12-14 December 2012

INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR "EXCELLENCE IN DIPLOMACY – YOUNG LEADERSHIP DIPLOMATIC SEMINAR", BELGRADE

The Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, in cooperation with the Sector for the European Union, organized in Belgrade, from 12-14 December 2012, the Fifth International Seminar "Excellence in Diplomacy – Young Leadership Diplomatic Seminar".

This international event, held on an annual basis, is aimed at continually promoting excellence and new trends in modern diplomacy.

Like in the previous years, the participants were the best students of the diplomatic academies and diplomatic institutes, that is, outstanding young diplomats from the ministries of foreign affairs in Europe. The participants of the seminar were 20 young diplomats from 20 European countries, including those from the United States Embassy in Belgrade and special guests from South Africa.

On behalf of Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivan Mrkić, the seminar was officially opened by Assistant Foreign Minister Dr. Duško Lopandić. The participants were welcomed by Ambassador Božin Nikolić, Head of the Diplomatic Academy, and Ms. Nevena Jovanović, Attache in the Department for Europe, as the best student of the previous DA generation.

Diplomacy and the specific nature of the diplomatic profession, particularly excellence in diplomacy, were addressed in the speeches of the distinguished diplomats from Serbia and other countries: Dr. Hans Winkler, Director of the Vienna Diplomatic Academy; Dr. Jovan Kurbalija, Director of the Geneva Diplo Foundation; Dr. Maud Dlomo, Deputy Director, Department of International Relations and Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Africa; Katarzyna Pisarska, Director of the Warsaw European Academy of Diplomacy; and Dr. Duško Lopandić, Assistant Foreign Minister of Serbia. Moderators of expert panels were Mr. Ranko Vujačić, Director of the "Gavro Vuković" Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Montenegro; Dr. Mladen Andrlić, Director of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Croatia; and Dr. Vera Jerabkova, Director of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.

The best young diplomats took an active part in the discussions on the current trends and challenges in the 21-century diplomacy. The idea about the Club of Diplomatic Excellence was presented to the participants and 35 participating young diplomats became its new members.

In honour of Serbian and foreign diplomatic representatives, receptions were held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Belgrade City Hall, hosted by Ambassador Duško Lopandić, and Mrs. Tatjana Papić, Deputy Mayor.

22 May 2012

PANEL "BEING CULTURAL ATTACHE"

The Diplomatic Academy, in cooperation with the coordinator Prof. Milena Dragicevic Sesic and foreign cultural centres in Belgrade, organized a panel "Being a cultural attaché" for students of the Basic Diplomatic Training Program, which was held on 22 May 2012 in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
After the opening statement by Ambassador Bozin Nikolic on the panel and the importance of the World Day of Cultural Diversity and Development (21 May), which was also the reason for organizing this meeting, Professor Milena Dragicevic Sesic spoke of the importance of international cultural cooperation and cultural diplomacy.

In the first part of the panel, representatives of foreign cultural centres spoke about their activities and experiences in the Republic of Serbia, the specificities of cultural diplomacy and cooperation, the promotion of national culture and language. In the second part of the panel they gave practical advice and spoke about the priorities in cultural cooperation, positive experiences. The participants of the panel were: Mr. Tony O 'Brien, Director of the British Council, Mr. Jean-Luc Goester, Director of the French Institute, Mr. Mikhail Denisov Gennadievic, Director of "Russian House", Mr. Roman Viktorovich Rikunov, Deputy Director of the "Russian House", Ms. Karin Marshall, Head of the Department of Press and Culture of the German Embassy in Belgrade, Ms. Helene Larsson, Counsellor for Cultural Affairs of the Embassy of Sweden and Ms. Sira Miori, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute.

15 May 2012

LECTURE "THE FRENCH FOREIGN POLICY"

Ambassador of the Republic of France in Belgrade, Mr. Francois Xavier Deniau gave the students of the Diplomatic Academy a lecture on the foreign policy of the Republic of France, the activities and initiatives of France as an EU member state regarding international cooperation, the French experience related to the European integration process, the bilateral cooperation of France with Serbia. After the lecture, Ambassador Deniau took the questions related to these areas.

11 May 2012

STUDENTS OF THE FACULTY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE IN BANJA LUKA VISITED THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

A group of students of the Faculty of Political Science in Banja Luka visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On this occasion, guests from Banja Luka visited the permanent exhibition "Two Centuries of Modern Serbian Diplomacy."

11 May 2012

LECTURE "THE FOREIGN POLICY OF GREECE"

Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic in Belgrade Mr. Dimosthenis Stoidis gave the students of the Diplomatic Academy a lecture on the current foreign policy of Greece, the EU dimension of Greece, traditional good-neighbourly bilateral relations between Greece and Serbia, the support of Greece in the European integration process of Serbia and the importance of regional cooperation among the countries in Southeast Europe. After the lecture, Ambassador Stoidis took the questions related to these areas.

7 May 2012

LECTURE "FOREIGN POLICY OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL AND THE CURRENT SITUATION IN THE REGION

Ambassador of the State of Israel Mr. Josef Levi gave the students of the Diplomatic Academy a lecture on the foreign policy of the State of Israel, peace process and current situation in the region, the relations between Israel and Serbia. After the lecture, Ambassador Levi took the questions related to these areas.

14 and 17 May 2012

US CLAMSON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS FROM SOUTH CAROLINA - GUESTS OF THE DIPLOMATIC ACADEMY

The Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia organized for Clamson University students from the USA a lecture on foreign policy priorities and EU integration, and a special lecture on security policy, relations and cooperation between Serbia and NATO. These lectures were held by Dr. Dusko Lopandic, Assistant Foreign Minister for the EU, Mr. Milos Todorovic, Head of EU Sectoral Policies Department and Mr. Goran Gvozdenovic, Head of NATO and PfP Department.

Students were particularly interested in the positions presented with regard to foreign policy. On this occasion, Prof. Vlada Matic extended special thanks on their behalf.

Clamson University students visited the permanent exhibition "Two Centuries of Modern Serbian Diplomacy", where they saw the exhibits that testify to the diplomatic history from the beginning of the 19th century.

13-15 May 2012

VIENNA DIPLOMATIC ACADEMY STUDENTS - GUESTS OF SERBIN FOREIGN MINISTRY DIPLOMATIC ACADEMY

Students of the Vienna Academy of Diplomacy, as part of a study programme and study visit to the region, were the guests of the Serbian Foreign Ministry Diplomatic Academy. On that occasion, lectures were held on the professional training of diplomats of the Republic of Serbia, as well as on the responsibilities of the Diplomatic Academy, presented by Ambassador Bozin Nikolic. Other lectures were devoted to foreign policy objectives, EU integration, regional cooperation, and were held by Ambassador Dr. Dusko Lopandic, Assistant Foreign Minister for the EU and Mr. Milos Todorovic, Head of MFA's EU Sectoral Policies Department.

10 April 2012

LECTURE "THE FOREIGN POLICY OF TURKEY IN THE SECURITY FIELD"

During the working visit to the Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Mehmet Fatih Ceylan, Deputy Undersecretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, gave a lecture to the Diplomatic Academy on "The foreign policy of Turkey in the security field."

Speaking about the new concept of Turkish foreign policy in the field of security, Ambassador Ceylan emphasized the importance of regional cooperation synergy, especially in the assessment of potential crises and maintaining peace and stability, the importance of bilateral cooperation of Turkey in this field, as well as of new threats resulting from globalisation (terrorism, trans-national crime).

9 April 2012

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS FROM BRUSSELS - GUESTS OF SERBIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY DIPLOMATIC ACADEMY

The Diplomatic Academy hosted students of the third and fourth years of study of the American University in Brussels. On that occasion a lecture was held on foreign policy priorities of the Republic of Serbia, its relations with the EU and NATO, as well as on the current situation in Kosovo and Metohija

After the opening statement by Ambassador Bozin Nikolic, Ambassador Dusko Lopandic, Assistant Minister for the European Union, held a lecture.

The American University students had an opportunity to learn about the current state of relations between the Republic of Serbia and the European Union, the activities undertaken in the field of Euro-Atlantic integration, as well as a chronology of events and the negotiation process on the status of our province of Kosovo and Metohija.

9 April 2012

LECTURE "HISTORY, TIME AND MEMORY"

The Diplomatic Academy, in line with the initiative of the publishing house "Cleo", organized a lecture by Mr. Fernando Catroga, a Portuguese professor of modern history and historiography from the Faculty of Arts of Coimbra, on the occasion of the publication of the book "History, time and memory."

Mr. Catroga stressed the importance and role of historians, historiography as ars memoria, and the role of memory in the development of personal and social identities, political memory, in particular. "It is an ending battle against oblivion that historians are fighting at all times and in all societies. While researching documents and historical materials a historian must have a kind of contract with the truth, and try to get as much as possible to the truth. A historian has to be the voice of the past because we live in societies that nurture amnesia which brings us to the concept of memory crisis, the crisis of time lived. Knowledge of the past is a fundamental prerequisite to understand the present and change the future "- said the author.

24 March 2012

PRESENTATION OF DIPLOMATIC ACADEMY ACTIVITES AT THE FIRST MEETING OF DIPLOMATIC ACADEMIES AND INSTITUTES OF THE MEMBER STATES AND OBSERVERS OF THE FRANCOPHONIE IN PARIS

The First Meeting of the Directors of Diplomatic Academies and Institutes of the member states and observers of the International Organization of the Francophonie was held in Paris, 21-24 March 2012. At this meeting, in which participants from 60 countries took part, Ambassador Bozin Nikolic, representing the activities of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry, invited the Directors of the Academies of the Francophonie Member States to the 41st Meeting of the International Forum on Diplomatic Training (IFDT), to be held in 2013 in Vienna and Belgrade. Accordingly, he pointed out on that occasion that the Meeting, as agreed with the representative of the co-organizer - the Vienna Academy of Diplomacy, would be devoted to the standards of diplomatic training.

23 March 2012

DIPLOMATIC ACADEMY "KOCA POPOVIC" AND THE NATIONAL SCHOOL OF ADMINISTRATION (ENA) SIGN MEMORANDUM OF COOPERATION

The representatives of the Diplomatic Academy and the National School of Public Administration (ENA), Ambassador Bozin Nikolic and Director Bernard Boucault signed the Memorandum of Cooperation in Paris, on 23 March 2012.

Under this Memorandum of Cooperation, the two institutions will be able to actively cooperate in the organization of specialized courses and seminars in the field of diplomacy and international relations, especially with regard to the training of diplomats and civil servants in the EU policy.

In addition, the Parties will be able, on a reciprocal basis, to exchange lecturers, researchers and diplomats in order to improve their professional qualifications.
http://www.amb-serbie.fr/index.php?page=news&lang=fr&subaction=showfull&id=1332848720

http://www.ena.fr/index.php?/fr/actualites/Rencontre-des-academies-et-instituts-diplomatiques-La-gestion-des-crises-internationales-Paris-22-23-mars-20122 (tie a link to the National School of Public Administration)

13 March 2012

LECTURE "NORWEGIAN COOPERATION WITH NATO AND THE EU"

Ms. Mona Juul, Director General of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department for Security Policy, lectured students of the Diplomatic Academy on the cooperation of Norway with NATO and the EU security structures, as well as on the current global security issues.

Ms. Juul deemed her country's involvement in NATO and the EU key to national security of Norway and the promotion of regional and global security. In this context, she stressed the need to intensify the cooperation between the security structures of NATO and the EU, especially in times of economic crisis when more effective operation of international organizations is expected in the security field. In answering many questions asked by DA students about contemporary security challenges, threats and risks, Ms. Juul referred to the international community's stance regarding the Middle East, nuclear proliferation, and the role of Norwegian forces in the EU peacekeeping mission in Kosovo and Metohija.

13 March 2012

2010/2011 DIPLOMATIC ACADEMY CLASS GALA CERTIFICATE AWARD

Organized by the Diplomatic Academy, Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, after the welcoming address by Ambassador Bozin Nikolic, congratulated the 2010/2011 class on their achievements and awarded them graduation certificates of the Basic Diplomatic Training Programme.

On that occasion, MFA Jeremic emphasized that Serbia had a clear objective and priorities, and that the road we had decided to embark upon would be full of obstacles and uncertainty. "Some of Serbia's most vital interests have been jeopardized at present, and in ways that no other world country has experienced thus far", said the Minister on the occasion of awarding of diplomas in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Minister expressed his conviction that these challenges would be addressed, "patiently, carefully, with much diplomatic skill, with a lot of energy, power of persuasion and firmness of principles" and that the future of Serbia was bright in that sense. MFA Jeremic said that this was the time of most dynamic changes in the international relations and that never had the state and diplomacy played such an important role in the economy of a country as today.

"Economic diplomacy is more important than ever and the prosperity of the country, its speed and direction will be dependent upon the ways in which investors would be attracted and interested as well as the other stakeholders in global economic life," emphasized MFA V. Jeremic.

The Minister said that small countries like Serbia might be big winners or losers of the changes, and that the comprehension of political trends and the reactions would to a great extent determine the future of generations to come. (Beta) (Photo link)

12 and 13 March 2012

SEMINAR "EUROPEAN NEGOTIATING SKILLS"

Diplomatic Academy, in cooperation with the Vienna Academy of Diplomacy, organized a seminar "European negotiating skills." The seminar was held within the framework of a series of seminars "European Integration Perspectives," which was agreed with the Austrian partners.

The seminar included the negotiation in the EU and its impact on the EU processes with special decision-making simulation of the Council working groups and its working bodies, as presented by a distinguished lecturer, Mr. Rob Boudewijn of the Netherlands.

7 February 2012

LECTURE – EU: DECLINE OR REBIRTH – TOWARDS 2030

Diplomatic Academy, in cooperation with the French Institute in Belgrade, organized a lecture by Mr. Nicolas Tenzer on "EU: Decline or Rebirth – Towards 2030."

Mr. Tenzer, a distinguished French political scientist, spoke to the students of the Diplomatic Academy about the future of Europe and the EU, the economic and political importance of the European Union, the common values of the EU member states. He underscored the importance of the geopolitical position of Europe and the European region in promoting shared values, ideas and objectives in its future development.