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Serbia celebrates Statehood Day

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DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE “For diplomats, by diplomats” Reaching out the world from the European Union First diplomatic publication based in The Netherlands Founded by members of the diplomatic corps on June 19th, 2013. Diplomat Magazine is inspiring diplomats, civil servants and academics to contribute to a free flow of ideas through an extremely rich diplomatic life, full of exclusive events and cultural exchanges, as well as by exposing profound ideas and political debates in our printed and online editions.

The Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia, H.E. Mrs. Ksenija Milenković.

On the occasion of the Statehood Day, the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia H.E. Mrs. Ksenija Milenković hosted a special reception at her residence. Hundreds of guests attended the festive event on a warm afternoon in late February.

Among them were numerous diplomats and head of missions, Dutch officials, many from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Senate and the parliament; judges of international courts, artists, members of different international organizations, the Serbian embassy staff, as well as many friends of Serbia, and representatives of the Serbian Community.

The Ambassador of Tunisia, H.E. Mr. Elyes Ghariani, the Ambassador of the Republic of Yemen, H.E. Ms. Sahar Ghanem, the ambassador of Mexico, H.E. Mr. Jose Antonio Zabalgoitia Trejo and the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco, H.E. Mr. Abdelouahab Bellouki at Serbian residence.

Following the anthems of the Republic of Serbia and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Ambassador Ksenija Milenković addressed the audience.

Capitalizing on the long history of bilateral cooperation with The Netherlands, Milenković said, “Serbia and the Netherlands have a long history of bilateral relations. After Serbia reestablished its independence in 1878, we established diplomatic relations with the Netherlands already in 1899 – which made the Netherlands one of the first countries to establish relations with us. Last year it was indeed the 120th anniversary of our bilateral relations: a long tradition and we keep working to intensify those ties.” 

The Statehood Day marks the 106th anniversary of the First Serbian Uprising, which led with time to the adoption of the modern Serbian Constitution on this day in 1835.

On February 15th, 1835, Serbia promulgated its first modern European constitution, drawing inspiration from the French constitutional charter of 1814 and the Belgian constitution of 1831. “In those times, unfortunately” Ambassador Milenković explained to Diplomat Magazine, “Serbia was still under the rulership of the Ottoman Empire, and therefore the constitution, which is usually a symbol of an independent state, was not enforced for a very long time. It took us then until 1878 to regain our independence, in the context of the Berlin Congress. 

While our first modern constitution was drafted in 1835, it is worth noting that our first codified act was drafted already in the Medieval Ages, before falling under Ottoman rule. This was the time of the Kingdom of Serbia, and the document is known as the “Dušan’s Code”, from the name of the then-ruler, Emperor Dušan. This was back in the 14th century. After that, however, we fell under the Ottoman Empire, and remained under their rulership for a while. 

The Ambassador of Serbia welcomed H.E. Ms. Mirsada Čolaković,, Ambassador of Bosnia Herzegovina.

Moreover, it should also be stressed that there is a degree of symbolism in the date of February 15th, which is a very famous religious holiday in Serbia. Back then, when the State was separated from the Church, the date of February 15th was deliberately chosen for the adoption of the constitution.

This date represents the Serbian religious holiday of Sretenje, which could translate as “the meeting”, and it is really a major holiday, and especially it was so back then. Thus, this is also a reason behind why we celebrate our National Day in that date.”

The atmosphere was harmonious and welcoming. The delicious Serbian buffet kept guests indulged in the warm spirit of friendship and generous hospitality offered by Ambassador Milenković, her family, and colleagues from the Embassy of Serbia.

The wines of Serbia were in a prominent place. It was an outstanding reception, which was the first celebrated by the embassy for the last five years. 

Photography by Marian van Noort for Diplomat Magazine.

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