The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia deeply regrets to inform the public that, this morning, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia in Libya Oliver Potezica succumbed to injuries sustained in a car crash in Tunisia, where he was staying at the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ambassador Potezica passed away at a Sousse hospital. Due to the well-known situation in Libya, all foreign embassies accredited in Tripoli transferred all their financial transactions to Tunisia, as early as the beginning of 2011.

Ambassador Potezica entered Foreign Service on 1 November 1978. During his professional career, he served in Iran, Jordan, Palestine and Libya.

As an extraordinary connoisseur of the Islamic world, the deceased Ambassador devoted his whole career to the Middle East region and that, as a rule, coincided with the most challenging times that these territories had undergone.

Owing to his commitment and an authentically informal and genuinely human approach to the local community, he successfully shattered the odium against Serbia that was firmly rooted in these territories in the 1990s, as well as the stereotypes about the Serbs and Serbia.

While in Belgrade, he stayed in touch with this region by reading books, publications and articles from the field of international relations, foreign affairs, history of diplomacy and largely relating to the issues of Islam and the Middle East. He was a member of the Serbian Journalists' Association, Secretary General of the Centre for Religious Studies and Religious Tolerance, President of the Friendship Society between Serbia and Libya, Vice-President of the Yugoslav-Arab Friendship Society, member of the Managing Board of the Serbia-Iran Friendship Society and the Honorary President of the Serbia-Palestine Friendship Society.

Sharing, at this difficult moment, the grief of Ambassador Potezica's family and friends, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all its employees are aware that they have lost a colleague who not only dedicated his entire life to the diplomatic service, but who also became part of it and identified himself with the Foreign Service of his country and its interests.

The commemorative meeting will be held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The date will be determined subsequently.