A group of young Serbian intellectuals, PhD holders and professors, some of whom attended international universities, sent a joint letter this morning to the ministries of foreign affairs and the embassies of France and Germany regarding the removal of the memorial plaque in Pristina to the Serbian soldiers who died in the Balkan wars and World War I.
The letter was signed by winners of various national and international awards, such as the Zoran Djindjić scholarship, „Dositej“ and „young 1000 talents“ scholarships, scholarships and prize projects of the German foundations Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), French Cultural Center, European Commission, winners of the prestigious Marie Curie post-doctoral fellowship awarded by the European Commission as well as the Max Weber post-doctoral research grant.
As they state, for the sake of efficiency, they decided to send the letter after collecting the first 20 signatures.
„We believe that they represent the views and demands of a large number of our colleagues, as well as compatriots, in Serbia and abroad. Bearing in mind that there are already open petitions that can be signed by all interested parties, we have decided to send a letter, without opening a wider petition, and without further delay, to the embassies of France and Germany in Belgrade and Pristina, as well as to the ministries of foreign affairs of these two countries,“ they emphasized.
We’re publishing their letter below in its entirety, as well as the list of signatories:
Dear Excellencies and representatives of the Republic of France and the Federal Republic of Germany,
We have received, with disbelief, the news that, at the initiative of the French Embassy and the German Embassy in Priština, the memorial plaque dedicated to Serbian soldiers who fell during the Balkan Wars and World War I has been moved.
This act is unethical and insulting, erasing history and disrespecting the fallen Allied soldiers. It contradicts European values and our right to honour and remember those who fought for peace and freedom in Europe.
We respectfully urge that the following actions be taken promptly:
– The memorial plaque be immediately reinstated to its original location.
– A public apology be issued to the Serbian public and the descendants of the fallen soldiers, some of whom are signatories to this letter.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Slobodan Tomić, Assistant Professor, University of York (UK)
Dr Velimir Živković, Associate Professor, University of Warwick School of Law (UK)
Dr Aleksandar Kavčić, Founder of the Alek Kavčić Foundation and Adjunct Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburg, PA (USA)
Dr Miodrag Stojković, Professor of Human Genetics, Founder of the Embryology SPEBO-Fertility Hospital, Leskovac (Serbia); Researcher at Harvard Medical School Boston (USA)
Dr Mihajlo Popesku, Chief Research Officer, Qudo (UK)
Dr Ivana Popović, Research Associate, Centre for Climate Finance & Investment, Imperial College London (UK)
Dr Savo Manojlović, Associate Researcher, Institute of Comparative Law, Belgrade
Dr Miloš Popović, alumnus of Central European University (CEU)
Dr Mladen Mrdalj, Lecturer, Webster University
Dr Jelena Žarković, Full Professor, Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade
Dr Milan Krstić, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Political Science, University of Belgrade
Stefan Radojković, Research Associate, Institute for Political Studies, Belgrade
Dr Miloš Vojinović, Max Weber Visiting Fellow, European University Institute, Florence
Dr Vanja Bajović, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade
Dejan Dragutinović, PhD student, Faculty of Business and Economics, TU Dortmund
Dr Petar Ristanović, Research Fellow, Institute for Serbian Culture, Priština-Leposavić
Dr Milan Igrutinović, Research Associate, Institute of European Studies, Belgrade
Mladen Lišanin, Research Associate, Institute for Political Studies, Belgrade
Dejan Bursać, Research Fellow, Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade
Dr Stevan Nedeljković, Assistant Professor, University of Belgrade – Faculty of Political Science
Dr Katarina Mitrović, Senior Research Fellow, Faculty of Philosophy University of Belgrade
Branko Marković, Paris, DAAD alumnus
Dr Ognjen Dragičević, Teaching Assistant, Faculty of Political Science, University of Belgrade
Radomir Cerović, Market Access Head for Serbia, Roche (CH); alumnus of the London School of Economics (LSE) and Sorbonne University
Read more:
Public letter to the French ambassador
German and French Ambassadors Mark Armistice Day, but where is Monument to Serbian Soldiers?
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
