Tracing Their Roots, They Help Their Homeland

Serbia is represented in the world, alongside diplomats, by honorary consuls as well — there are 71 of them across 52 countries. The most active are foreign nationals of our origin. Among them are doctors, businessmen, architects...

"After a visit to Serbia, I brought representatives of the International Orthodox Christian Charities from America into the effort to protect Serbian holy sites in Kosovo and Metohija. Before that, we visited the Patriarchate of Peć and the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Irinej, and learned in more detail about the destruction of Serbian heritage in the southern province. That destruction must be stopped," says Alex Machaskey, Honorary Consul of Serbia from Cleveland, one of the 71 consuls who today proudly represent Serbia in 52 countries around the world.

Since becoming honorary consul about a decade ago, Machaskey has established cooperation between the state of Ohio and Serbia, and has also contributed to the building of the Serbian Garden in Cleveland, where a monument to Mileva Marić Einstein is soon to be unveiled.

"These are distinguished people who enjoy great trust from our state, and in the countries where they live, they are respected and their word carries weight. They are ready to place themselves in the service of Serbia and to contribute to bringing the country they live in closer to the homeland," says Vukman Krivokuća of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which appoints honorary consuls.

Serbia is currently represented as honorary consuls also by Dr. Edison Freitas de Siqueira in Brazil, Dr. José Luis Saca Meléndez in El Salvador, Abraham Neuman in Israel, prominent businessman Naohide Yeyama in Japan, and humanitarian Simeon Ocomokos from Volos, Greece, who was a major donor during the floods in Serbia. The largest number are in Brazil and the United States, with four each, while Italy, Argentina, and Greece each have three "special" envoys.

"Among the consuls, the most active are foreign nationals of Serbian origin, who, in searching for their roots, help the Serbian people and the state of Serbia, since they see it as their homeland. I should mention, for example, architect Peter Vladiković from Vancouver, Professor Ljiljana Milović Lima from Argentina, and Damir Solar from Chile, who have nurtured excellent ties with Serbia for years and represent it in their respective countries," says Krivokuća.

Peter Vladiković, Consul from Vancouver

Honorary Consul Peter Vladiković regularly helps organize numerous Serbian events in Canada and is a recipient of the Order of St. Sava and the "Slobodan Jovanović" award from Serbia's Ministry for the Diaspora.

"My job is to represent Serbia within the diplomatic corps, to represent it before the provincial government of British Columbia, headquartered in Vancouver, and to provide assistance to our people whenever they need it. Seeing how other ethnic communities living in Canada have their own gathering places that reflect their ethnic character, I thought that Serbs here should have something similar. With the help of the Serbian community and bank loans, we built two structures in the 13th-century Moravian style," says Vladiković.

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić presenting our tricolour flag in Belgrade this past July to Consul Predrag Vladiković from Vancouver

His counterpart, Gregory Rusović, is one of the most respected figures in the American state of Louisiana. He is a descendant of three generations of the Rusović family from Kotor. He graduated from Tulane University and inherited the family firm "Intermarine Transportation Inc." from his father, Vasilij Rusovich. He served as director of the Port of New Orleans. He is chairman of the Citizens Committee for Police and Citizens Against Crime and chairman of the Legal Affairs and Judiciary Committee.

"In the summer of 2013, I organized the 'Invest in Serbia' conference in New Orleans, and now I'm planning to bring a group of investors to Belgrade so they can see firsthand all the advantages of investing their capital there," reveals this honorary consul, part of his future plans — one who was decorated by President Tomislav Nikolić with the Gold Medal for outstanding merit in representing the Republic of Serbia in the USA.

Investment in Serbia and humanitarian aid are today the main focus of activity for most of Serbia's honorary consuls around the world. This was also emphasized at the First Conference of Honorary Consuls, held in Belgrade in June, when Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić presented these diplomats with newly manufactured flags of the Republic of Serbia.

Lima from Buenos Aires

Consul Ljiljana Milović Lima from Argentina is the owner of the company "International Trade." She is active as president of the "Hagia Sophia" Foundation, president of the "Nikola Tesla" Society in Buenos Aires, and vice president of the "Consejo para el Proyecto Argentino" Foundation. She served as a delegate to the Serbian Diaspora Assembly for South America from 2010 to 2014.

Serbian Blood and Soul

Honorary consuls of Serbian origin include Vicente Gerardo Bozovich, Marta Cristina Capitanich, and Liliana Milović in Argentina; Zana Petković Kuljača de Rodriguez in Bolivia; Momčilo "Mombo" Radunović in Gabon; and Dušan Drašković in Ecuador.

Also on this list are Peter Vladiković in Canada, Stanko Trifunović in Costa Rica, Paul Popović in Mexico, Jorge Silvio Miloš Giucić in Paraguay, Steven H. Katić, Gregory Rusovich, and Alex Machaskey in the USA.

Also influential are Ivan Kojić in Iceland, Jovan Latinčić in Uganda, and Damir Solar in Chile.

Marko Lopušina | November 8, 2015