Minister Dacic presents diplomas to graduates of the Diplomatic Academy

Full statement by Minister Dacic at the ceremony organized on this occasion reads as follows:

„Dear students of the Diplomatic Academy,

Esteemed colleagues,

It is a special pleasure for me to address you at the graduation ceremony for the participants of the Basic Programme of Diplomatic-Consular and Diplomatic Training, the class of 2022/2023, which was made up of employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and state administration and public sector bodies, as well as partners with whom our Ministry has signed memoranda of cooperation. Out of a total of 49 participants, 33 participants successfully completed the training at the Diplomatic Academy, as have eight of them who had enrolled in the Diplomatic Academy in previous years.

Dear colleagues,

Graduation from the Diplomatic Academy has opened the door to diplomacy for you, but only after you have stepped through them, will you face the real challenges. The knowledge you have acquired you should, first of all, use as a basis for what awaits you tomorrow. And ahead of you, like all of us, is a complex series of challenges, which, I believe, some of you will have the opportunity to solve. We will continue to face double standards, lack of principles, varying standards and lack of understanding. Before all of us, who are actively engaged in foreign policy, is an unpredictable and not at all easy path, on which sincere friendships and good intentions are rare, principles are relative, and the only constant is a sheer interest. I am not saying this to discourage you, but to make you fully aware of what lies ahead. In the often cruel world of international relations, where selfish interests often prevail over the common good, diplomatic skills are essential.

The skill to fight for one's own position among the sharply opposing intentions of the great powers is what diplomacy essentially represents - the art of (im)possible. The art of staying consistent in a world of inconsistency, steadfast in a world of hesitancy. Consistent in the fight for the interests of our Serbia and unflinching in the face of the challenges ahead.

Dear colleagues,

I am convinced that everyone present here is well aware of the foreign policy priorities of the Republic of Serbia, which, first of all, include the defence of the territorial integrity and preservation of Kosovo and Metohija as part of the Republic of Serbia, full membership of the European Union, promotion of good-neighbourly relations and regional cooperation, with continuous development of bilateral relations, not only with the most important actors of international politics, but also with our numerous traditional friends around the world.

Love for your country is the basic principle on which your work as a diplomat needs to rest. If you are guided by patriotism, no task will be difficult for you, and therefore, I am sure that your efforts in implementing these priorities will be successful.

You should know that, in diplomatic battles, the main weapon is your knowledge. That is why you had the privilege of hearing from ministers, academicians, university professors, domestic and foreign diplomats and experts while attending the Diplomatic Academy. Owing to the employees of the Diplomatic Academy, teaching staff and coordinators, this class also had the honour of learning from the best. I would especially like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Diplomatic Academy on 25 years of existence in this form, as well as to remind you that it was precisely 100 years ago that the requirement to take the state exam was introduced. The Diplomatic Academy is not the end, it is only the beginning of your training.

I would like to extend special congratulations to Katarina Grek - the best student of the Diplomatic Academy in this generation, who passed the diplomatic-consular exam with an average grade of 9.93. At the same time, I would also like to commend the students Andjela Jovanovic and Luka Bozovic, who passed the diplomatic-consular exam with an average grade of 9.80.

Colleagues from other state administration institutions and the public sector achieved very good results in mastering the basic diplomatic training program. I would like to commend the trainees from the Ministry of Defence - Natalija Radivojevic who completed the training with an average grade of 9.64 and Branislava Djordjevic with an average of 9.63, as well as Bojana Andjelkovic from the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, who graduated with an average grade of 9.60.

Judging by the overall results of this generation of trainees, I believe that the future of Serbian diplomacy is in safe hands. In the name of progress in all fields, I wish you all good health and much happiness and success, both personally and professionally.

Thank you.“