d.o.o as new CEO of MOL Serbia.

With the arrival to this function, Aralica will contribute to the further development of the company MOL Serbia using the knowledge gained in leading positions in the tobacco and retail industries. His expertise is proven in corporate restructuring and organization of the sector in order to improve the

operations of large corporations.

Aralica will use his experience to contribute to increased efficiency in operations, addressing strategic issues of the company, but also the implementation of key investment projects planned for the future.

IVANA MAKSIMOVIĆ Director at Belgrade office of US company CBRE

US-based real estate firm CBRE, has announced the appointment of Ivana Maksimović as a Direc-

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tor in its Belgrade office. Ivana is joining from Confluence Property Management, where she was Chief Executive Officer, and will be responsible for setting up the new Property Management department at CBRE. The department will cover management of real estate assets across South Eastern Europe and will complement the firm's existing market-leading business in the region.

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CORPORATE

NIS Gift Cards for Every Occasion The latest in the series of novelties is a valuable gift card that is available to customers at NIS Petrol and GAZPROM gas stations.

Whether it's a trip to a distant destination or a city ride, besides the needed rest from sitting behind the wheel, we are thinking of an ideal place for a break that will allow us to fill our car tank, but also to enjoy a diverse and always fresh food and beverage or a cup of coffee that will boost our mood in a pleasant ambience. This is why NIS Petrol and GAZPROM gas stations represent a long-standing reliable partner on a road that provides complete safety, as, besides the ability to pour top

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Guided by the idea to provide the best service to its customers and additionally build their trust, NIS constantly introduces useful and interesting news to its offer.

The latest in the series of novelties is a valuable gift card that is available to customers at NIS Petrol and GAZPROM gas stations. This small sign of attention is an ideal solution when we want to make a

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In the value of 1,000, 3,000 or 5,000 dinars, NIS gift cards are the solution for every occasion and for all those who want to delight

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Indulge yourself with the travel magic and enjoy new adventures!

For everything else, you can count on NIS Petrol and GAZPROM gas stations, your faithful ally in every mileage.

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INTERVIEW

Concern About the Possible Slowing Down of Reforms The World Bank’s recommendation is to focus on four broad areas of reforms: human capital, government effectiveness, development of the financial sector and regulatory quality LAZAR ŠESTOVIĆ Economist World Bank in Serbia

Serbia has great potential to accelerate economic growth, and in order to succeed, it needs a new strategy, that is, a new growth agenda to catch the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, pointed out during a recent visit representative of the World Bank in Serbia. How really can GDP growth be, how fiscal consolidation and what are the biggest risks to our economy DC asked the World Bank economist in Serbia Lazar Šestović.

The World Bank has estimated that Serbia could have economic growth of 7% annually in the long run. What should we do to make this happen?

— The World Bank is just about to publish the new Country Economic Memorandum (titled the New Growth Agenda) in which the central question is exactly that – what Serbia needs to do in order to grow faster. We also think that Serbia needs to adopt ambitious plans because growing at current rates of around 3-4 percent will not help us to reach income levels in the EU in a reasonable time. Also, it is important to mention that newer EU member states that came from the Eastern Block are growing 5-6 percent a year, so we are starting to lag behind them, too. Finally, we will most likely only this year reach the level of real GDP that we had 30 years ago before the wars started.

Growth of 7 percent a year is not impossible, but it could be reached only after serious reforms are

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completed and that requires time.

For the purpose of the above-mentioned report, we compared Serbia and Germany – Germany being a role model for a successful economy and society where institutions and rule of law prevail. Based on this analysis, the World Bank’s recommendation is to focus on four broad areas of reforms: human capital (which relates mainly to reform of the education system); government effectiveness (which is about implementation of legislation); development of the financial sector (which is about making access to finance easier) and regulatory quality (which is about the work of institutions that set rules for market competition and operations, including in trade).

For this year, economic growth of 3.5 percent is projected. Do you see the risks of not achieving this?

the import is growing much faster than exports. This causes two problems – first, it lowers the growth of the economy, second, the trade deficit continues to widen rapidly which will inevitably lead to an increase in external debt.

What are the biggest risks to the Serbian economy?

— There are several risks that might impact the growth outlook for the Serbian economy. All these risks can be internal and external.

On the internal side, the main source of concern is a possible slowdown with reforms, in particular, those related to the EU accession agenda. EU accession needs to remain on the top of the government agenda and the country should do whatever is in their mandate to open additional chapters of negotiations and to show tangible progress toward closing those already opened. External

THE HIRING-FREEZE SHOULD BE LIFTED AND AT THE SAME TIME, THE NEW RULE INTRODUCED — Yes, for this year we keep the projected growth unchanged at 3.5%. Preliminary results for the growth in the first quarter were indeed somewhat disappointing, but not completely unexpected. This was to some extent an effect of the base from the same quarter of 2018 when growth was high. However, there are some structural concerns.

First, the industry is underperforming for three quarters already.

Problems that started last summer are present still and industrial output continues to decline. Second,

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risks are much more diverse. Most importantly, there are signs that economies of some of the main trading partners of Serbia are slowing down. This will certainly affect the demand for Serbian exports and reduce the inflow of FDI. Also, there are chances that international prices, as well as interest rates, might go up which will again affect performance in tradeable sectors.

Serbian Finance Minister announced an increase in salaries and pensions in the public sector

this year. In your opinion, how realistic is it?

— It is realistic, and it is already budgeted for. Serbian budget is in a much better situation and can afford these increases. Pensioners and public sector employees paid a high price for the fiscal adjustment and now it is time to reward them.

Still, it is important to have good management of both the wage bill and spending on pensions.

Therefore, any future increase and introduction of regular adjustments need to be well thought through and all fiscal implications carefully calculated. The government is right now just about to complete the complete overhaul of the wages system. The new modern way of setting and paying individual wages is supposed to be implemented as of 2020. A related issue to this question is the introduction of the rulebased system for any new hiring in the public sector. The hiring-freeze should be lifted and at the same time, the new rule introduced.

The Fiscal Council recently calculated that corruption reduces economic growth by almost one percent. How to look at the corruption problem here?

— Unfortunately, most of the surveys show that corruption, and governance in general, still represents a significant problem for many individuals and businesses.

This is certainly pushing back some investors from Serbia (in particular foreign investors) and causes a loss in revenues for the government. The sooner we address this problem, the better is for all economic entities which will immediately reflect on the higher growth of the economy.

CORPORATE

Innovations in Customer service We were the first in the domestic market to offer this unique model of financing supply chains that allows earlier receivables collection after delivery of goods or services

SVETLANA PAJEVIĆ Global Transaction Banking Department Manager, Societe Generale Srbija

Transaction banking is increasingly becoming the focus of the corporate sector clients as it facilitates their everyday business operations and contributes to greater efficiency. Therefore, our strategic commitment within this domain is to develop innovations with the outst anding expertise of our colleagues who are reliable partners and support to our clients, ready to provide any advice in this area.

Improving the customer experience is a priority in various industries, including the financial sector. What steps are you taking in this area when it comes to corporate customers?

— Technological changes, digitalization and innovation have also occurred in the area of transaction banking. This is good news, because as a result of these changes, we enabled our clients to perform their everyday business operations in an easier way. Transaction banking comprises cash management, documentary operations and factoring, and as these areas significantly influence efficiency, technological improvements have contributed to fulfilling customer expectations by developing innovative products and services.

We have digitalized our factoring and discount loans platforms and we are also working on the digital contract signing process in order to provide our clients with an even better customer experience. Of

course, the crucial role in this relationship is played by our employees who are reliable partners to the clients and who offer their support for any advice or dilemma. The customers recognize our efforts to improve our services and value our expertise, and the growth in the number of corporate clients that we record from year to year, as well as an increased interest in our products and services, show that we should not change our direction and strategic commitment.

For the fifth consecutive year, your Bank holds the first place in factoring turnover according to the annual Report on Factoring Results of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce? What are the benefits that this model brings to companies?

the electronic platform through which the program is implemented is simple and efficient to use, it saves time and provides an excellent overview and access to all relevant information in real time.

We also see a huge increase in clients' interest in international two-factor factoring, which in 2018 recorded a growth of as much as 85 percent compared to the previous year. This form of factoring is intended for exporters, mainly large and medium-sized enterprises that have concluded commercial contracts and longterm cooperation with their foreign customers, in countries where members of the Factors Chain International Group are present, while cooperation in the region is possible with Slovenia.

We are also the only bank in

IN ORDER TO SUPPORT OUR CORPORATE CUSTOMERS, WE LAUNCHED VISA BUSINESS PLATINUM DEBIT CARD — We are very proud of continuing to hold a leading position in this field, as well as of the latest results - the overall growth of factoring in our bank in 2018 is 20 percent compared to the previous year.

We were the first in the domestic market to offer this unique model of financing supply chains that allows earlier receivables collection after delivery of goods or services, easier and faster way to obtain liquid assets, the chance to meet the requests of suppliers in terms of payment due dates while guarding against currency risks.

The approval is faster compared to the standard loan products, while

the market that offers discounted working capital loans, which are specific because the funds are deposited upon receiving pro forma invoices from the suppliers the Bank had concluded a business cooperation contract with, directly to their account. These benefits, along with lower financing costs, lead to an increase in the number of clients who opt for this type of financing.

When it comes to innovations in customer service, what will be your focus in the upcoming period?

— In order to keep track of the expectations of our customers and to

make their working day easier, we have developed a range of benefits and introduced various products and services that are at their disposal. We notice that an increasing number of customers decide to conduct their daily financial activities through electronic banking, from their workplace and without going to the branch, and therefore the continuous development of these channels will definitely be our priority.

Also, in order to support our corporate customers, we launched Visa Business Platinum debit card, which enables them and their employees to carry out their daily everyday financial activities with a variety of new benefits. In addition to providing access to business lounges at airports around the globe, there is also a privileged treatment in more than 900 hotels with the possibility of late checkout, medical and legal assistance during business trips, discounts for various services in hotels, restaurants and rent-a-car services, as well as additional insurance when purchasing. The important advantages are the possibility of contactless payment, but also the fact that this card is linked to a RSD or EUR current or special purpose account, and uses a dinar account for transactions in the country, and a foreign currency account for those abroad, thus saving on the currency conversion.

There is also cash management where we have also worked on new products, functionalities and service improvements, and various accolades and rewards are the result of the trusts that clients have in our expertise and in the services we provide.

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INTERVIEW

Even the Mention of My Talk Show is Blasphemy In Serbia, leaving mainstream media and moving to online production is not being innovative but being a refugee Photo: Nebojša Babić

OLJA BEĆKOVIĆ Journalist

Since 1991, Olja Bećković has been the author and the host of the most popular and most influential political talk show in Serbia – “The Impression of the Week” (“Utisak Nedelje”).

After several breaks - the last one lasted almost five years - she returned to TV screens in March this year. In the interview for Diplomacy&Commerce, she talks about the current situation in the Serbian media and behaviour of Serbian politicians.

You expected that to happen, i.e. for the representatives of the ruling parties not to appear on your show. You don’t need to mention names, but could you give us the reasons they use to turn you down?

It's been a month since "The Impression of the Week" returned to TV screens after a four-anda-half-year absence. Which of your shows was hardest for you, and which one was the best?

— Each show was difficult. I don’t have a favourite one because my mind does not recognize formats that start with “the best”. The show with the debate on amendments to the Criminal Code which stipulate life in prison without a possibility of parole, and in which Igor Jurić, Sanda Rašković and Judge Miodrag Majić took part, was very important. Unintentionally, this particular show became evidence of all violations of the freedom of speech and the media freedom I have been talking about for five years now. The brutal attack of an MP from the ruling coalition on Judge Majić, which happened the following morning after his appearance in "The Impression of the Week", during the direct broadcast of the session of the Serbian Parliament, was a demonstration of the breakdown of every illusion that there is the right to freedom of thought. The judge of the Belgrade Appellate Court, Miodrag Majić, was savagely declared "state enemy" in the Parliament.

According to the Justice Minister, Nela Kuburović, the Speaker

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in the show which was banned from having any government officials, analysts, journalists, public figures, basically anybody ‘close’ to the regime, as guests. It was openly said – anybody related to the government is not only banned from appearing in “The Impression of the Week”, but even the mention of the show’s name was considered blasphemy. It is paradoxical that I am allowed to say “Maja Gojković said (so and so) in the Serbian Parliament”, and yet she needs to muster courage to say:” That judge over there, in that show.”

THE BEST JOURNALISTS AND THE MOST CREATIVE PEOPLE WORK AT TV STATIONS THAT MOST SERBIAN CITIZENS HAVE NO ACCESS TO of the Serbian Parliament, Maja Gojković and the aforementioned MP from the ruling coalition, Judge Majić deserved this ‘title’ on the basis of at least two reasons. While they swore to protect the legacy of an independent judiciary, at the same time, they were surprised that a judge dared to criticize the draft law on life in prison without the possibility of parole. While they swore that they had nothing

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to do with abolishing media freedom and taking “The Impression of the Week” off the air, at the same time, they were aghast at Judge Majić for daring to accept our invitation to appear in ‘that show’ without asking for their permission first.

For the whole two days, the Parliament dragged the name of Judge Majić through the mud just for daring to speak his opinion

— For the most part, the reasons are pretty sad and it would be in bad taste for me to quote them.

They basically boil down to elementary school-level pranks; you know when a child calls their teacher on the phone, pretending to be “a parent”, and trying to come up with a reason for their “child” not going to school today. “Oh, hello! This is Jovan Miloradović's father. I just wanted to tell you that I won't be able to attend school today.“ More honest and more mature people usually tell me:“Please don't ask me to embarrass myself unless I have to.“ Or „I would be forgiven for appearing in your show only if I spoke things I didn't mean such as – Djilas is a thief, Boško is a fascist, protests, blah, blah, blah. I rather wouldn't.“ Or „They told me to decide myself but before that, they told me –„How is it possible that you even want to appear in THAT show and boost HER ratings?“ There is a similar show broadcasting on another TV station in the same time slot. Are you bothered about ratings or poten-

— I can’t remember if there is still a fake BN BOSS store on Ibarska motorway. Probably there is and probably they are still doing well. I seriously doubt that someone called up the CEO of the real BN BOSS and asked him if he was bothered by this particular ‘competition’.

Before you launched “The Impression of the Week”, you did interviews for NIN magazine and wrote columns for the Blic daily.

What does future hold for print media?

— I would recommend everyone to read the book called “This is Not the End of the Book”, written by Umberto Eco and Jean Claude Carriere. Print media are denounced by those people who, before that, had denounced books. What does the future hold for those who have denounced books?

Some people commented that, considering that we live in the digital age and in the era of social media, having people call in the show by phone would look too retro in 2019. However, that did not happen. Your shows receive much more comments than others – both on social media, in private conversations and in other media. What is your explanation for that?

— A lot of effort has been invested in the last few years into ‘proving’ that everybody is done with live shows. “So, when is the show being pre-taped?” is the question I am still asked, to this day. When I then ask them where they got the idea that I pre-tape my show and yet we have live phone-ins by the viewers, they get confused a little bit and usually say:” You see, that never crossed my mind.” Our world got so accustomed to the false reality that it is very hard to get through to them that there are places where nobody is faking phoning-in into a TV show in real time.

Despite all the crackling noise on phone lines and the viewers fumbling to turn their TV down while talking on the phone with me, it is still precious to be reminded of the freedom of speech and assuming responsibility for what you say. Unlike modern-day Twitter, which is rife with heroes who use fake names, people who phone in my show give their full name and presumably a real phone number. The objections that the format where people assume responsibility for their statements is

obsolete comes from the new Serbian intelligence which I cannot apply myself to.

Diplomacy&Commerce is mostly being read by foreigners – namely, diplomats and representatives of foreign companies in Serbia. What do you think is the main misconception that foreigners living in Belgrade have when it comes to our country, the political situation, the elite and so on?

ers you mention had been ignoring or had been classifying as “entertainment” everything they had been seeing for years. I am deeply convinced that the Prime Minister and the "foreigners" you talk about don’t have any misconceptions.

They're having fun.

In order to select the week’s best impressions, you probably watch certain domestic TV shows. Are any of them good and innovative?

PRINT MEDIA ARE DENOUNCED BY THOSE PEOPLE WHO BEFORE THAT HAD DENOUNCED BOOKS — I have the impression that the readers you’ve mentioned do not have any "misconceptions", rather they have an interest in pretending not to see things around them. The extent to which the Prime Minister of Serbia was amused by the European Commission’s last report is the same extent to which the read-

a refugee. Back in the day, playing the violin in concentration camps during the worst of times was not considered innovative. Fighting for survival and preserving a sense of humour is not innovative, which does not mean that Mićko Ljubičić is not deserving of a Nobel or an Oscar.

Have you watched any of a myriad of TV series made by the RTS-United Media-Telekom triangle such as “Besa", "Državni Službenik", "Pet", "Kralj Petar", "Žigosani u Reketu", "Ubice Moga Oca", "Senke nad Balkanom" and others?

— Every show that I would like to single out as good is, by the same token, also sad. The best journalists and the most creative people work at TV stations that most Serbian citizens have no access to. In Serbia, leaving mainstream media and moving to online production is not being innovative but being

“GOOD EVENING!” Let’s pretend for a moment that President Vučić decides to appear in your show. What would be your opening line?

— Your question should be included in the European Commission’s report, i.e. in the chapter about media freedom. There is nothing more natural than presuming that Vučić’s appearance in a TV show depends solely on him, and not whether he was invited to participate by the show’s host.

Unfortunately, you are right. He is the one who decides when and where he will appear. So, let’s presume that I do invite him and that he accepts my invitation… My opening line would be a very bold “Good Evening!”

Photo: Nebojša Babić

tially targeting the same guests?

— Most people sing in the shower. Instead of doing that, I often say loudly: "Thank you to whoever invented showers!” As I watched "Senke nad Balkanom", produced

by Dragan Bjelogrlić, Balša Djogo's "Pet", Miša Radivojević’s "Žmurke", “Jutro će Promeniti Sve”, "Novine" (made by HRT), I joyfully shouted thanks to all these filmmakers - directors, actors, camera operators, screenwriters. It feels like my brain has had a nice, invigorating shower.

How can we sum up six months of 1in5 Million protests?

— It’s too early to sum up anything.

During the last four and a half years, you had the opportunity to participate in various debates across Serbia. Sometimes, the debates were cancelled. Do you think that, in the metropolized Serbia, Belgrade is not too concerned with the problems of the province, or that the entire country is in the same position in terms of the media freedom and the behaviour of the social elite?

— “The Rich Also Cry”. Remember that tacky TV series? Today’s Belgrade is the centre of provincial spirit. I think that claiming that “Belgrade is not too concerned with the problems of the province” is unfair. Belgrade has been shedding too many tears over its own woes. We have a musical fountain now. It’s only the matter of time when we start having “musical rubbish containers” that will broadcast the speeches of our leading politicians, telling us what a wonderful life we have and how well-fed we are. The people who participate in the debates in Belgrade are much more hopeless than their counterparts in Novi Sad, Kragujevac, Niš, Šabac or Paraćin.

The province is not too concerned about Belgrade’s problems.

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CORPORATE

Contemporary Logistics Centre of the KLP in Šimanovci

Groundbreaking ceremony for a KLP complex

The construction site of KLP's logistics complex was officially opened on May 17th in Šimanovci. At the same time, the groundbreaking ceremony marking the second phase of the project took place, that is the construction of a modern logistics centre.

The KLP logistics centre is in the premium location in Šimanovci, located next to the E-70 motorway, and will have the state-of-theart warehouse, spanning 50,000 square metres, to be used by logistics staff.

"The first phase of this project will be completed in July 2019, which means that it will be fully available to future leaseholders.

We are also moving very fast with the construction of another building, which we hope will happen next month. When it comes to the third phase, that is, the construction of a facility that will serve a multifunctional refrigerator unit, everything is still in the design stage. This whole chain is a very complicated process, so I hope that the project will be finished and

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that we are going to do the groundbreaking before the end of 2019," said Kosta Ginić, Director of KLP. He pointed out that the KLP 2 facility already has a tenant which is one of the leading global logistics companies which name would be revealed soon. „I think it is up to the leaseholder to announce that, so I won't reveal anything at this stage. In regard to the KLP 1 facility, we will be the first users, because we needed to expand our warehouse, logistics and production resources. As far as the rest of the space is concerned, we already have interested tenants and I do not think there will be a problem with leasing the facility out," Ginić added.

During the presentation of the project, Kosta Ginić pointed out that KLP did not want to follow in the footsteps of the construction industry in recent years, that is, that the facility would be finished before the project.

"We have allocated a lot of time and money to perform a project task in the best way possible on the basis of which the project was drafted. Only after we did this, we started the construction. The building is built in line with the highest quality standards - FM Global and LEED standards. Aside from their location, our logistics centres belong to CLASS A of modern industrial facilities. Everything was done with the goal of meeting all the needs and desires of future

THE KLP LOGISTICS CENTRE IS IN THE PREMIUM LOCATION IN ŠIMANOVCI, LOCATED NEXT TO THE E-70 MOTORWAY, AND WILL HAVE THE STATE-OF-THE-ART WAREHOUSE, SPANNING 50,000 SQUARE METRES, TO BE USED BY LOGISTICS STAFF

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tenants in order to facilitate their respective businesses," said Ginić.

The President of the Municipality of Pećinci, Željko Trbović was also present at the groundbreaking ceremony who expressed his satisfaction with yet another construction site being inaugurated and underlined the importance of such investments. „We have around 70 greenfield investments in Pećinci at the moment, with the invested EUR 700 million. A total of 200,000 square metres of facilities are under construction in Šimanovci which is very important for such a small municipality like ours. This is not the end. We are continuing to expand and even the KLP Company has announced more investments to come. We have also managed to have a public bus line to this location while the investors have the complete infrastructure at their disposal. Pećinci are an excellent investment location, and this is something that investors have recognized,“ Trbović added.

www.klp.rs

CORPORATE

Irresistible Maltesers Chocolates Finally in Serbia!

All lovers of a real chocolate pleasure will surely be very happy to hear that Maltesers has finally arrived in Serbia - one of the world's most popular brands from the "kitchen" of Mars company!

Sweet Mars family, rich with brands like Snickers, Mars, M&M's, Bounty and Skittles, from now will be richer on the Serbian market as well, by expanding its portfolio, for the irresistibly tasty delicacy Maltesers.

It's all about a round candy bar, the size of a bite, which lures you with its crispy content. She has already won young people all over the planet, and it's not surprising that these little balls full of taste are among their favorite sweets. By coming to Serbia, Maltesers Chocolates also contributed to the expansion of the so-called bitesize assortment, meaning that Mars responded to the need of consumers to share chocolates with friends at moments of relaxation, respite or as a snack. In addition to the well-known M&M's, now there are also Maltesers chocolates for easy sharing with friends.

The success of Mars products is undoubtedly influenced by their long-term vision of the future and very ambitious - Sustainable in a Generation Plan which puts important drivers of sustainable development in the focus: a healthy planet, the prosperity of people and an increase in well-being. This company has committed itself to invest as much as one billion dollars over the next few years to help address

some of the biggest global threats, but also to unselfishly support the development of its own products.

In addition to Mars making effort to reduce the negative impact on the environment, they are very fo-

cused on improving the conditions of millions of people in the supply chain. Also, it constantly invests in science and innovation in order to increase the quality and safety of ingredients of their products.

THE SWEETEST ALLY OF THE BEST MOVIES Maltesers Chocolates were premiered to our public during the Gone with the Wind event, which was organized on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the premiere of the film "Gone with the Wind" on Thursday, June 6, at the King Peter I House at Senjak. This, of course, is by no means a coincidence, since Maltesers Chocolates is the right choice for sharing with friends during the projection of a cult film achievement.

Mars strictly takes care of the key raw materials, such as cocoa, from which the top quality chocolate comes later, which is why their products are loved by consumers all over the planet.

In Mars, they emphasize that their mission is to strengthen the awareness of their customers about the importance of quality and healthy food.

Accordingly, with the arrival of Maltesers chocolates on the shelves of our stores, buyers in Serbia will have the opportunity to choose an excellent sweet and an excellent gift for themselves and others that will be most pleasing to lovers of real chocolate.

This unique product has an undoubted advantage in being known as an extremely light dessert. Hence the inspiration to present Maltesers on the domestic market with a message: "Try it. It's easy. Maltesers is the easiest way to enjoy chocolate. " Maltesers balls, in addition to youthful optimism, will remind you that enthusiasm and a simpler, more casual look at the world is what you need in life.

You can already find Maltesers on the shelves in a red package.

They are sold in bags of 37g at a price of 70 dinars, 85g costs 140 dinars, while for 135 g it is necessary to allocate 210 dinars.

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INTERVIEW

Has Tito Finally Been Sussed Out? You knew nothing about Tito and what you thought you knew was mostly inaccurate. In the book titled "Tito’s Secret Empire," we give answers to questions about his career. Perhaps all the answers are not correct, but they are thoroughly investigated - says Denis Kuljiš, who wrote his second book on the enigma that is Tito DENIS KULJIŠ Writer and journalist

Once you start talking with Denis Kuljiš you cannot stop. And it seems that the talk about the former Yugoslav president, Josip Broz Tito never ceases, so much so that Kuljiš has written his second book, called “Tito’s Secret Empire” about him, in collaboration with his tragically deceased writing partner, William Klinger. We started our interview with Tito’s body of political work and later switched over to talking about his successors in the ex-Yugoslav republics.

What new things about Tito are we going to find out from your new book that are not classified as conspiracy theories?

— The conspiracy theories, that were disseminated by the domestic journalistic feuilletonists, are based on the fact that nobody could even answer the basic questions about Tito. For example, where was he born and where did he grow up, how he got his nickname – the cryptonym Tito - when he was admitted to the Communist Party and what did he really do in his career until 1944 when he emerged publicly at the age of 52? All in all, nobody knew much about him, despite numerous biographies written about the man.

Probably the best books on Tito – Dedijer’s ”Tito speaks: His self-portrait and struggle with Stalin”, published in 1953, the year when Stalin died, and ”The Heretic: The life and times of Josip

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Broz-Tito” from 1957 - are fantastically written while their writers knew the character that was Tito and participated in his profiling.

But these were literary pamphlets designed to create desirable perceptions with the global public.

Subsequent biographers took this data and re-told and expanded the story, more or less. There was no new research whatsoever, except for Dedijer's "New Contributions to the Biography of Josip Broz Tito". This is a thick compendium, or rather a mishmash from 1980, that was attacked by all the media outlets close to the regime, although it was not a biographical synthesis, but rather an extensive bulk material.

they were fictionalized which, in turn, created a conjuncture for the journalistic feuilletonists, various idlers from the capital city, the people who tried to make history by writing fake autobiographies, and the like.

The academic community completely fell short. The only valuable discoveries were those by journalistic publicists like Milomir Marić ("Children of Communism") and Pera Simić (countless books), though these were not historiographies, but live sensational pieces from that era. Professor Jože Pirjevec from Trieste scrupulously compiled the sources for his book "Tito and Comrades", which was quite popular among

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A DEBATE ABOUT THE CREATION OF BOSNIA TAKE PLACE AND I WOULD GLADLY PARTICIPATE IN IT – NOT AS A CROAT, BUT AS AN EX-YUGOSLAV However, by then, Tito had become a saint and we all know too well what kind of reactions one would get if they published a book called “Saint Franjo through the eyes of psychiatrists and his real relationship with Saint Klara”.

While Tito was alive, the regime kept his secrets while superpowers created a programmed perception of him because they deemed him as an important instrument of international policy. When everything collapsed – both the Yugoslav state and communism – the time came to answer all the questions but there were no materials to provide the answers so

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readers, but he didn’t write anything new in it, apart from stating his original idea of the alleged super-importance of Tito’s deputy from Slovenia, Edvard Kardelj, who was actually a pencil pusher and unevolved teacher. The book that we had been writing for six years, and that is now finally released after the earlier one "Tito: Untold Stories" from 2013, which contained undiscovered material with commentary, provides answers to all the questions concerning his career.

I am not saying that all of it is true, but it had been meticulously researched from the various sourc-

es with the bibliographic body of work that contains around 1,000 footnotes and a critical overview of the sources spread over 150 typed pages. In short, everything you did not know about Tito and what you thought you knew about him was wrong for the most part.

William Klinger, the book’s co-author, was killed in New York City at the age of 42. What exactly happened because there have been various speculations about his murder?

— My friend William Klinger, a young historian from Rijeka who possessed multicultural identities and knowledge and studied in Trieste, Klagenfurt, Budapest and Florence, lived in the provincial town of Gradisca di Isonzo and worked as a freelance historian in Rovinj's Centro di Ricerche Storiche. Despite his youth, he was one of the most quoted authors in scientific databases. At the age of 42, he decided to go to America and give a lecture there, on invitation of his collegue, an interpreter, whom he met at the Dante Alighieri High School in Rijeka. This colleague had promised to sell his apartment in Queens, New York, to William, and then killed him and took his money. The highly decorated New York detectives were swift to react, the killer was arrested in 48 hours after the murder and following three years of the trial, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, with the right to seek parole only after spending 25 years in prison. In conclusion, the judge said that “he robbed his victim of the American dream.”

You are perceived as one of the best experts on political relations in the region. Shall we start with Serbia? What is the biggest mistake that Vučić and the Serbian opposition have made?

— Mr Vučić inherited a state ruled by predatory elites created during Milošević’s era. His general direction of action is correct – focusing on Serbia becoming an EU member, establishing an entrepreneurial, liberal economy, and creating a new Serbia – Serbia 2.0., if you will – that could live beyond its mythomaniacs and cargo cults. One would think that this is very difficult but not impossible to conceive, but, in actuality, it is - Belgrade was and is a European metropolis, and the Serbs, the Serbian elite, are actually Westerners, while the future of their country is in the West. Serbia is not in Kosovo but in Belgrade.

Modalities, or rather political means to achieve these goals, are a different ball game. This is what the opposition is focusing on and judging by street protests, is something that people reject. The people’s dissatisfaction, that the opposition has failed to properly direct, is a very bad thing, both in Serbia and in France. Historically speaking, the Serbian opposition fell short again in failing to accept a liberal project and instead has been focusing only on bringing down what they perceive as unworthy leadership.

What is your view of the current power struggle on the Croatian political scene?

— Back in the day, Ivo Sanader “deTudjman-ized” the biggest political party – the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ, abbreviated in Croatian) and created an opportunity for a European future. However, his government broke down due to endless kleptocracy which was a transnational, middle-European, “joint criminal endeavour”.

Milanović’s left government then

proceeded to destroy the Croatian economy, while Karamarko’s right government destroyed the society and hence the state. Plenković is now rebuilding the state and trying to “de-HDZ-ize” HDZ, but, by the same token, he is also “re-Tudjman-izing” it, putting himself in the position of the omnipotent chancellor. This does bring stability, but it also pools all the flaws of the previous three governments.

but not Bosnia. On the contrary, he was against the “ethnicization” of this composite state (which he advocated in Dayton as the main building principle). I share his views on this. Bosnia should be transformed into a federation, with one parliament, one prime minister and one state president (who would hold only a ceremonial role), but also with a Senate (the current Council of Nations) where

IN CROATIA, THE STATE HAS MANAGED TO IMPLEMENT A JUDICIAL TERROR, IN SERBIA IT USES OTHER MEANS, AND IN SLOVENIA, IT RELIES ON PROVINCIAL SELF-CENSORSHIP WHILE IN BOSNIA, FOREIGN EMBASSIES RUN RAMPANT IN THE MEDIA Is Bosnia and Herzegovina a sustainable union after all, or should it fall apart as Yugoslavia or collapse like Iraq, as Peter Galbraith claims in his book “The End of Iraq”?

— I’ve known Peter for many years and I even made an hour-long documentary about him in which we tried to sum up his entire career and not only the years he spent in the Zagreb and Balkan adventures.

Galbraith was a US ambassador both in Croatia and Bosnia and is actually a diplomat appointed by the US administration for the territory of the ex-Yugoslavia. Together with his friend, Richard Holbrooke, he managed to bring peace here and create the Dayton Agreement. He was also in favour of both Iraq and Yugoslavia being divided,

the Senate members would be chosen from real, municipal election units. Is this possible? I couldn’t tell you. I would like to see a debate about this topic and I would gladly participate in it – not as a Croat, mind you, but as an ex-Yugoslav who feels he has a certain debt to pay to the unfinished business of democratic transformation.

You spent your whole adult life in the media. What is your view of the media scene in Serbia and Croatia today?

— They have never been stronger, right? So many TV stations, mobile platforms for sporting, entertainment and news content, portals, the whole lot… A lot of money is being spent on that but most of it the money earned goes to big

corporations, just like everywhere else in the world. I would be perfectly happy with this progress if we could somehow stop the state from meddle into media so much.

The state meddles both as a ruling authority and as a judge. In Croatia, it has managed to implement judicial terror, in Serbia, it uses other means, and in Slovenia, it relies on provincial self-censorship.

In Bosnia, foreign embassies run rampant in the media because they are the real power there. Journalistic profession is in jeopardy, but then again, it always has been.

You are also an expert on airline scene. What do you think of the changes in that segment in the region? What do you think of Air Serbia, in the context of its sixyear-long business ‘marriage’ with Etihad, Air Croatia, the new airport in Zagreb, Vinci taking over Belgrade airport, the Serbian government now running the airport in Niš and such?

— In collaboration with Etihad, Air Serbia has managed to substantially increase traffic at Belgrade airport and thus regain its dominant position in the region. However, Etihad is not doing so well, particularly when it comes to its expansion format in Europe.

Croatia Airlines has to find a strategic partner in order to prevent a complete collapse, and the transfer of concession of the airport to the European consortia is a bad thing. We should have picked a Korean or an American partner that had also competed. But once you enter the immediate European orbit, your hands are bound. Large German and French companies are a disaster for aviation. We should now do business with the Poles, and you should do it with the Hungarians. As for Niš Airport, I really don’t know what to tell you. I would not give airports to cities to run. They are always seen as a job opportunity rather than a development chance.

EUROPEAN CRISES ARE THE ONLY WORTHWHILE THING IN EUROPE This year, we are marking centenary of the Paris Peace Conference, 80 years since the beginning of the Second World War and 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

What do you think, in which direction is Europe heading?

— Europe is being re-feudalized. They succeeded in getting rid of the British, the EU's best country, while ethatism now dominates over liberalism, and is accompanied by left-wing and leftist populism, which, at its margins, is trans-

forming itself into neo-Communist fascism, that is, right-wing pro-Russian Nazism. I would say that, ideologically speaking, this is not such a major problem, but that the biggest problem lies in the sclerotic economy, which cannot function because of the double terror from the Brussels bureaucratic regulation and the oligopolistic collision of large European corporations which are very successful and which are, actually, keeping Europe alive. If you lack medium-sized capitalists, well, at least you have

the big ones. In fact, what is most worrying is the composition and average values of the European governments. It’s been a long time since we witnessed such mediocrity. Countries are run by former teachers, third-grade pencil pushers from regional governments, and nerds devoid of charisma. Incompetent governments lead to economic crises, but as my friend, an economist, says, European crises are the only good thing in Europe at the moment, as they are a sort of a stress test for their institutions.

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CALIBRATION PROBLEM

How Central Banks Should Prepare for the Next Recession They must change their targets and find new tools—while avoiding a populist takeover

It has been a decade since America’s latest recession, and it has taken that long for the Federal Reserve to ask itself whether it is ready for the next one.

On June 4th officials and scholars will gather in Chicago to debate how monetary policy should work in a world of low interest rates. The benchmark rate is 2.25-2.5%, which gives the Fed little room to cut before hitting zero—and less than half as much as it has needed in past downturns. As if to remind policymakers that rock-bottom rates are here to stay, the ten-year Treasury yield fell below 2.3% this week. Other central banks, many of which preside over still lower rates and weaker economies, are looking to the Fed for inspiration.

The belated battle-planning, although welcome, is awkwardly timed. Central banking is becoming more politicised. President Donald Trump has called for the Fed to cut rates and tried unsuccessfully to appoint two of his cronies to its board. Left-wingers are increasingly interested in taking charge of monetary policy. In Britain they have suggested, variously, that the Bank of England should cap house-price growth and tar-

20

get productivity—as if the rate of technological change were a monetary phenomenon. Central banks are often eyed as a source of cash for infrastructure investment or for fighting climate change. The European Central Bank’s quantitative easing (qe), bond-buying with newly created money, is a source of tension between euro-zone countries, helping make the ecb’s leadership race even more political than usual.

at their targets and their tools, even as they strive to keep their independence.

Unfortunately, the outcome of the review is likely to be just a tweak to the Fed’s target or its communications policy and a decision not to change to its tools.

The Fed may pledge to redefine its inflation goal, of 2%, so that this applies on average over the economic cycle. Overshoots during booms would make up for short-

CENTRAL BANKS NEED TO PREPARE FOR WHAT IS COMING, BY LOOKING AFRESH AT THEIR TARGETS AND THEIR TOOLS, EVEN AS THEY STRIVE TO KEEP THEIR INDEPENDENCE Given these pressures, central bankers’ caution should hardly be surprising. They surely fear that overhauling their targets and tools could lead to a free-for-all in which stability and independence give way to populist interference or even economic quackery.

But that is not a sufficient reason to hold back. A worse danger is that the world faces a downturn it cannot adequately fight.

Central banks need to prepare for what is coming, by looking afresh

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falls during busts. The theory is that this might help deal with interest rates stuck near zero, by boosting inflation expectations in a downturn. That would mean real rates were lower, giving the economy a boost.

However that is likely to prove too modest. Start with targets. Inflation has undershot the Fed’s target 85% of the time since it was announced in 2012. Financial markets expect these shortfalls to continue for years. Investors may well

ignore any new pledges from central bankers to get inflation above the target. And even if they believed the Fed, the cut in real interest rates would be too small to offset a bad bust. In the dark days of 2009 one rule of thumb for monetary policy suggested that nominal interest rates needed to be almost minus 4%.

The tools are equally in need of an overhaul. Most central banks have three unconventional policies to stimulate depressed economies: qe, forward guidance (trying to talk down bond yields) and negative interest rates. Debate rages over the effectiveness of qe—some see it as little more than forward guidance in disguise. Yet forward guidance is not always credible, whether it is disguised or not. And deeply negative interest rates require reforms to prevent people from hoarding cash or from causing instability at banks, which will struggle to get people to pay them for taking deposits.

THE FEDERAL PRESERVE

If the reforms are inadequate, the result could be a long and ruinous slump. Avoiding that fate is worth the risks. Central banks should thus swap their inflation targets for something better—we favour a target for nominal gdp, a measure that is more closely tied to the fortunes of debtors and investors—and they should search for new sources of monetary ammunition.

Politicians will inevitably play a part in the choice of such innovations—and rightly so, because they set the framework for the technocrats. What is more, the necessary work will take sustained effort, not a single meeting. The bankers should not be cowed by the threat of politicisation. Their work is too urgent and too important for that.

From The Economist, published under licence. The original article, in English, can be found on www. economist.com

CORPORATE

With Smart Construction to First-class Wi-Fi Experience Each building facility is unique and requires personalized solutions. In this text, we will explain the problems we most often encountered while implementing Aruba Networks solutions in existing areas, as well as how we dealt with the initial stages of construction of new facilities We have taken the hospitality industry as an example due to the variety of spaces (guest rooms, conference rooms, restaurants, etc.) in which network infrastructures have to be implemented, but also due to challenges that sometimes need to be overcome because of exiting architectural conditions. For instance, while certain new buildings use Knauf partition walls in hotel construction, a residential building that has been converted into a hotel often has brick walls or reinforced cement.

Consequentially, choosing a model, position, and way to connect to a network can vary greatly.

In the case of a combination of the aforementioned walls due to the functioning of access points, it is not advisable to position them in the corridors. If all the access points are located in the corridor, there is great interference between them and the quality of the network is noticeably decreasing.

Apart from the interference itself, the bathrooms in hotel rooms often have glass surfaces with metallic foils. Presence of any metal noticeably affects the level of Wi-Fi signal in space.

Ideally, Wi-Fi access points are best positioned in the room/ apartment. As the number of client devices (mobile phones, tablets, laptops) in the room will most probably not increase significantly, it is possible to select smaller APs for the lower density of client's devices.

Lately, it has become increasingly popular to use devices like the Aruba 303h access point which is of small dimensions and includes four additional Ethernet interfaces, one of which features PoE + (Power over Ethernet) functionality. The optimal installation would be behind a TV set, and Ethernet interfaces can be used to connect TVs, phones, and consumer devices. Therefore, it is not

necessary to acquire additional room switches which noticeably decreases the associated costs.

Passive or cabling is also simpler because it takes only one cable for each room. Alternatively, such devices can be installed on dropped ceilings above the room entrance (where ventilation/air vents are located).

mount an access point on the outer column and point the antennas in the direction of the terraces of the building. Such an access point must be protected from elements, which Aruba 365 is.

Restaurants, conference centres, swimming pools and areas that have numerous client devices require slightly different models

WE RECOMMEND USING A MODEL SUCH AS ARUBA 315 (OR SERIES WITH HIGHER NUMBERS) THAT CAN ACCOMMODATE A LARGER NUMBER OF NETWORK USERS WITHOUT ANY CHALLENGES If such an access point is not fitting a specific facility, and if the walls allow it, you can use an access point with integrated omnidirectional antennas such as the Aruba 305 model and place it every second or third room, in a zig-zag arrangement. The ideal location for mounting such access points is in dropped ceilings.

We often encountered the challenges related to providing a signal on balcony and terrace areas. As glass rocks often have metalized foils (UV protection), the access point signal cannot reach the terrace if the windows are closed.

In such situations, it is possible to

and positions of the device. For most such spaces, we recommend using a model such as Aruba 315 (or series with higher numbers) that can accommodate a larger number of network users without any challenges. The ideal location for installing such devices is right above such areas (up to 10m high).

On the wire mesh side, by using the combination of copper and optics, we can get an extremely high quality, redundant network.

For instance, we can set up one

switch that is copper connected to each access point (provided that the length of the copper cable between the switch and the access point does not exceed 90m) on each floor (if the space permits).

The switch is connected by a 2x10G optic to the central core switch in the main cabinet. By double-linking central switches using the optic, we achieve redundancy and high data bandwidth without limitation that is cable length.

Before deciding on models, device position, and cables, we recommend creating a mathematical simulation of wireless network signal behaviour in space to spot potential problematic locations in advance, as well as estimate the number and position of network devices. To create a quality simulation, it is necessary to provide floor space, the information about each barrier (walls, doors, objects, furniture), and the ways in which the network is used in each segment of the space (the expected number of client devices in a certain area and their expected network utilization – it is not the same if the user will occasionally connect to the Internet to read e-mails or stream Netflix in high resolution). After the simulation has been made, it needs to be verified at the location by validation testing and when the user is satisfied with the configuration proposal, the procurement of network equipment can start.

If you are interested in hearing more about how we can help you during the construction, as well as with the installation of networking equipment in existing areas, please contact us at info.rs@ selectium.com . We will be more than happy to arrange a meeting with you.

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PEOPLE & EVENTS

10 FAREWELL RECEPTION MAY

OF AMBASSADOR OF FINLAND PERTTI IKONEN

13 STREET OF

TUNISIA OPENED IN BELGRADE

Ivica Dačić

14 THE MAY

A sign bearing the name of the Tunisia Street, located at the corner of Žarko Pucar and Petar Martinović streets in Banovo Brdo was officially unveiled by the Mayor of Belgrade Zoran Radojičić, Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić and Mayor of the city of Tunis, Souad Abderrahim. Speaking at the opening

ceremony of the street named after the country of Tunisia in Belgrade, the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivica Dačić reiterated the eternal gratitude to Tunisia for providing shelter and assistance to Serbian soldiers, the wounded and civilians in the First World War.

Opening of the Tunisia Street

INDEPENDENCE DAY OF MONTENEGRO

Souad Abderrahim

The Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Grigorij Krasko, held a concert in Belgrade on May 21st, marking the Independence Day of Montenegro. The compositions by Borislav Tamindžić, Zoltan Kodaly, Petar Konjović, Johannes Brahms, Jakov Gotovac and George Enescu were performed at the

concert which was titled “The Symphonic Circle of the Nation”. The concert at the Kombank Hall in Belgrade was organized the Embassy of Montenegro in Serbia.

This is the fourth time that the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra performed in Belgrade on the occasion of Independence Day.

H.E.Branislav Mićunović, Montenegrin Ambassador to Serbia with guests

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Ambassador Ikonen came to Belgrade in 2015. The reception was attended by the representatives of the diplomatic corps and the media.

Brankica Janković and H.E.Thomas Schieb, German Ambassador to Serbia

H.E. Pertti Ikonen

MAY

The Embassy of Finland in Serbia hosted a farewell party on Friday, May 10th, for the Ambassador of Finland H.E. Pertti Ikonen who is leaving his post.

www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

15 100th ANNIVERSARY OF MAY

THE POLISH-SERBIAN DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

Mr. Andrzej Kindziuk,Chargé d'Affaires of the Polish Embassy

16 EIB CELEBRATED MAY

EUROPEAN DAY

On the occasion of the Constitution Day and the 100th anniversary of the Polish-Serbian diplomatic relations, a reception was held by the Embassy of Poland

H.E. Denis Keefe and H.E.Jan Erik Mikael Lundin

“The European Investment Bank is the key financier of the construction of Corridor X through the Grdelička gorge, which is the largest EIB project in the public sector in Serbia since 1977,” said Dubravka Negre, Head of the EIB Regional Rep-

resentation Office for the Western Balkans, at a reception apropos the European Day, hosted by the bank. The European Investment Bank is the largest multilateral lender in the world, which investments in Serbia exceed 5.4 billion euros.

Dubravka and Christopher Negre with H.E. Carlo Lo Cascio and his wife

17 CONSTITUTIONAL MAY

in Serbia at the Metropol Hotel on Wednesday, May 15th. The reception was attended by the representatives of the diplomatic corps and the media.

DAY OF THE KINGDOM OF NORWAY

Brankica Janković and H.E. Frédéric Mondoloni

The Norwegian Ambassador, H.E. Arne Sannes Bjørnstad hosted the reception on the occasion of the Constitutional Day of the Kingdom of Norway on Friday, May 17th. “Norway

was lucky. I hope that Serbia will also be lucky and that you will also have over 200 years of prosperity and stability, ” said H.E. Mr. Arne Sannes Bjørnstad on the occasion.

H.E. Arne Sannes Bjornstad and Mrs. Hager Jemli Bjørnstad

H.E. Kathleen Csaba with her spouse and H.E. Nikolaus Lutterotti

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43

PEOPLE & EVENTS

23 THE INTERNATIONAL MAY

NETWORKING COCKTAIL HELD IN BELGRADE

With the aim of socializing in a pleasant and informal ambiance, members of 13 bilateral business associations operating in Serbia held the third International Networking Cocktail at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on May 23, 2019. This year, the International Networking Cocktail was attended by companies from the Italian-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, French-Serbian Chamber of Com-

Sanja Ivanić ,FSCC and Marija Tasić

Representatives of the Chambers

23 IN BELGRADE CELEBRATED MAY

merce, German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce (AHK), Slovenian Business Club, Croatian Business Club, Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Hellenic Business Association of Serbia, Dutch-Serbian Economic Association, Nordic Business Alliance, Canadian-Serbian Business Association (CANSEE), Belgian-Serbian Business Association and British-Serbian Chamber of Commerce.

THE 70th ANNIVERSARY OF THE GERMAN CONSTITUTION

The German Ambassador, H.E. Thomas Schieb hosted a spring party in his Belgrade residence on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the German Constitution. “Seventy

years ago, on May 23rd, 1949, the German Constitution came into force in Bonn, and today we celebrate the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany, “said Ambassador Schieb.

H.E. Thomas Schieb and Ms.Scheib

24 THE PRESIDENT OF MAY

SERBIA EXTENDS CONGRATULATIONS FOR RAMADAN

Nenad Popović, Minister and Ambassador Scheib

The President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić congratulated the blessed month of Ramadan, at a festive Iftar breakfast hosted by the Ambassador of Egypt in Serbia, H.E. Amr Aljowaily. In his address to the ambassadors of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the leaders of Serbian Islamic

Community and ecclesiastical representatives at the residence of the Egyptian embassy in Serbia, President Vučić underlined his country’s determination to strengthen the existing friendship and consolidate the foundations of cooperation, as well as develop friendly relations with the entire Muslim world.

H.E. Amr Aljowaily and Aleksandar Vučić, President of Serbia

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www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

24 THE DAY OF SLAVIC MAY

LITERACY

The day of Cyril and Methodius, May 24th, is celebrated this year in Serbia as the Day of Slavic Literacy and Culture, with a special programme that will be held at the Kombank Hall in Belgrade, under the auspices of the Serbian Ministry of Culture

and Information and the Bulgarian Embassy. The Government of Serbia recently proclaimed Cyril and Methodius Day as the Day of Slavic Literacy and Culture, based on an initiative which Ministry of Culture and Information launched two years ago.

H.E. Radko Todorov Vlaykov , Bulgarian Ambassador to Serbia

25 FRENCH ORDER OF THE MAY

ACADEMIC PACT FOR THE RECTOR IVANKA POPOVIĆ

The French ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Frédéric Mondoloni presented the Belgrade University Recto, Ivanka Popovic with the Academic Palm order of an Officer for her contribution in the area of French-Serbian scientific and educational cooperation. At the

H.E. Frédéric Mondoloni, Ivanka Popović and Tatjana Jovanović

28 GERMAN MAY

SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED TO SERBIAN STUDENTS

Ambassador Schieb with a scholarship winner

“German scholarships do not augment the brain drain of Serbian students, but rather create an opportunity for young people from Serbia to acquire experience and knowledge and eventually to return to their country and apply their knowledge here,” said the German Ambassador, H.E. Thomas Schieb at

ceremony at the residence of the French Embassy in Belgrade, Ambassador Mondoloni also decorated Tatjana Jovanovic, an assistant in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, with the Academic Palm in the rank of a Chevalier..

Ivanka Popović, recipient of the Academic Palm Order

ceremony at which Serbian students were awarded scholarships from the Zoran Djindjic Scholarship Programme for the school year 2019/2020, under the auspices of the German Business for the Western Balkans Countries and the German Academic Student Exchange (DAAD).

H.E. Thomas Schieb and Ružica Djindjić

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45

PEOPLE & EVENTS

04 FESTA JUN

DELLA REPUBBLICA

The Italian Embassy in Belgrade held a reception on the occasion of the Day of the Republic of Italy. The Italian Ambassador, H.E. Carlo Lo Cascio said on the occasion that “Italy supports Serbia and encourages Belgrade to continue reforms on its path toward EU membership, as well as seek to reach a compromise solution regarding the Kosovo issue.” “Italy is on Serbia’s side in both of these issues,” said the Ambassador at the celebration of the Day of the Republic of Italy.

H.E. Carlo Lo Cascio

Ambassador Lo Cascio and his wife with Minister Zoran Djordjević

Maja Gojković, Tamara Vučić, First lady of Serbia and the Ambassador with his wife

Minister Djordjević and H.E. Mr. Alexander Chepurin, Russian Ambassador

06 THE EMBASSY OF JUN

H.E. Sem Fabrizi, EU with his wife

H.E. Jan Erik Mikael Lundin

H.E. Branislav Mićunović, H.E. Radko Todorov VLAYKOV , Robert Čoban and Minister Zoran Djordjević

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SWEDEN CELEBRATED THE NATIONAL DAY

The Swedish Embassy in Serbia celebrated the National Day. The guests at the Belgrade Botanical Garden welcomed Swedish Ambassador to Serbia Jan Lundin, who welcomed all participants in the occasion, emphasizing the importance of good bilateral relations between Sweden and Serbia. Representatives of the political, cultural and diplomatic life of Serbia were present. Sweden commemorates its holiday in memory of 1523 when Gustav Vasa was elected King of Sweden.

EVENT

The "Good Old South" Spirit

Inspired by the 80th anniversary of the premiere of the cult film "Gone with the wind", Diplomacy & Commerce Magazine organized a cocktail evening at the House of King Peter I. Robert Čoban, President of CPG addressed the audience: “This year's party should remind us that the theme is not only lost love, but also the horror of the war, and that it is a very important message to us to accept diversity and live in harmony”. Mrs. Ester Bajer, Holocaust survivor, through her life story, reminded everyone present how much every day spent in this world is worth.

In the beautiful garden, guests enjoyed the open air cinema, southern cocktails, and the music "of the good old South". MARS company announced a new member of the chocolate family Maltesers with an extroadinary performance.

The "good old south" spirit, was enjoyed by over 200 guests, among them Thomas Kuchta, Ambassador of the Czech Republic, Gordan Bakota, Ambassador of Croatia, Radtko Vlajkov, Ambassador of Bulgaria, as well as other representatives of the diplomatic corps, and public and cultural scene in Serbia.

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BUSINESS NEWS

LEONI CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF OPERATIONS IN SERBIA

BANCA INTESA AND DDOR OSIGURANJE ANNOUNCE 5th ITALIA SOCCER CAMP FOR KIDS For the fifth consecutive year, Banca Intesa will support the Italia Soccer Camp in Serbia, this year in partnership with insurance company DDOR Novi Sad. The camp will give boys and girls aged 7-14 a unique opportunity to learn about the skills and secrets of this sport by working with the best Italian coaches. A press conference was held at the Italian Cultural Centre to announce the fifth season of Italia Soccer Camp, and attended by H.E. Carlo Lo Cascio, Ambassador of the Republic of Italy to Serbia, Draginja Djurić, Chairwoman of the Executive Board of Banca Intesa, Giorgio Marchegiani, Chairman of the Executive Board of DDOR Novi Sad,

Marco Schembri, CEO of World Camp International Srl, the Italian company organizing the Camp, Rosario Strano, Chief Operating Officer of Intesa Sanpaolo Group, Vittorio Petrone, soccer manager of Roberto Baggio, and Roberto Baggio himself, the legendary Italian football player. The conference was moderated by famous Serbian journalist and sports commentator Aleksandar Stojanović.

JTI LAUNCHES USD 3 MILLION PRODUCTION LINE AT ITS SENTA FACTORY

LEONI, a global provider of energy and data management solutions in the automotive sector and other industries, celebrated 10 years since the company’s launch in Serbia. The ceremony took place at the Production Plant of Prokuplje in the presence of the company’s representatives, employees, local institutions, business partners and the media. LEONI Serbia was founded in April 2009 in Prokuplje and is currently the only European company with four production facilities in the Wiring Systems Division (WSD). In the last ten years, the Company has invested around EUR 111 million in buildings and equipment, delivering wiring harnesses for international premium car manufacturers. LEONI Serbia has approximately 9,000 employees and is the biggest industrial employer in Serbia. Since its inception, the Company has built an impressive network of close to 500 domestic suppliers and, together with them, generated a total turnover of 117 million EUR, contributing to raising the living standard in the areas where it operates.

WELCOME TO NESPRESSO COFFEE WORLD Japan Tobacco International (JTI), the largest Japanese investor in Serbia, launched a USD 3 million production line at its Senta factory. The new line was launched by Ana Brnabic, the Prime Minister, H.E. Junichi Maruyama, the Ambassador of Japan, Igor Mirovic, Head of the Vojvodinian government, and Mutsuo Iwai, President of Tobacco Business at Japan Tobacco Group. The

ceremony was also attended by Istvan Pastor, Speaker of the Vojvodinian Parliament and Rudolf Cegledi, the Mayor of Senta. The new production line will enable JTI to produce new brands at the Senta factory, which, in turn,will positively affect Serbia’s trading balance, as instead of importing, these products will be exported to Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia.

SERBIA-ITALY BUSINESS FORUM HELD IN BELGRADE A delegation comprising the representatives of 30 Italian companies came to Belgrade in order to find out about the opportunities for cooperation with Serbian companies on infrastructure, environmental protection, energy and information technology projects. The most important association of Italian production and service companies, Confindustria Serbia held the Serbia-Italy Business Forum in Belgrade, with the support of the Italian Embassy and in cooperation with GreenHill Advisors from Rome. The two-day business event is one more event in a

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series of economic and cultural activities in celebration of 140 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Serbia and Italy and 10 years of strategic partnership between the two countries.

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Global brand and a favourite of true coffee loves, Nespresso finally became available in Serbia a few months ago. Recognized for not only for the quality of its coffee but also as a brand that creates a complete experience for its Club Members, Nespresso officially launched online sales on its website late last year and opened two boutiques at the Delta City and Ušće shopping centres. This Nespresso event explained in detail each step in the production of this unique coffee.

The story began with a simple idea: to enable everyone to create the perfect cup of espresso coffee, just like an experienced barista. Since its inception in 1986, Nespresso has redefined and revolutionized the way millions of people enjoy espresso coffee. This shaped the global culture of drinking coffee. Nespresso is focused on providing its consumers with the highest quality coffee which they can enjoy at home.

TELEGROUP WINNER OF THE NATIONAL CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AWARD As a company that has demonstrated the highest commitment to the principles of social responsibility in Serbia, TeleGroup has won the first place in the category of medium-sized enterprises and thus became the winner of the Djordje Vajfert National Award for Corporate Social Responsibility, given by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia. The Chamber recognized the importance and support that TeleGroup provides to achievements of young people in Serbia through its entrepreneurship education programme, the biggest of its kind in the world. Over 10 million students participate in the programme annually. TeleGroup’s mission is to enable training for generations of students for a successful life and work in the modern world where innovation and entrepreneurial initiatives are of the highest value.

BIS CHARITY BAZAAR FOR NURDOR The British International School organized the traditional charity bazaar at their two beautiful BIS Primary campuses in 7a, Užička and 3, Iličićeva streets in Dedinje. The theme of this year’s charity bazaar was ‘Circus’. The British International School devised a very creative, entertaining programme for pupils of all ages – from 3 to 18. Similar to previous years, dozens of stands were positioned at the Bazaar, with the visitors enjoying the sampling of national cuisines representing every single continent.

Souvenirs, books, exciting children’s games and other interesting products were available for purchase. The most

exciting part of the event was the raffle with numerous valuable prizes including weekend getaways at exclusive hotels, dinners in renowned restaurants and many other surprises.

SAKURA SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED

SOCIETE GENERALE SERBIA DIGITIZES PAYMENT CARD - PAY BY PHONE AT ANY TIME Societe Generale Serbia has launched mCard – a service that enables contactless payment by smart phone at all POS terminals in the country and abroad, where Mastercard contactless payment cards are accepted. A modern and innovative payment method is available to all customers of Societe Generale Bank, which have active Mastercard payment cards, and are part of an existing m-banking application. Payment method is simple as the use of contactless payment cards: by clicking on the mCard section in the mobile application, the payment option is initiated. Then you need to enter your mobile application PIN, and your phone is connected with the POS terminal. The mCard service uses the modern Mastercard Mastercard Digital Enablement Service platform with the most advanced payment technology – EMV chip, tokenization and encryption to ensure the security of user cards. Token is a series of numbers that the mobile device uses instead of the number of cards printed on a plastic card – this means that the card number is never displayed, not stored or not by anyone, which guarantees security for users.

For the eight consecutive year, JTI and the Embassy of Japan granted five Sakura Scholarships to students and researchers from Serbia for the best research idea related to Japan. Granting Sakura scholarship started back in 2011,

with aim of encouraging creative and smart people, future social progress leaders, to explore Japan and good Japanese practices which may contribute to the development of Serbia, and to foster the friendship between these two countries. Sakura Scholarships are intended for students or researchers who are not in full-time employment, and who have a great research idea from one of the following areas: Japanese language, literature and culture, social and technical sciences, economy and Kaizen philosophy.

Sakura Scholarship was named after Japanese cherry tree, which is also known as a symbol of happiness and prosperity.

ONE CARD. ONE MEMBERSHIP FEE.

FitPass is a unique sporting system in Serbia that allows you to do your favourite sports activities near your workplace or home with a single membership fee. FitPass card covers training sessions in over 650 sports facilities and 60 disciplines in 25 cities in Serbia. Plus, as a holder of the FitPass card, you also become a member of FitPass Club where you are entitled to different discounts.

Many companies in Serbia recognized this

card as a unique concept in Serbia.

If you are still not a member of our large family of satisfied users and you would want to, you can find all the necessary information on https://fitpass.rs/, in the section for business users https://fitpass. rs/kompanije. Also, if you have any questions or want more detailed information, you can contact our customer support at kontakt@fitpass.rs which will get back to you as soon as possible.

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CULTURE

How to Win the Eurovision Song Contest And why Brussels should be more like Europe’s festival of cheesy pop

“Icould be the sun that lights your dark/And maybe I would lit [sic] your world with just one spark.” The traits are all there: the key change, the dodgy English, the endorsement of peace and being nice. Such is the Eurovision Song Contest. “Too late for love” is the Swedish entry and one of the favourites to win this year’s competition on May 18th.

Eurovision was founded in 1956 to promote peace in post-war Europe. But some of its traits can turn the keenest Europhile into a Brexiteer, a Frexiteer or a Swexiteer.

Since 1997 viewers across Europe have been able to vote by phone.

Hence the shamelessly political results. Cyprus votes for Greece, for example, and Finland votes for Estonia. Songs that make sense in a national context sometimes prove baffling to foreigners, and flop. Successful contestants often offer a vague, generic Euro-music, a living metaphor for the eu’s homogeneous mush.

To some extent, the metaphor works. Just as European states struggle to reconcile different economic and geopolitical instincts— most Eurovision participants are members of the eu—so different musical tastes sunder Europe. Irving Wolther, an expert on European music known as “Dr Eurovision”, explains the national differences.

Finnish emphasises the first syllables of words and so has its own rhythm. Italian depends on vowels. Dutch depends on consonants.

Such nuances make it hard to write a song that will naturally appeal to all tastes. Even assessments of the contest differ between different national broadcasters. Dean Vuletic, a historian specialising in Eurovision, identifies three different styles of commentary: campy (Italian), sarcastic (Austrian or British) and matter of fact (German and eastern European).

Yet under the surface there is a different, more positive story. For one thing, there are common, distinct trends that unite Europe-

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an music styles. Eurovision’s early years were dominated by ballads and other gentle songs. Then in the late 1960s and early 1970s came Europop. Defined by Simon Frith, a musicologist, as “a bouncy beat, just one chorus hook and elementary lyrics”, this was epitomised by abba, a Swedish group.

Such Eurovision songs were often the soundtrack to summer holidays in Mediterranean resorts with pan-European audiences. In the 1990s, partly thanks to its expansion to post-communist countries but also as Europop faded from

largest music exporter, after Britain and America. Sweden’s pre-selection for Eurovision is one of the country’s biggest annual television events. Even unsuccessful contestants often end up as stars. A cottage industry has emerged: Swedish composers write songs for their own country and also for others.

One such mercenary is Thomas G:son, a Swede who has written 14 Eurovision songs, including the winning song, “Euphoria”, for his native Sweden in 2012. (Sample lyrics: “Euphoria!/ An everlasting piece of art/ A beating love within my heart ...”)

cultural divides, tend to include plenty of drama in the first 30 seconds of a song to prevent attention wandering. A key change can raise the excitement. Hints at current chart hits also help.

But other hooks are cultural. Politics is one way of one doing that. Recent winning entries in Eurovision by Austria, Portugal, Ukraine and Israel all had an ideological dimension. And then there is the performance. Flaming pianos, ridiculous costumes, holograms and digital graphics in the background at least make a song memorable. To win Eurovision is to find the sweet spot between camp and sincerity: just enough politics, just enough eccentricity, just enough pan-European appeal.

TELL IT BRUSSELS

EUROVISION WAS FOUNDED IN 1956 TO PROMOTE PEACE IN POST-WAR EUROPE fashion, Eurovision embraced world music. Around the same time media markets were liberalised and Eurovision became more commercial. Even today—in a musical age defined by Spotify and YouTube—its songs have distinctive traits. American chart hits are often influenced by rap and country songs. Europe’s hits, by contrast, tend to be rooted in pop and dance-music traditions.

Europe’s musical giant is Sweden. Universal music education, a culture of egalitarian consumerism (think h&m and ikea) and the ability to enunciate English lyrics more clearly than any native speaker help to explain why this small nation is the world’s third

www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

“A good Eurovision song has to connect with all the different people of Europe,” says Mr G:son; the key is not a particular style but something distinctive and attention-grabbing. Eurovision artists only have three minutes, shorter than the average chart song, and most viewers are hearing the song for the first time and alongside almost 30 other ditties. It has to “gel” with the artist, says Mr G:son. It cannot be bland.

One trick, says Mr Wolther, is to combine the different with the familiar. Some hooks are purely musical. Composers who apply the lessons of Spotify, whose big data Eurovision artists use to work out what sort of songs appeal across

All of which contains lessons for the eu, which suffers from many of the flaws often ascribed to Eurovision. It is too bent on homogeneity, too artificial and too deracinated.

However, Eurovision shows that it is possible to unite the continent by pushing against those things.

In recent years Eurovision has rewarded eccentric entries that refuse to follow the rules. Austria won with a bearded drag queen, Portugal with a ballad sung in Portuguese, Ukraine with a lament for the historical expulsion of the Tartars. Last year Israel won with chicken moves, a wacky outfit, a feminist message and typical Israeli humour.

Eurovision has many sins but also displays virtues: an absence of pomposity, a nod to national cultures, a tolerance of the artificial, an openness both to the new and the familiar and a sense of what people want. All these are traits that Europe’s stuffy political institutions sadly lack. Eurocrats who sneer at Eurovision should learn from it instead.

From The Economist, published under licence. The original article, in English, can be found on www. economist.com

CORPORATE

ADAMA is Becoming Farmer’s Partnerof-Choice We are committed to the Serbian farmers, to help them with the growing challenge of increasing yield and quality of his crops, while keeping food and the environment safe

ILAN LEVANON CEO of Adama SRB doo

“As the world population continues to grow, the main challenge arising is ensuring sustainable food production despite shrinking resources and growing pest presence. The role of the farmers becomes key in securing food production and ADAMA is committed to being their trusted and reliable partner,” says Ilan Levanon, CEO of ADAMA SRB doo, member of ADAMA group, a global provider of crop protection solutions.

How long ADAMA has been present in Serbia?

— ADAMA is a global company, founded over 70 years ago in the young state of Israel and is based there. In Serbia, ADAMA is present for over 25 years, first as an importer of active ingredients for domestic producers and then as a distributor of high-quality formulated products with the direct presence in the Serbian market.

Our name ADAMA means “earth” in Hebrew, an essential element of farming, food production and life in general. Our name embodies our strong connection and commit-

ment to agriculture and represents our people’s down-to-earth, direct and practical approach. We conduct business in over 100 countries with a direct presence in all key agriculture markets. We have one of the world's most comprehensive portfolios of differentiated, high-quality products for all major crops in all markets.

ADAMA in Serbia is recognized as a company with high expertise, working closely to the farmers, helping them in their daily struggle with the complexity of farming. We are committed to the Serbian farmers, to help them with the growing challenge of increas-

low commodity prices and high farm-inputs inventory levels in the distribution channels. Serbian agriculture has suffered all those difficulties with even higher intensity.

Moreover, the Serbian farmer does not enjoy any subsidies or support like his peer in the EU or other major production markets. This situation puts the Serbian farmer in a tough starting position in the global competition for higher and better crop’s yield, food quality and lower production costs.

OUR NAME ADAMA MEANS “EARTH” IN HEBREW, AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF FARMING, FOOD PRODUCTION AND LIFE IN GENERAL ing yield and quality of his crops, while keeping food and the environment safe.

You are present in many countries around the world. What are the specificities of the Serbian market?

— In the past few years, we have witnessed unusual weather patterns in some parts of the world,

Up until March 2019, regulation of plant protection products in Serbia was not harmonized with EU guidelines and regulations, which resulted in a loose regulation process, low entry barrier and huge number of products registered at very different quality levels. Higher and tougher regulatory standards, such as in the in EU, might be more challenging for our industry

to comply with but they protect the consumers by ensuring that plant protection products are manufactured in controlled conditions and are properly used for better and safer food production. Fortunately, Serbia has adopted a new law for plant protection products this last March, so that Serbian consumers could also enjoy high food production standards.

What is the role of a company like ADAMA in production of food and how does it reflect on farmers?

— ADAMA is present in all European countries with a wide portfolio of high-quality products that fully comply with the strict EU regulations. The public is assured that our solutions meant to keep food and environment safe and that we are committed to satisfying any high regulatory standards. Serbian farmers are assured that their agricultural products treated with our plant protection solutions, in accordance with our recommendations, are suitable for both domestic and high-standard export markets. This is key in securing their business and allows them broader market access and multiple possibilities for their business development. With our team of experts, decades of accumulated knowhow, great cooperation with distributors, innovative open-minded approach, agility and dynamic mindset, ADAMA is becoming the farmer’s partner-of-choice, in overcoming their continuous farming challenges and for the benefit of the whole community.

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REPORTAGE

Text: ROBERT ČOBAN

HISTORIC HOTELS: PERA PALACE IN ISTANBUL

Spirits of Agatha Christie, Hemingway and Comrade Broz To all of you fans of the pre-war period, I would like to recommend George King's novel called “Midnight at the Pera Palace: The Birth of Modern Istanbul”. It describes the New Year’s Eve celebration in this hotel in 1926 when Turkey first started to use a uniformed calendar and timekeeping

THE FIRST „EUROPEAN“ HOTEL IN CONSTANTINOPLE – Pera Palace

In the 1920s, Istanbul was anything but Muslim and Turkish – it was brimming with foreign soldiers who occupied the city after the Great War, the White Russians who fled the October Revolution, local Armenians, Greeks and Jews, jazz musicians, adventurers and spies from all over the world.

Ilham Gencer is 92 years old and every afternoon, between 3 and 5 pm, he plays the piano at the Kubbeli Saloon of the Pera Palace Hotel in Istanbul. Short and thin, wearing a blazer in the colour of apricot, Gencer takes the audience, sipping on their afternoon tea, by surprise with his booming voice. From the all-time greats like Frank Sinatra and Elvis to Turkish ballads, Ilham sings every single afternoon thus solidifying his position in the Parthenon of the legends that live in the modern-day Istanbul.

Hotels with 'surplus history', as

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it were, have a special charm that modern, luxury resorts with their swimming pools and glass walls instead of windows can never exude. In terms of its history, famous guests and the charm it has retained to this day, Pera Palace is at the top of historic hotels. Only the Excelsior in Lido, near Venice, The Plaza in New York City, the Copacabana Palace in Rio, the Alfonso XIII in Seville, the Hotel de L'Europe in Amsterdam and the Claridges in London can compare.

So, how did it all begin? Following the Berlin Congress in 1878, Obrenović-ruled Serbia was ordered to start building a railroad as a link to the continental Orient Express route – Paris-Istanbul.

On September 4th, 1884, Milan Obrenović officially opened the Belgrade-Niš railroad and the trains were free to go. However, the prestigious passengers of the Orient Express couldn’t find an adequate hotel for themselves in the city that was back then called Con-

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stantinople. Hence, the company that owned the Orient Express decided to initiate the construction of ’the first European hotel’ in the capital city of the Ottoman Empire.

The Turkish architect of French origin, Alexander Valaury was chosen for the job. Valaury was known for designing some of the most beautiful buildings in Istanbul such as Cafe Lebon, the Hidayet Mosque, the headquarters of the Imperial Ottoman Bank, the building that housed the Archeological Museum and others.

The construction started in 1892. Three years later, the hotel was finished and officially opened with a great ball. It was named after the Istanbul quarter of Pera in which it is located. Valaury used a combination of several styles in designing the hotel - Neoclassicism, the Art Nouveau style of the then epoch and Oriental. Above the hotel's tea room there are specially designed domes, which open as required so that the warm air can

go out during hot days in Constantinople. Before the invention of the air conditioner, this feature proved to be invaluable.

Passengers were transported in special carriages from the Main Railway Station to the hotel, down the steep streets of Constantinople, which were not suitable for horsedrawn carriages. These carriages were luxury "one-seaters", resting on wooden bars, carried by two men.

Before the Great War, the hotel was known for its famous guests – from Queen Victoria and Emperor Franz Josef to our royal families the Obrenović and the Karadjordjević who stayed at the hotel when they came for official visits to the Port.

Pera Palace was the first hotel in Turkey to have electricity and a lift which was manufactured by the renowned Swiss company, Schindler. The company still exists today and has no relation to the famous Oscar Schindler. We had a ride in the lift from the ground to the first

THE HOTEL THAT SURVIVED THE FALL OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE, THE BIRTH OF THE REPUBLIC, THE TWO WORLD WARS, THE EXPULSION OF THE GREEKS FROM THE CITY IN 1955 AND SEVERAL MILITARY STRIKES, BECAME YET AGAIN POPULAR WITH TOURISTS IN THE POSTWAR PERIOD

THE KUBBELI SALOON – The elegance of Belle Epoque

floor, to the room in which 'the father of modern Turkey', Mustafa Kemal Ataturk stayed in 1919. Just before the end of the Great War, as the capital of defeated Turkey, Constantinople was occupied by the allies (Great Britain, France and Italy). The then Defence Minister, Kemal Ataturk used the hotel for negotiations with the allied generals about ending the occupation.

This was the first time that Constantinople was controlled by a foreign army since the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453.

In the memorial room, you can see the saloon where Ataturk stayed, his bedroom, bathroom and a clock, just like the one at the Dolmabahce Palace, which stopped at 9:05 am, the time when the father of the Turkish nation died.

The tours of the memorial room are free of charge and take place every day between 10 and 11 am and 3 and 4 pm.

I have travelled to more than 80 countries on 5 continents, and in all of those countries, I saw the pictures of their current rulers, kings, queens, presidents and an occasional prime minister, hanging in public places. But Turkey is special in celebrating its leader who died more than 80 years ago. The legacy of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (1881-1938) can be seen in millions of his portraits that hang all over Turkey, in hotels, at airports, in restaurants, bars and markets. The picture of the current Turkish president Erdogan plays second fiddle to Ataturk's image at Istanbul Airport, and it is Ataturk that will forever be the undisputed leader of Turkey. This is a leader that was not a nationalist or a populist, who banned hijab, made Turkey into a secular state, and transformed the Hagia Sophia Mosque into a museum in honour of what it used to be in 1453. „If he only could have ruled three times 15 years, we would have been developed as today's Germany or America“, a tour guide at the Dolmabahce Palace told me, whose parents moved from Tetovo in Macedonia to Istanbul some 60 years ago.

The end of the occupation of Constantinople and the Greek-Turkish war saw the return of "civilian" guests to Pera Palace.

One of the most famous among them was Agatha Christie who stayed at the hotel in 1934, in room 411, where she, as many believe, wrote the largest part of her novel "Murder on the Orient Express". At that time, Ernest Hemingway visited the hotel too (Harry, the hero

of his novel "The Snows of the Kilimanjaro" stays in Pera Palace in the book), as did Alfred Hitchcock, Greta Garbo, Zsa Zsa Gabor and other rich and famous people from that era.

To all of you fans of the pre-war period, I would like to recommend George King's novel called “Midnight at the Pera Palace: The Birth of Modern Istanbul”. It describes the New Year’s Eve celebration in this hotel in 1926 when Turkey first started to use one calendar and timekeeping. Istanbul in the 1920s was anything but Muslim and Turkish – it was brimming with foreign soldiers who occupied the city after the Great War, the White Russians who fled the October Revolution, local Armenians, Greeks and Jews, jazz musicians, adventurers and spies from

all over the world.

Just before the start of the Second World War, an interesting guest stayed at Pera Palace. He wasn't famous by any stretch of imagination back then and was travelling from Moscow to Belgrade. He stayed at this hotel for three months in 1940, waiting for his passport to arrive. The mysterious guest is a communist activist Josip Broz, who will a year later, under the nickname Tito, launch a partisan uprising against the Nazis in occupied Yugoslavia.

The passport finally arrived in Istanbul, brought to him by another young Communist activist called Herta Has. The two fell in love in Tito's room at Pera Palace, Herta became Tito's second wife, and next year, their son, Miša Broz, was born in Zagreb.

STILL PLAYING EVERY AFTERNOON AT THE AGE OF 92 – Ilham Gencer at his piano in the hotel's saloon

STEEP STREETS OF CONSTANTINOPLE – Carriage that was used to transport guests from the main railway station

THE SPIES FROM THE AXIS POWERS GATHERED AT THE PARK HOTEL WHILE THE ALLIED SPIES MET AT PERA PALACE. IN 1941, THE NAZIS ACTIVATED A BOMB AT THE MAIN ENTRANCE TO THE HOTEL THAT SIGNIFICANTLY DAMAGED THE BUILDING

„MIDNIGHT AT THE PERA PALACE HOTEL – THE BIRTH OF MODERN ISTANBUL“ – book

by George King

THE FAMOUS RAILROAD ERA – Poster for the Orient Express route – Paris- Constantinople

During the Second World War, Turkey proclaimed neutrality, so Istanbul, like Lisbon or Tanger, was the hub of spies from all sides.

The spies from the Axis Powers gathered at the Park Hotel while the allied spies met at Pera Palace.

In 1941, the Nazis activated a bomb at the main entrance to the hotel that significantly damaged the building.

The hotel that survived the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the birth of the Republic, the two world wars, the expulsion of the Greeks from the city in 1955 and several military strikes, became yet again popular with tourists in the postwar period.

On March 7th, 1979, apartment 411 at the hotel was besieged with journalists from all over the world for a very bizarre reason related to the disappearance of Agatha Christie in 1926. Back then, for the whole 11 days, nobody could find Agatha. Later, she was found at a hotel in Yorkshire in England. She claimed she could not remember where she had been for 11 days.

The Warner Brothers film company started making a movie about this event in August 1979 with Dustin Hoffman and Vanessa Redgrave in main roles. The company hired the famous Hollywood clairvoyant, Tamara Rand to get in touch with the spirit of the late writer. The clairvoyant claimed that the spirit of Agatha Christie had appeared to her and told her that there was a key hidden by the famous writer in the apartment 411 of the Pera Palace Hotel, between the wooden boards and the wall. During the live satellite broadcast on a US TV station, an 8-centimetre long key was found between the front door of the apartment and the floor.

The hotel manager retained the key and the clairvoyant disclosed that the key opened a large box containing Agatha's unpublished diaries. The box was never found, nor did the diaries, and the mystery of Agatha's 1926 disappearance remains unresolved to this day.

On the last day of our stay at the hotel, we see Ilham entertaining guests from Taiwan and playing a Chinese national ballad.

Ilhan, who, as a teenager, was old enough to meet Josip Broz, is full of strength and energy. He greets us in the Serbian language and continues singing Sinatra's song "My Way", as new guests, eager to experience the glorious epoch when Agatha Christie and Ernest Hemingway stayed here, are entering the saloon.

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FESTIVAL

Defending Tradition With A Silk Thread

The third edition of the international festival, Ethnology Fest was held from May 30 to June 2 at the hall of the Serbian Army House. The distinguished guests were welcomed by the artistic ensemble of the Ministry of Defence, Stanislav Binički who played an instrumental version of the old Serbian folk song "Silk Thread". Silk thread was used as a magical connection between tradition, present and future which is embodied in the Ethnology Festival’s mission – “In Defence of Tradition”.

The Festival was opened by Mrs

Tamara Vučić, wife of the President of the Republic of Serbia and the Festival’s patron, who gave a welcome speech in which she underlined the importance of the event.

The red ribbon, which marks the ceremonial opening of the Ethnology Festival, was cut by Her Excellency, the Ambassador of Romania to Serbia, Oana Cristina Popa; Miss Andree Tanasescu, founder of La Blouse Roumaine, and Mrs Goga Grubješić, the founder and programme director of the Ethnology Festival.

The second festival evening was focused on Romania – a country

that is presiding over the Council of the European Union this year and a nation that has inspired the entire fashion world with the beauty of its intangible cultural heritage.

The young artist Alisa Oravec from Pančevo, from the Slovak ethnic group Marienfeld, opened the third and final evening of this international festival with her dance and song “I’ve no more Will". The Festival’s founder and artistic director, Goga Grubješić, devised the con-

cept of the Festival’s programme along two lines: the first being the promotion of pure tradition and ancient craft and the second focusing on promotion of contemporary artists who find inspiration for their work in tradition. Fittingly, the ‘Ethno Couture’ fashion show, which showcased the clothing brand ‘Bulka’ and the folk costumes of the national minorities living in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, closed the event.

H.E. Oana Christina Popa ,Romanian Ambassador, Tamara Vučić, honorary patron of the Etnology Fest, Andreea Tanasescu, founder of the La Blouse Roumaine community and Goga Grubješić, founder and program director of Etnology Fest.

Laza Kekić 02.08.1956 – 24.04.2019

IN MEMORIAM

Laza Kekic was a regular lecturer at our conferences "The Economist: The World in ..." in Belgrade

Laza was an iconoclast with an exceptional mind and a big personality. He believed that ideas and knowledge were very important and spent his life in the pursuit of both.

Laza lived in four countries— Germany, the US, Yugoslavia and Britain—but he never considered himself anything other than a Serb.

He was born in 1956 in Dusseldorf, Germany. He was 7 when the family returned briefly to Belgrade, before going to America. Laza’s formative years, aged 8-14, were spent in New York, in Forest Hills, Queens.

Being in New York in the 1960s put Laza at the centre of global affairs and exposed him to American society and culture: the Vietnam War, student demonstrations and the civil rights movement all had a big influence on the young Kekic.

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Laza took other things from the Big Apple too, including his love of many sports. As well as European football, baseball became his passion. Laza was already showing his contrarian streak: living in Queens he should have been a Mets fan, but he became a Yankees devotee.

Returning to Yugoslavia in 1970, the family travelled via London, where a friend took 14-year old Laza to Highbury to watch Arsenal play Tottenham. He saw the brilliant Charlie George play and Arsenal won 2-0. The love affair with Arsenal began. Back in Belgrade, where he had spent only a few months of his life until then, Laza found things tough. The education system was demanding and he had to master the Serbian language.

Aged 17, Laza moved to London and from 1974 he studied Economics at The London School of Economics, graduating in 1977.

After his Masters, in 1979 he began his PhD research on Balkan economies. After military service in 1983.

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on Tito’s island Brioni, and in Pula, he worked as an economist in Belgrade. In 1990 Laza left Belgrade, to return to London.

Laza lived 39 of his 62 years in England, which he made his home. He liked its long tradition of democracy and the character of its people. But though he lived in Serbia only about a decade in total, his connection with his motherland was strong. He was proud of its indomitable spirit in the face of adversity over centuries and of its talents in many fields.

Friends and former colleagues of Laza all refer to his towering intellect. That was especially on display during the 21 years he worked for The Economist group, which he joined in 1993, and where he remains a legend. Laza was an innovator and was responsible for the creation of the Economist Intelligence Unit’s forecasting framework and some of the firm’s most important products, such as the Democracy Index, which is known

all over the world.

Laza was a moral person: he was humane, open-minded and had a strong sense of right and wrong. He opposed the Iraq War and all foreign intervention. He was a strong believer in sovereignty, democracy and equality. Laza always spoke his mind and never shied away from challenging conventional wisdom.

He was a brilliant speaker: erudite, witty and entertaining.

One thing that defined Laza’s character was his refusal to be a victim. He believed in the importance of individuals taking responsibility for themselves, even in the most difficult circumstances.

He didn’t tell people that he was ill—he didn’t want anyone feeling sorry for him. After fighting a 10-month battle, he died of pancreatic cancer on April 24th. Laza is survived by his mother Jelena, his daughters Natalia (33) and Maria (29) and his second wife Joan, with whom he had two more children, Tanya (19) and Luka (18).

CORPORATE

ZepTerra – the Place Where Life Begins The new residential and business complex ZepTerra is located in one of the most attractive locations in New Belgrade

Buying an apartment in Blok 65, in New Belgrade’s business zone in recent years has become the best investment for the future. The proximity of important institutions, pedestrian promenade, kindergartens, schools, shopping and sports centres will make your life easier after a busy day and give you time to spend on yourself. Because of all of the above, but also the luxurious architecture, the new ZepTerra residential and business complex, the

construction of which will begin in the summer, is the right place to start your life.

Situated between the Bulevar Heroja sa Kosara on one side and the Tadije Sondermajera Street on the other side, ZepTerra offers everyday life which allows you to plan your afternoon hours. Whether you will spend your free time in spacious parks that will give this complex special charm, some of the cafes or restaurants within ZepTerra or choose the long-planned shopping, is a matter of your

choice since everything is at your fingertips. The large green oases of ZepTerra built on the principles of Zen philosophy will consist of carefully decorated space for children, but also a content for older ZepTerra residents. Apartments of the highest quality, different structures from two-bedroom to five-bedroom, as well as two-storey underground car park with card access, will give you privacy, while the impression of harmony that the complex will exude will bring peacefulness to your life.

Construction of the ZepTerra project is guaranteed by two investment companies, the Zepter Group based in Switzerland and present in over 60 countries, as well as Yihai Properties Group from Hong Kong that is appearing in our housing market for the first time.

Zepter Group is one of the largest

investors in our country, but also in the region, which implemented big projects in the hotel industry segment, as well as numerous modern business and residential buildings in some of the most beautiful locations in Belgrade. Renowned investor from China, Yihai Properties Group, was founded in 1989 and it has eight million square meters in its rich portfolio, while some of the largest investments were in China, Dubai and New York. This renowned investor built Yihai Garden in Beijing as well as other luxury buildings in major Chinese cities, such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

The exclusive agent for the sale of this residential and business complex is the leading real estate consultancy CBS International, part of Cushman&Wakefield Group.

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INTERVIEW

The Most Exclusive of All Luxury Concierge Companies Quintessentially is the best and most awarded global 24/7 luxury lifestyle management company KATARINA LARISA HAM CEO of Quintessentially SEE

Katarina Larisa Ham (Lara Ham) is the president of the Quintessentially Club for Southeast Europe, the world's most luxurious lifestyle club. Quintessentially Lifestyle was launched in London in December 2000 by co-founders Aaron Simpson, Ben Elliot and Paul Drummond, and today is the only global concierge club without competition.

What makes Quintessentially so special?

— Quintessentially is the best and most awarded global 24/7 luxury lifestyle management company.

Our service is tailor-made for every single one of our members. The most important thing that we do for them, our members, is that we save their time, and consequently their money. Each member gets their own assistant, or a Lifestyle Manager as we call it, who will do their best to build a trustworthy relationship with the member and really get to know him/her and his family. Based on what the Lifestyle Manager learns about the member's lifestyle and needs, he/she will not only fulfill the member's requests, but also proactively offer what he/she thinks the member might like. Secondly, Quintessentially is the most exclusive of all luxury concierge companies. We can give our members access to the world's most exclusive events, sold out concerts, invitation-only fashion shows and parties...

Whether for exclusive or practical day-to-day requests, we simply will not take no for an answer. If a member is spending Christmas away from home and wants a fully decorated Christmas tree to be delivered to his hotel room, we will arrange that for him. If a member wants to meet Mark Zuckerberg and spend the day at Facebook headquarters, we will make it happen. If a member wants to propose to his girlfriend in a spectacular

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OUR MEMBERS ARE PEOPLE WHO LOVE AND WANT TO EXPERIENCE THE VERY BEST LIFE HAS TO OFFER, BUT LACK TIME, KNOWLEDGE OR CONNECTIONS THAT COULD HELP THEM REALLY GET THOSE EXPERIENCES manner, we will make sure that the moment will be as unforgettable as possible. Finally, Quintessentially will not only stay on one request.

If a member wants to travel and asks us to book a hotel for him, we will do not only that, but also recommend the best restaurants, best local experiences, we will arrange a transfer from the airport to the hotel and back... Our service encompasses the whole experience, and we devote ourselves completely to our members. That is what makes Quintessentially so special.

Pay special attention to famous stars such as Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mick Jagger?

What exactly does their membership include and what part of work do you do for them?

— Since Quintessentially is a private member's club and all information is kept private (of which we are very proud of), I cannot disclose such details. The thing about Quintessentially is that the media often talks about us like we are a service for the most extreme requests only: making a last-minute booking of a luxury yacht in the south of France, or organizing a

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birthday party with a performance

by Madonna or some other superstar. Of course, such requests happen from time to time, but most requests that we do for our members in general are very practical, and not extravagant.

Do you have members in Serbia, and what are the interests of those members?

— We do have members in all Adriatic countries and also in Serbia. Our members are people who love and want to experience the very best life has to offer, but lack time, knowledge or connections that could help them really get those experiences. We regularly receive requests from Serbian members, and sometimes those requests are very interesting and creative. It makes me and my team very happy to know that members from our region have such great ideas, which showcases that they know everything about the latest global trends and that they go to all the same places as every other global trendsetter (such as Art Basel, Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, Roland Garros and Wimbledon finals, but also booking tables at

prestigious restaurants such as Noma in Copenhagen and arranging luxury vacations in St Barts).

In Serbia we have not only private members, but corporate members as well.

It also makes us very proud that Serbia hosts many events that attract attention from worldwide.

Events such as 24 Hours of Elegance and Ethnology Fest, along with unique places like Emir Kusturica’s Drvengrad, are the ones that we personally recommend to our members from around the world.

Our Quintessentially global manager also spent time in our region: she was a guest at a wedding hosted in Belgrade, and we also organized a dinner party in Korčula and Dubrovnik for our Elite members, who are all extremely influential people in business world.

What makes your company better than other concierge companies?

— In 2016, Forbes magazine listed Quintessentially as the world’s best luxury concierge company. Also, Quintessentially won some of the world's most prestigious travel and concierge awards such as Conde Nast's Best Concierge Company, the Leading Hotels of the World's Top Producing Agent and World Travel Awards' Europe's Leading Luxury Lifestyle Club.

Quintessentially has the best of both worlds: local knowledge and global network. We have more than 60 offices worldwide, with our staff speaking 35 languages.

Our service is virtual, however, so all the local knowledge is accessible to our members, regardless of their location.

All our services are personalized and we approach our members proactively. We are there for our members in every aspect of their lives: from day-to-day errands that we gladly do for them, so that the members can have more free time and less stress, to grand events that we strive to make even more special. All in all, we want to give our members nothing less than a royal treatment.

INTERVIEW

Comes to Belgrade for the First Time!

The amazing New York based collective, Snarky Puppy, will close this Musicology Barcaffe Sessions’ season. The concert will take place on June 23, at Kalemegdan

ArtLink’s Summer Night’s Music Dream MICHAEL LEAGUE Leader of the band Snarky Puppy

The band won three GRAMMYs, as well as other prestigious awards, and is widely recognized as one of the best jazz fusion collectives there are. There are 25 members in the band, but they usually rotate in smaller groups consisting of 8 or 10 people when performing.

You are coming to Belgrade for the first time as a group. The Belgrade crowd seems really excited to have you. Are you excited to be here as well?

— Absolutely! I played in Belgrade last year with my other band, Bokanté, and the response was incredible. It was a very warm, music-loving audience. I can't wait to put Snarky Puppy in front of that crowd.

You’ve been playing for a decade before you started gaining media attention. Was it hard back then?

— The music has to be the thing that keeps you pushing forward. If you need other people to validate your art- whether it’s the press, the public, the industry, or whateveryou’re setting yourself up for failure. Even though no one cared or noticed Snarky Puppy for 10 years, we’re still here. And it’s because every single person in the band plays for the love of music.

What do you consider your biggest success?

— The chemistry of the band. To play together for 15 years and still like each other is not an easy thing, but actually we get along better now than we ever have. To me, that is our biggest success. Also, being able to survive playing original instrumental music makes me feel like we've climbed some kind of mountain. It feels good.

You did some workshops for students. What message do you have for young musicians trying to make it in this world?

— We love to teach. We all had excellent teachers/band directors/ mentors growing up, and it's important to us that we try to give back to other musicians what we received over the years. As for a message, I believe that if a person works hard to excel at their craft, is reliable, and has a good attitude, they will always have work in the music industry.

What kind of impact do you hope to make as famous artists?

— I don't see us as famous, but I think that we try to use what influence we do have to encourage musicians, especially young ones, to try their best to create music they love and believe in. Art is so important for us as both individuals and societies- it can change hearts and minds, but only when there is substance to it.

What can Belgrade expect on June 23?

— A band that is very excited to play in Serbia for the first time! We'll be performing a mix of new and old songs from our repertoire.

The Festival seeks to establish the young talents as recognised artists, building their confidence, professional curriculum, national and international recognition, contacts with other artists, talent seekers and partner festivals…

JOVANKA VIŠEKRUNA JANKOVIĆ Artistic Director

Dear Music Lovers, In over a decade that has not been particularly kind to art and culture, the ArtLink Festival’s mission to attract the public attention to the importance of promoting young artists through festivals, the synergy of their individual authorities and quality creating a new, powerful creativity and production leaver, in a dialogue with founders, funders and sponsors, has become more relevant than ever.

The Festival seeks to establish the young talents as recognised artists, building their confidence, professional curriculum, national and international recognition, contacts with other artists, talent seekers and partner festivals, in that way contributing to the attainment of future meaningful employment of the young artists.

I am happy that through our Festival we will be able to share with you the art of excellent artists, some better known than others, providing them with an opportunity for further professional development. We will all jointly make sure that their efforts and talents do not go unnoticed, also through the new music cycle of ArtLink – Diplomacy & Commerce that will

be promoted during the Festival.

I hope you will enjoy the ArtLink Young Talents’ Festival’s program for 2019 and delight in the music by some of the best European rising stars – such as violinist Anna Tifu from Italy, pianists Vasco Dantas from Portugal, Adi Neuhaus from Israel, and Aleksandra Swigut from Poland, the ArtLink Western Balkans Sextet, the ArtLink Young Virtuosi Festival Orchestra and many others. The concerts will take place in some of the best museum venues in Belgrade, as well as at the Synagogue in Novi Sad. The ArtLink Young Talents’ Festival program is a result of the long-term fruitful cooperation with the network of several European festivals – all a part of the European Festival Association – and with the support of the Delegation of the EU in Serbia, the European Investment bank, the International Višegrad Fund, Embassies of Romania, Israel, Portugal, Hungary, Czech Republic, Italy and the Italian Institute for Culture, the National Museum, Belgrade City Hall, Belgrade City Museum, Musical Youth of Novi Sad, and Zmaj Jova Festival Novi Sad. ArtLink’s Summer Night’s Music Dream, at the sixth edition of the ArtLink Young Talents’ Festival, will not fail to impress!

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KOLARAC

Concert hall

CALENDAR & NEWS

14

JUN

19:00

ON A DIFFERENT NOTE

23

20:00

June 2019

Spring concert

"Singers United" invites you to their spring concert "On a Different Note" - Friday 14 June, 19:00 hours, at the Italian Institute of Culture, Kneza Miloša 56. Special guests: "Odjek" choir from Požarevac and "Serbian Youth Academic Choir" from the Musical Academy in Belgrade. “Singers United” was founded in March 2018, by Maestra Katarina Milošević and a number of fellow-enthusiasts, who sang with Katarina before.

Choir members come from the

JUN

CONCERT PROGRAMME

diplomatic and international community and other Serbian choirs, with an odd plain music lover or two. We are proud to have people from 12 countries singing together as one!

The repertoire ranges from classical, medieval to contemporary and traditional and the songs are in Serbian, English, French, Italian, German, Macedonian, Finnish to Old Norse and Latin.

"Singers United" hosts at least two concerts in Belgrade per year, and participates at fund-raising events, choir festivals, sing-along concerts and competitions. We work together with other Serbian and international choirs and our mission is to donate all funds collected at concerts to charities in Serbia.

We are grateful to our sponsors for their generous support - most of all the “Italian Institute of Culture”, https://iicbelgrado. esteri.it/IIC_Belgrado/it/istituto/ come_contattarci/, where we have regular Choir practice and traditionally host our concerts and the EU INFO centre, http://euinfo.rs/, for their continued support.

OPEN-AIR CONCERT

Ušće, Block 13, Novi Beograd - Free Entrance

Sunday, 2nd at 20.00 Concert Hall

The Professors in Concert Production: Music Centre

Admission free

Tuesday, 11th at 18.00 Music Gallery

BILJA KRSTIĆ

Tuesday, 4th at 20.00 Concert Hall

HARP FESTIVAL/ THE FESTIVAL'S CLOSING CONCERT

Soloists: Lenka Petrović, Irina Pejoska, Milica Pašić, Hana Parušić, Mina Marinković Metarmophoses String Orchestra Conductor: Ivan Marković Wednesday, 5th at 18.00 Music Gallery

PIAN DUO MILJANA & MARKO DJORDJEVIĆ

Production: Music Centre Admission free Thursday, 6th at 20.00 Concert Hall

NIGHT OF FILM MUSIC

Conductor: Gabriel Feltz

Artistic Ensemble of the Ministry of Defence “Stanislav Binički” Rade Pejčić, conductor Friday, 7th at 20.00 Concert Hall

BELGRADE SIMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Conductor: Gabriel Feltz Soloist: Nareh Arghamanyan, piano Programme: W. A. Mozart Sunday, 9th at 11.00 Concert Hall

KOLARAC PODIUM OF CHAMBER MUSIC

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ANA RODIĆ

piano Programme: Bach, Beethoven, Prokofiev, Chopin Production: Music Centre Wednesday, 12th at 18.00 Music Gallery

KRISTINA IVANKOVIĆ

cello Ružica Gojković, piano Production: Music Centre Friday, 14th at 20.00 Concert Hall

BELGRADE SIMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Conductor: Gabriel Feltz Soloists: Ashley Thouret, soprano Tanja Baumgartner, mezzosoprano Choir Obilić Artistic Society Branko Krsmanović Programme: G. Mahler Saturday, 15th at 18.00 Concert Hall

CHILDREN'S MUSIC WORKSHOP ČAROBNA FRULA

Sunday, 16th at 11.00 Concert Hall

KOLARAC PODIUM OF CHAMBER MUSIC

Ljudmila Gros Popović, soprano Piano Duo Dejan Subotić & Tea Dimitrijević Katarina Popović, violin Programme: Gavrilin

Wednesday, 19th at 18.00 Music Gallery

ALEKSANDRA MILANOVIĆ

violin Vladimir Gligorić, piano Production: Music Centre Friday, 21st at 18.00 Music Gallery

GORAN KOSTIĆ

doublebass Milena Stanišić, harp Production: Music Centre Friday, 21st at 20.00 Hall

WORLD MUSIC DAY

Organ Promotion

Saturday, 22nd at 20.00 Concert Hall

PIANO NIGHT

Adik Neuhaus, Sofia Laurenco, Vasil Hadžimanov Sunday, 23rd at 11.00 Concert Hall

KOLARAC PODIUM OF CHAMBER MUSIC

Piano Trio Sinopoli Production: Music Centre Admission free

Wednesday, 26th at 18.00 Music Gallery

KOSTA JAKIĆ

piano Programme: Schumann, Liszt Production: Music Centre Admission free Friday, 28th at 20.00 Concert Hall

HOLLY SERBIA

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SUSTAINABLE REAL ESTATE PLATFORM  FOUNDED IN 2002 ORE THAN 30 PROJECTS, THAT HAVE BEEN M ESTABLISHED SINCE THE COMPANY FOUNDATION  CURRENTLY INVESTING 250 MILLION EUROS IN NEW DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS  NEW DEVELOPMENTS ARE IN TOTAL 221,000 SQM OF GBA  PROJECTS ARE LEED CERTIFIED

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