1)Russia–Serbia relations
Serbian-Russian relations
Serbian-Russian relations refer to bilateral foreign relations between Serbia and Russia. Serbia has an embassy in Moscow and Russia has an embassy in Belgrade and a liaison office to UNMIK in Pristina. Konuzin and the current Serbian Ambassador to Russia is Jelica Kurjak. Serbia also announced to later open a consulate-general in Yekaterinb
urg. SFR Yugoslavia recognized Russia in December 1991 by the Decision of the Presidency on the recognition of the former republics of the USSR. Diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the USSR were established on June 24, 1940, and Serbia and the Russian Federation recognize the continuity of all inter-State documents signed between the two countries. There are about 70 bilateral treaties, agreements and protocols signed in the past. Serbia and the Russian Federation have signed and ratified 43 bilateral agreements and treaties in diverse areas of mutual cooperation so far. According to 2002 census there were 2,588 Russians living in Serbia. According to 2002 census there were 4,156 Serbs living in Russia. A poll made by Marsh in 2003 shows that 93.68% of Serbs see Russia as a traditional friend.[citation needed]
Political relations
Meeting between Boris Tadić and Dmitry Medvedev in 2008 in Moscow when the deal regarding the South Stream construction was sealed
Boris Tadić and Dmitry Medvedev with war veterans during the celebrations for the 65th anniversary of the Belgrade Offensive in October 2009
Dmitry Medvedev received the Order of the Saint Sava of the First Degree – the highest honor given by Serbian Orthodox Church
Dmitry Medvedev was the first foreign official to speak in front of the National Assembly of SerbiaHighest level visits of Serbian officials to Russia include President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Vojislav Koštunica meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in October 2000, visit by the Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić in February 2001, visit by the Federal Prime Minister Zoran Žižić in April 2001, visit by the President Vladimir Putin to Belgrade and Pristina in June 2001, visit by the Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica to Sochi in June 2004, President of Serbia and Montenegro Svetozar Marović attended the 60th anniversary of Victory Day in 2005, President Boris Tadić and the Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica attended the National Exhibition of Serbia in Moscow in November 2005, visit by the Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica to Saint Petersburg in May 2006, visit by the Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica to Saint Petersburg in June 2007, visit by the President Boris Tadić and the Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica to Moscow in January 2008, visit by the President Boris Tadić to Moscow in December 2008, visit by the President Dmitry Medvedev to Belgrade in October 2009. KosovoRussia backs Serbia's position regarding Kosovo. Vladimir Putin said that any support for Kosovo's unilateral declaration is immoral and illegal. He described the recognition of Kosovo's unilaterally declared independence by several major world powers as "a terrible precedent" that "breaks up the entire system of international relations" that have taken "centuries to evolve", and "undoubtedly, it may entail a whole chain of unpredictable consequences to other regions in the world" that will come back to hit the West "in the face". During an official state visit to Serbia following the declaration, Russian President-elect Dmitry Medvedev reiterated support for Serbia and its stance on Kosovo. However, his visit was accompanied by a scandal around the offensive comments about Zoran Đinđić made by Russian TV host Konstantin Syomin in Russian state-run TV news. Russia has also said that the March 2008 riots in Tibet were linked with the recognition by some states of the independence of Serbia's breakaway province, Kosovo. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in an interview with a Russian newspaper, also linked the demands for greater autonomy by ethnic Albanians in Macedonia with the Kosovo issue. Lavrov said, "There are grounds to presume that this is not occurring by chance. You can see what is happening in Tibet, how the separatists there are acting. The Albanians in Macedonia are already demanding a level of autonomy that is a clear step toward independence. Furthermore, events in other areas of the world give us grounds to assume that we are only at the beginning of a very precarious process". On March 23 Vladimir Putin ordered urgent humanitarian aid for Kosovo Serb enclaves. Prime Minister of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, opposed the Russian plan for sending aid to Kosovo Serbs. He stated that Russia could only send aid if it was agreed and coordinated with Government in Pristina. On July 15, President Dmitry Medvedev stated in a major foreign policy speech "For the EU, Kosovo is almost what Iraq is to the United States.... This is the latest example of the undermining of international law". On 29 May 2009, President Dmitry Medvedev described Serbia as a "key partner" for Russia in Southeast Europe and announced "We intend to continue to coordinate our foreign police moves in future, including the ones related to the solving of the issue with Kosovo". Russian ambassador to Serbia Aleksandr Konuzin told a Belgrade daily in June 2009 that "Russia's stand is rather simple — we are ready to back whatever position Serbia takes (with regards to Kosovo)." Recent bilateral meetingsDates Visit
October 2000 Meeting between the Federal President, Vojislav Koštunica and the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, in Moscow
January 2001 Visit by the Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs, Goran Svilanović, to Moscow
February 2001 Visit by the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Igor Sergeyev, to Belgrade
February 2001 Visit by the Federal Deputy Prime Minister and Federal Minister for Foreign Economic Relations, Miroljub Labus, to Moscow
March 2001 Visit by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russian, Igor Ivanov, to Belgrade
March 2001 Visit by the Minister of Internal Affairs of Russia, Vladimir Rushailo, to Belgrade
April 2001 Visit by the Federal Prime Minister, Zoran Žižić, to Moscow
June 2001 Visit by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, to Belgrade and Pristina and meeting with Federal President Vojislav Koštunica and Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić
November 2001 Visit by the Federal Minister of Defense, Slobodan Krapović, to Moscow
December 2001 Visit by the Federal Deputy Prime Minister and Federal Minister for Foreign Economic Relations, Miroljub Labus, to Moscow
February 2002 Visit by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia and Head of the Coordinating Center for Kosovo and Metohija, Nebojša Čović, to Moscow
February 2002 Visit by a delegation of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, to Belgrade
March 2002 Visit by a delegation of the State Duma, to Belgrade
May 2002 Visit by the Russia Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Razov, to Belgrade
June 2002 Visit by the Russian Minister for Trade and Economic Development German Gref, to Belgrade
June 2002 Visit by the Mayoress of Belgrade, Radmila Hrustanović, to Moscow
August 2002 Visit by the President of the Chamber of Trade and Industry of the Russian Federation, Yevgeny Primakov
September 2002 Visit by the RF Minister of Culture, Michael Shvidkoy, on the occasion of the Opening Ceremony of the Days of Russian Culture in Serbia and Montenegro
September 2002 Meeting between Federal President Vojislav Koštunica and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov at the Earth Summit 2002 held in Johannesburg
February 2003 Visit by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia and Head of the Coordinating Center for Kosovo and Metohija, Nebojša Čović, to Moscow
April 2003 Visit by Foreign Minister Svilanović, to Moscow
May 2003 Visit by the Speaker of the Parliament of Serbia and Montenegro, Dragoljub Mićunović, to Moscow
September 2003 Visit by Rasim Ljajić, Minister for Human and Minority Rights of Serbia, to Moscow
September 2003 Visit by Vojislav Milovanović, Serbian Minister of Religion, to Moscow
September 2003 Visit by Anđelka Mihajlov, Minister for the Protection of Natural Resources and the Environment of Serbia, to Moscow
November 2003 Visit by Božidar Đelić, Minister of Finance and Economy, to Moscow
March 2004 Visit by the Minister for Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation, Sergey Shoigu, to Belgrade
May 2004 Visit by the Minister of Trade and Tourism Bojan Dimitrijević to Moscow, signing of the Memorandum on Trade and Economic Cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and the city of Moscow
June 2004 Meeting between Prime Minister of Serbia Vojislav Koštunica and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin in Sochi
June 2004 Visit by Foreign Minister Vuk Drašković to the Russian Federation. June 2004 Visit by Defence Minister Prvoslav Davinić to the Russian Federation. June 2004 Visit by the President of State Duma of the Russian Federation, Boris Gryzlov, to Serbia and Montenegro. March 2005 Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Cooperation in the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Konstantin Kosachov visited Serbia and Montenegro. April 2005 Russian President’s Special Envoy for Cooperation on International Terrorism and Organised Crime Anatoly Safonov visited Serbia and Montenegro. April 2005 Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Chizhov visited Belgrade to attend the Contact Group meeting. April 2005 Speaker of the Parliament Zoran Šami visited the Russian Federation and participated at the International Parliamentary Conference in Saint Petersburg. May 2005 Serbia and Montenegro President Svetozar Marović visited the Russian Federation to attend the ceremonies to mark the 60th anniversary of Victory Day on 9 May in Moscow. May 2005 Visit by the Head of the Coordinating Center for Kosovo and Metohija, Nebojša Čović, to Moscow
May 2005 President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Slobodan Milosavljević visited the Russian Federation. November 2005 Speaker of the Parliament Zoran Šami visited the Russian Federation. November 2005 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Belgrade. November 2005 Meeting between the President of Serbia, Boris Tadić and the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, in Moscow
November 2005 Foreign Minister Vuk Drašković visited the Russian Federation
November 2005 Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica visited the Russian Federation in his capacity as sponsor of the National Exhibition of Serbia in Moscow. May 2006 Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica met with Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg
August 2006 Visit by Sergey Shoigu to Serbia. April 2007 Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov took part in OSCE meeting in Belgrade
June 2007 Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić visited Moscow. June 2007 Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica met with Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg
July 2007 Chairman of the State Duma Boris Gryzlov visited Serbia
November 2007 Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov visited Belgrade
November 2007 Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić visited Moscow
January 2008 Serbian President Boris Tadić and Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica visited Moscow
February 2008 First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev visited Belgrade
July 2008 Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić visited Moscow
June 2008 Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Božidar Đelić met with the Russian Minister of Finance Alexei Kudrin and Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller. November 2008 Co-Presidents of the Joint Serbian-Russian Committee for Economic Cooperation Sergey Shoigu and Ivica Dačić met in Moscow. December 2008 President of the National Assembly of Serbia Slavica Đukić Dejanović visited Moscow
December 2008 President of Serbia Boris Tadić visited Moscow
February 2009 Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić visited Moscow and signed mutual visa waiver program
October 2009 Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić visited Moscow
October 2009 President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev visited Belgrade to attend the ceremony to mark the liberation of Belgrade in WW II
February 2010 Deputy speaker of the Duma Alexander Babakov visited Belgrade
May 2010 President of Serbia Boris Tadić visited Moscow to attend the ceremonies to mark the 65th anniversary of Victory Day on 9 May
December 2010 Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić visited Moscow
March 2011 Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin visited Belgrade
April 2011 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Belgrade
Economic relations Russia is an important partner in Serbia's economic cooperation with the world and is in first place in terms of trade volume, in first place in terms of import and in fifth place in terms of export. Commodity trade between the two countries in 2007 increased over that in 2006 and amounted to more than US$ 3,077 billion. Exports from Serbia amounted to US$ 451,5 million, while its imports amounted to US$ 2,625 billion. Energy sources (oil, oil products and gas making up 83.5 per cent on the import side), raw materials and machine-building products account for the preponderant part of imports from the Russian Federation, while Serbia exports pharmaceutical products, flooring, machines, equipment, food, textiles and other consumer goods. Culture and education
Yugoslavia and the Russian Federation signed the Agreement on cooperation in the Fields of Culture, Education, Science and Sports on July 19, 1995. Based on this Agreement a Program of Cooperation in the Areas of Education, Science and Culture was signed in December 2001 for the period 2002-2004. The Days of Culture of the Russian Federation were held in Serbia and Montenegro in 2002 and those of Serbia and Montenegro in the Russian Federation in 2003. The Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Belgrade opened on April 9, 1933. Popular name of the centre is Russian Home.
2)Greece-Russia relations
Greece–Russia relations refer to bilateral foreign relations between Greece and Russia. Diplomatic relations were established in 1828. Both Greece and Russia are full members of the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Also both countries have deep cultural and religious ties in that the majority of Greeks and Russians practice the Eastern Orthodox faith. Burgas-Alexandroupoli pipelineThe Burgas-Alexandroupoli pipeline was proposed in 1993–1994 by several Russian and Greek companies. In 1994, for construction of the pipeline Greece and Bulgaria signed a bilateral agreement, followed by a memorandum of cooperation, signed by Greece and Russia. In February 1998, a Greek consortium for pipeline construction named Bapline was established, and in May 1998, a memorandum of creation of the Transbalkan Oil Pipeline Company was signed.In 2000, a technical specifications and an economic evaluation of the project were prepared by the German company ILF. A joint protocol for preparing the pipeline's construction was signed by the three countries in January 2005. The political memorandum between both governments was signed on 12 April 2005. An inter-governmental agreement on the project was agreed on 7 February 2007, and it was signed on 15 March 2007 in Athens, by the involved ministers of the three countries, under the presence of their leaders, Vladimir Putin (Russian president), Sergey Stanishev (Bulgarian prime-minister), and Kostas Karamanlis (prime-minister of Greece). The agreement establishing the international project company was signed in Moscow on 18 December 2007 and the company, called Trans-Balkan Pipeline B.V., was incorporated in the Netherlands on 6 February 2008.Construction of the pipeline is scheduled to start in October 2009, and is estimated to be completed by 2011. Greece is one of the few pre-1990 NATO member countries (alongside Germany for a time) that makes extensive use of Russian weapons. Greece first received many Soviet-era surplus weapons, such as BMP-1 armoured fighting vehicles, RM-70 rocket launchers, ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns and SA-8 anti-aircraft missile systems from the former East German National People's Army inventory in the early 1990s. Since then, Greece has additionally procured the TOR M-1 and S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems (the latter originally destined for Cyprus), the Kornet-E anti-tank missile, and ZUBR hovercrafts.
3)Greek-Serbian relations
Serbian-Greek relations (sometimes known as Serbo-Greek friendship or Greco-Serbian friendship; Greek: Ελληνοσερβική φιλία, Ellinoservikí Filía, Serbian: српско-грчко пријатељство, srpsko-grčko prijateljstvo) have traditionally been friendly due to cultural and historical factors. Thus, many Serbs and Greeks usually refer to it as Serbian-Greek brotherhood and consider the other nation an ally and a brother-nation. Serbs and Greeks are followers of the Eastern Orthodox Church (Serbian, Greek Orthodoxy) and were bound by alliance treaties and co-belligerence in wars since the Middle Ages. Friendly relations have played an important role in bilateral relations between the two nations, especially in the modern history: during the revolutions against the Ottoman Empire, the Balkan War, the World War 1,World War II and during the Yugoslav Wars. Greece is the top investor in Serbian economyand during the NATO bombing of FR Yugoslavia, Greece was the only NATO member to condemn the actions and openly expressed its disapproval; polls revealed that 94% of the Greek population were completely opposed to the bombing. Council of State, Greek Supreme Court, found NATO guilty for war crimes. Cultural- Orthodoxy
Hilandar, Serbian Orthodox monastery on Mount Athos.The strong Orthodox Christian presence in both Serbia and Greece, has since the wars for independence, played a strong hand in providing a common goal for the two nations and a sense of unity among nationalists from both countries. Most notably with the Hilandar monastery in Mount Athos. Byzantine Heritage
Another important aspect of Serbian-Greek friendship is the common cultural heritage that the two nations have inherited from the Byzantine Empire. The Serbs were greatly influenced by the Hellenic culture of the Byzantine Empire, particularly under the reign of Serbian emperor Stefan Dušan. Dušan, who had himself crowned as "Emperor of Serbs and Greeks," made both Serbian and Greek the official languages of his empire, wrote charters and signed in Greek, and adopted Eastern Roman law as the foundations of his empire. The expansion of his Serbian Empire into Greek lands and his attempts to capture Constantinople were not so much in order to subjugate the Greek Empire but rather to fashion a Serbian-Greek Empire through a synthesis of the two. Dušan, therefore, "took pains to woo the Greek inhabitants of those provinces [that he had acquired in Macedonia and northern Greece]. His code of law, or Zakonik, proclaimed the equality of Greeks and Serbs in all his dominions and confirmed the privileges bestowed on Greek cities by Byzantine Emperors of the past whom Dusan was pleased to regard as his imperial predecessors. His administrators were adorned with the Byzantine titles of Despot, Caesar and sebastokrator and his court was a model of that in Constantinople. He minted a silver coinage in the Byzantine style; and churches and monasteries in the Slav as well as the Greek provinces of his Empire were decorated by artists of the best Byzantine school."[6] Acknowledging this cultural heritage, former vice-president of Republika Srpska, Dragan Dragic, stated that Serbs' roots stem from Hellenic civilization and that the two peoples are united through Orthodoxy. Greek politicians have, likewise, expressed these sentiments. Secretary General for European Affairs Dimitrios K. Katsoudas, in an address regarding Serbia, stated that "Greece and Serbia are two countries linked by ancient and inextricable bonds. Our relationship is lost in the depths of time. Serbian culture and religion were greatly influenced by our common roots in the great civilization of Byzantium." This bond was also increased with the numerous marriages between Serb and Greek royalty, such as the marriages of Jelena Dejanović Dragaš to Emperor Manouel II Palaiologos and Eirene Kantakouzene to Prince Đurađ Branković. OrganizationsIt is estimated that there are dozens of organizations situated throughout both nations and a smaller amount in the diaspora, but because few of them have established foundations on the internet, it is difficult to keep an accurate tally of how many truly exist. Generally, however, prominent Greek-Serbian organizations have been known to meet with government officials and political figures, religious leaders, and fellow Greek-Serbian groups in order to strengthen mutual relations, sponsor cultural and historical celebrations, establish economic initiatives, and coordinate various humanitarian efforts. Smaller Greek-Serbian organizations generally organize local recreational activities. On July 28, 2006, 18 members of the Serbian parliament took the initiative of establishing a Serbian Greek friendship group, and are looking to increase parliamentary cooperation between both nations. Historical Middle Ages
Basil I, with a delegation of Serbs and Croats, 9th centuryThe Sklaveni, a Slavic tribe eponymous to the current ethno-linguistic group of Slavs, are sourced as having ravaged parts of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) as early as 518 AD. While the majority of South Slavs were hostile to the Imperial rule, some tribes were allied with the Emperor. The Serbs trace their mythological origin in the White Serbs, who "settled during the rule of Heraclius" and helped dispose of the Avars. The Slavic ethnic areas were called "Sclavinias" after the South Slavic tribe, and the Serbs were organized by a chieftain before the rule of Vlastimir, who is sourced as the first fully independent ruler. Serbia was bound to the Byzantines by culture and diplomacy, with Serbia being officially Christian during the rule of Basil I. Serbs developed a "Byzantine-Serbian culture" which is the predominant factor in Serbian culture. Although the Serbs enjoyed good relations with the Byzantines, Serbia was at times directly under the rule of the Emperor, as in the 10th-century Catepanate of Ras, and the 11th-century Theme of Sirmium. Stefan NemanjaThe territories of the Serbs were under Byzantine vassalage from the 7th to the 12th century, when Stefan Nemanja rebelled against his older brother Tihomir, Grand Prince of Rascia, successfully deposed and exiled him and his other two brothers Miroslav and Stracimir in 1166. He defeated a search unit for Tihomir sent by Manuel I Komnenos in a battle known as the Battle of Pantino. Nemanja's Serbia enjoyed little independency and was later defeated by Emperor Manuel, he surrendered and was imprisoned, but later befriended Manuel and his bloodline was finally recognized as the bloodline and rightful rulers of the Rascian lands. Following the death of Manuel I Komnenos, Nemanja considered he no longer owed any allegiance to the Byzantine Empire because his vows were to the Emperor, not the Empire. The Serbian army, with help from Hungary, pushed out the Byzantine forces from the Valley of Morava and conquested regions where Serbs lived. In 1191 the forces clashed again and Nemanja retreated to the mountains. Nemanja had a tactical advantage and began raiding the Byzantines, Emperor Isaac decided to negotiate a final peace treaty, as a sign of peace, Stefan Nemanjic, the son of Nemanja, married the Byzantine princess Eudocia and received the title of Sebastokrator only given to family members of the Byzantine Emperor. Late Middle AgesThe last two Bysant Emperors were half Serbs by their mother, Jelena Dejanović-Dragaš. Balkan wars
Rigas Feraios memorial plate in front of Nebojša Tower in Belgrade.In the First Balkan War of 1912–1913, Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria (Balkan League) defeated Turkey (Ottoman Empire) and divided the geographical area of Macedonia between themselves. During this war, the original plans of the alliance were changed by pressure from the European Powers: much land originally allocated to Greece went to Bulgaria; the Greek armies campaigned further west than originally planned, and annexed land allocated to Serbia. In June 1913 Serbia and Greece signed a defensive pact opposing to Bulgaria's expansionist goals. Eventually on June 16 of the same year Bulgaria attacked both countries. Being decisively defeated by Greeks in the Battle of Kilkis-Lahanas and by Serbs in Bregalnica Bulgaria retreated into defensive positions until Romania entered the war by attacking Bulgaria and threatening Sofia resulting in the latter's defeat. Greece and Serbia found themselves being the winner parties by having successfully fought the war side by side. World War I
Serbs in Corfu, 1916-1918
Serbian Mausoleum at Vido island near Corfu. Serbian Military Cemetery Zejtinlik in Thessaloniki. Serbian Museum in Corfu. Bust of Eleftherios Venizelos in Belgrade.The Greek Government, under the new King Constantine opposed Greek entry into the World War I, but signed an alliance treaty and military cooperation with Serbia in June 1913 in case of a Bulgarian attack, and was in general friendly to the Germans rather than to the Allies; he was overthrown, however, by Eleutherios Venizelos, in 1917, but the treaty was not annulled and the diplomacy between the two countries flourished due to the mutual understanding and friendship between the premier Pasic and Venizelos. Corfu served as a refuge for the Serbian army that retreated there by the allied forces ships from the homeland occupied by the Austrians and Bulgarians. During their stay, a large portion of Serbian soldiers died from exhaustion, food shortage, and different diseases. Most of their remains were buried at sea near the island of Vido, a small island at the mouth of Corfu port, and a monument of thanks to the Greek Nation has been erected at Vido by the grateful Serbs; consequently, the waters around Vido island are known by the Serbian people as the Blue Graveyard (in Serbian, Плава Гробница), after a poem written by Milutin Bojić after World War I. World War II This section requires expansion. In 1941, during the Helleno-Italian War, when Hi**er demanded passage around the Kingdom of Yugoslavia to attack Greece, the Regent Prince Pavle of Yugoslavia attempted to appease Hi**er by offering a non-aggression pact but, ultimately, signed the Tripartite Pact that would allow German passage. In return, the Greek city of Thessaloniki was promised to Yugoslavia. Two days later the army overthrew the regime with the popular support of both the Serbian people and the British. Although it is arguable that this had more to do with the Serbs' anti-German sentiments rather than a love for Greece, the fact remains that the Serbian people still remembered Venizelos' response to Vienna's suggestion for Greece to attack and invade Serbia decades earlier: "Greece is too small a country to do such big malice". Despite the fact that the new Yugoslav government again tried to appease Hi**er (given that the country was surrounded on three sides) with neutrality and promises of adhering to previous agreements, the Serbian people were enthusiastic in denouncing the Tripartite Pact and Serb crowds paraded the streets of Belgrade shouting slogans like "Better War than the Pact". Hi**er was not pleased and, immediately following the coup had decided to invade Yugoslavia—no longer trusting their proclamations—and divide the Yugoslav territories of the Adriatic coast, Banat, and Macedonia between Italy, Hungary, and Bulgaria, respectively. After the fall of Yugoslavia, the Serbian people were punished with genocide by the pro-German Croatian Ustaše. Yugoslav warsIn mid-1992, the UN responded to Serbian offensives in the former Yugoslav republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina by declaring a full embargo on trade with Serbia by all member nations. The sanctions placed Greece, which had recognized the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina shortly after its declaration in 1992, in a difficult position. Serbia was an important trading partner with strong religious and historical ties to Greece, and Serbia had initially supported the Greek position on the Macedonia naming dispute. Beginning in 1992, the Konstantinos Mitsotakis and Andreas Papandreou governments, fearing that the Bosnian war would spread in a direction that would involve Turkey, Albania and Greece, undertook long series of peace-negotiations with Serbia's president, Slobodan Milošević, Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić, and the Bosnian government without results. Meanwhile, food, oil, and arms were reported moving from Greece into Serbia in violation of the UN embargo. Before, during, and after its 1994 presidency of the EU, Greece was the only EU nation to back the Serbian position that Serbian forces had entered Bosnian territory. In early 1994, Greece incurred the displeasure of its European allies by voting against NATO air strikes on Serbian positions. Greece also refused the use of its NATO air bases at Preveza on the Ionian Sea for such attacks and refused to supply Greek troops to the UN peacekeeping mission in Bosnia. In NATO, Greece's position was diametrically opposed to that of Turkey, which supported the Bosnian government. In December 1994, after official talks with Milošević in Athens, Papandreou reiterated that the positions of Greece and Serbia on the Bosnia issue were virtually identical. A Milošević proposal for a confederation of Greece and Serbia with the Republic of Macedonia failed to gain support among any faction in Greece. Assistance to Bosnian Serbs and Republika SrpskaAccording to University of Amsterdam professor 'C. Wiebes', the Hellenic National Intelligence Service (EYP) systematically sabotaged NATO operations in Bosnia in the mid-1990s, in an attempt to aid Bosnian Serb nationalists. In his report for the Dutch government, entitled Intelligence en de oorlog in Bosnie 1992-1995, Wiebes claims that EYP leaked classified NATO military plans (to which, as an allied intelligence service, it had access) to the Serb Bosnian leadership, and often to General Ratko Mladic himself, during the summer of 1995. Eventually, Wiebes states in the report, NATO allies ceased sharing NATO military plans with the Greek authorities. In August 2008, a group of lawyers from Chania, Crete, Greece, visited ICTY Indictee Radovan Karadzic and offered their services for free and have asked international organizations to ensure a just trial for the former Bosnian Serb President. According to Agence France Presse (AFP), a dozen Greek volunteers fought alongside the Serbs at Srebrenica. They were members of the Greek Volunteer Guard (ΕΕΦ), or GVG, a contingent of Greek paramilitaries formed at the request of Ratko Mladic as an integral part of the Drina Corps. Some had links with the Greek neo-Nazi organisation Golden Dawn, others were mercenaries. The Greek volunteers were motivated by the desire to support their "Orthodox brothers" in battle.They raised the Greek flag at Srebrenica after the fall of the town at Mladic's request, to honour "the brave Greeks fighting on our side."Radovan Karadžić subsequently decorated four of them. In 2005 Greek deputy Andreas Andrianopoulos called for an investigation of the Greek volunteers' role at Srebrenica. The Greek Minister of Justice Anastasios Papaligouras commissioned an inquiry, which had still not reported as of July 2010. Nato bombing of FR YugoslaviaNATO's bombardment of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia caused a strong popular reaction in Greece, Prime Minister Costas Simitis sought a political solution to the Kosovo conflict. Greece refused to participate in the strikes against Yugoslavia. Several polls were conducted, of which revealed that 99.5% of the Greek population were completely opposed to the bombing, with 85% believing Nato's motives were strategic and not humanitarian.69% wanted Bill Clinton tried for war crimes, while 52% opposed the admittance of Kosovo Albanian refugees to Greece.
20 Greek judges of the supreme court (Council of State) found NATO guilty of war crimes.The Council of State officially declared NATO and Bill Clinton guilty of war crimes. During a C-SPAN discussion in 2005 with General Wesley Allen Clark, the commander of NATO during the Kosovo War and Nato bombings, it was reported that several Greek non-governmental organizations were sending relief supplies in the middle of the bombings, which caused the bombing of certain targets more difficult, the intention of the organizations was to forestall the military action by sending humanitarian aid to the Kosovo Serb enclaves. Friendship during other WarsSerbs and Greeks, while constantly warring in the early stages of Serbian history around the medieval times, have generally been on the same side in most modern conflicts. Also, a Montenegrin Serb commander named Vasos Mavrovouniotis was a very influential factor in the Greek War of Independence and is also seen by some as someone who represents the common military goals of nationalist Serbs and Greeks alike because although he was a Serbian, he helped the Greeks free themselves of the Ottoman yoke. In both Balkan and World Wars, Serbs and Greeks fought on the same side. Many in both nations regard countries such as Albania and Turkey as "common enemies," a factor that may contribute to friendship between the two nations. Other Factors[edit] Greeks in SerbiaMain article: Greeks in Serbia
The Greek Foreign Ministry asserts that marriages between Serbs and Greeks living in Serbia are quite common, and that this is both a cause and result of the close bonds shared by many Greeks and Serbs. In February 2008, the Greek minority living in Serbia turned to Greece to not recognize the unilateral secession in Kosovo by the Kosovo Albanians. They stated that the independence of Kosovo would endanger the stability in the Balkans and weaken the traditional Serbian-Greek relations. More than 15,000 Serbs live in Greece. An estimated 350,000 Serbian citizens visited Greece in 2008.432,000 Serbians visited in 2009. Many Serbs visit Greece because of the important Serbian heritage found in the country. Some of the cultural and religious sites especially important to Serbs include Hilandar Monastery in Mount Athos,Zeytinlik Cemetery in Thessaloniki,and the island of Corfu. HumanitarianismFollowing the outbreak of war in the Balkans, Serbs received tremendous humanitarian aid from Greece and Cyprus, as well as the Churches of Greece and Cyprus, beginning in the early 1990s. This aid came from all sectors of Greek society: from the state, from the Church, from various organizations, and from the public. The majority of the aid focused on helping Serbs from the Republika Srpska, the Republic of Serb Krajina, and Serbia proper who had suffered as a result of the wars that ravaged those areas.
[edit] Aid to SerbiaIn late July 1995, it was announced that the Greek-Serbian Friendship Society would be distributing humanitarian aid in the form of rice to Serbia by mid-August. According to the president of the organization, Panayiotis Mihalakakos, the total cost of the project exceeded 5 million drachmas and the Piraeus Port Authority had co-sponsored the initiative and provided necessary packaging and transportation of the cargo. In March 1999 businessman Stavros Vitalis secured the participation of 250 Greeks to leave for Belgrade in order to offer any kind of help they could to the Serb people. Among the 250 people were lawyers, doctors, and other professionals. Stavros Vitalis was reported as saying that they were on the side of the Serbs because they regarded them as friends and brothers. On 25 October 1999, Serbia's Minister of Health Leposava Milicevic received a delegation from the Greek-Serbian Friendship Society "Ancient Greece." The delegation was led by the organization's president Laios Constantinos. The meeting with the health minister produced a number of initiatives regarding humanitarian aid drives, health protection, and medical supplies. In April 1999, the municipality of Kalamaria collected 50 tons of humanitarian aid consisting of food and medicines. The mission was headed by mayor of Kalamaria Christodoulos Economidis. The Greek Ministry of Health issued a special permit that allowed blood donated by volunteers from the municipalities of Kalamaria, Pentalofos, and Florina, along with the monks of the Serbian monastery of Hilandariou in Mount Athos, to be included in the humanitarian drive. During that same month, representatives of the Athens-based Society of Greek-Serbian Friendship announced that they would be sending a 16-truck convoy of humanitarian aid consisting of food and medical supplies, and worth over 2 million German marks, to Serbia on 20 April. The friendship society's efforts were reported as ongoing, with continued collection drives and relief aid convoys leaving at regular 20-day intervals. The friendship society also informed the press that it had engaged lawyers to bring charges against NATO leaders before the Greek Bar and the Hague International Court for their aggression against Yugoslavia and the innocent civilian lives that had been lost as a direct result of the aggression. On 7 May 2006, a charity dinner was organized by Lifeline Hellas Humanitarian Organization in Thessaloniki under the patronage of Crown Prince Alexander II and Crown Princess Katherine for the purpose of helping to reduce shortages of important equipment in hospitals by upgrading the Neonatal Intensive Care Units in Belgrade, Nis, Novi Sad, and Kragujevac and thereby saving the lives of newborn infants. This was the second event of its kind organized in 2006, following the successful charity dinner organized in late January in Athens. Numerous companies and organizations, as well as eminent families and members of the business community of Thessaloniki, cooperated and supported the humanitarian event. Speeches were made by President of the Board of Directors of Lifeline Hellas Mr. John Trikardos, Crown Prince Alexander, Crown Princess Katherine, Minister of Macedonia-Thrace Mr. George Kalaitzis, General Consul of Serbia and Montenegro in Greece Mr. Radomir Zivkovic, Prefecture of Thessaloniki Mr. Panayiotis Psomiadis, Vice Mayor of Thessaloniki Mrs. Kolovou Lemonia (on behalf of the Mayor Mr. Papageorgopoulos), and President of the American College Anatolia Mr. Richard Jackson. Other distinguished guests included members of the Greek Parliament and former ministers and government officials of the Greek government. On 4 October 1995, it was announced that a "peace train" carrying 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid consisting of clothing, pharmaceuticals, and food would leave Greece on 26 October to aid Bosnian Serb refugees. This effort was organized by the "Macedonian-Thrace Coordination Committee for Aid to the Orthodox Serbs of Bosnia" and had been established at the initiative of the Balkan Strategy Development Institute and the Greek-Serbian Association. The committee's members included prefectures, northern Greek cities, local municipalities, chambers, and public and private enterprises. On 5 December 1995, 70 tons of humanitarian aid consisting of olive oil, flour, baby food, and medicine were sent to the Bosnian Serbs in the region of Prijedor by the municipality of Neapolis. The effort was headed by mayor of Neapolis Mr. Hadjisavas. On 22 February 1996, 200 tons of humanitarian aid consisting of food, clothing, and medicine gathered by the Athens Association of Greek-Serb Friendship arrived in Republika Srpska. The aid was accompanied by a delegation led by the association's chairman Mr. Konstantinos Christopoulos. On 3 July 1997, humanitarian aid consisting of clothing and foodstuffs arrived in Doboi. The aid was accompanied by a 10-person delegation from the municipality of Peristeri in Athens, including mayor of Peristeri Giorgos Panopoulos. The delegation was welcomed by mayor of Doboi Drago Ljubitsic who stated that the friendly ties between the Greeks and the Serbs would last forever and that no one will be able to interrupt them. Aid to Serbs in CroatiaOn 7 August 1995, Greek Defense Minister Gerasimos Arsenis announced that Greece would be sending humanitarian aid consisting of medicine, food, and clothing to Serbian refugees from Krajina. The first two planes carrying the aid left on 8 August. Greece also announced that Greek doctors would be sent to the region and that some of the wounded would be allowed to be treated at Greek military hospitals. Regarding the conflict itself, the government criticized the West for its role. Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias condemned the Croatian offensive and Deputy Foreign Minister for European Affairs Georgios Alexandros Mangakis criticized the United States and Germany for backing Croatia's offensive against the Krajina Serbs. Miscellaneous AidDuring the 1990s an initiative for Greek families to host Serbian children—especially those who were refugees, orphans, had lost family members during the wars, or came from poor families—was established in order to help children forget their hardships for a while and overcome psychological problems caused by the traumatic experiences they had lived through. In 1999, a Greek delegation of the Greek-Serbian Friendship Society "Ancient Greece," after meeting with Serbian Minister of Health Leposava Milicevic, was reported as having launched such a program. However, reports of Serbian children being hosted in Greece precede this initiative by several years. Cooperation between the Greek Red Cross and the Serb Red Cross for the hosting of Serbian children is said to have been established in 1993. One of the earliest hostings of Serbian children recorded in the media dates to late 1995 when 50 Bosnian Serb children from Zvornik spent Christmas and New Year's with Greek families. Another 50 Bosnian Serb children from the same town arrived in Thessaloniki on 10 January 1996 for a two-week vacation with families in Kavala and Imathia. In July 1998, a total of 540 orphans and children of refugees from Republika Srpska and Serbia left for Greece and were hosted over the summer by various municipalities and communities in the country. It was the fourth hosting mission that had been organized by the Central Union of Municipalities and Communities of Greece in cooperation with the Red Cross that year. In total, the Central Union of Municipalities and Communities of Greece had been responsible for hosting more than 2,000 Serbian children by that point. Greek Ambassador to Belgrade Panayiotis Vlassopoulos stated that hospitality for these children in Greece constituted only a portion of the humanitarian aid which Greek local governments and organizations have been providing for Yugoslavia since war erupted. He added that these initiatives contribute to the strengthening of Greek–Serbian relations. In 1999, the Yugoslav Red Cross and a Greek-Serb friendship society organized the hosting of children between the ages of 8 and 12 by families in Kavala for a nine-month period. The children were accompanied by their teachers so that they'd be able to keep up with their studies. The mayor of Kavala, Stathis Efifillidis, was quoted as saying that, "All the residents of the city have shown their love for the children." The hosting of Serbian children did not end in the 1990s and is still ongoing in the 2000s. In 2002, Greek families hosted Serbian orphans from 20 December 2002 to 6 January 2003.[50] Greek families again hosted orphan Serbian children in the summer of 2003, from 10 July to 10 August. The hospitality program, like many others, was held with the cooperation of the Greek Red Cross and the Yugoslav Red Cross. In 2006, a total of 216 children of refugees, children who lost a parent in the war, and children from poor families spent Christmas in Greece within the framework of the hospitality programme for Serb children held by the Serbian and the Greek Red Cross. It was the second time that year that Serbian children were hosted. Since the Greek and Serbian Red Cross launched the hosting of children from Serbia in 1993, an estimated 16,000 children have stayed with Greek families. As a result, very close friendship ties have been forged and, in most cases, contact between the children and the host families continues. The Orthodox Churches of Greece and Cyprus have also been a great source of humanitarian aid to the Serbs. When, in September 1996, Patriarch Pavle of the Serbian Orthodox Church visited Cyprus, he presented Archbishop Chrysostomos of the Church of Cyprus with an icon of the Virgin Mary as a token of appreciation for the help and support the Church of Cyprus and the people of Cyprus had shown to the people of Serbia. Archbishop Chrysostomos praised the close relations between the Churches of Serbia and Cyprus, remarking that the presence of Patriarch Pavle was proof of the unity and brotherhood between the two Churches. Patriarch Pavle compared the situations that Greeks in Cyprus face to those that Serbs face, saying that both Cyprus and Serbia were struggling for their freedom. He also reaffirmed Serbian support to the Greeks of Cyprus.[52] During his official visit to Serbia in September 2001, Archbishop Christodoulos announced that the Church of Greece would be donating 150 million drachmas for the mission of the Serbian Orthodox Church and another 100 million drachmas for the construction of the church of Saint Savvas. In an address at Belgrade's Cathedral, Archbishop Christodoulos referred to the help which the Greeks had offered to the Serbs. For all of his activities and assistance to the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Serbian people, Patriarch Pavle conferred the medal of Saint Sava of the First Order to Archbishop Christodoulos. At the ceremony Patriarch Pavle was quoted as saying that, "The Greek Church has always sympathised with the troubles we have been in, rendering us support as well as aid in medicines and food". Likewise, Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica awarded Archbishop Christodoulos the highest medal of the Yugoslav Federation for the help of the Greek Church towards the Serbian people during the last decade.The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America also supplied humanitarian assistance to Serbs. In 2004, Hellenic College and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (HC/HC) raised over five thousand dollars to assist in the rebuilding of the Orthodox Seminary of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Kosovo after the seminary was burnt by Albanians. During the first days of Holy Week, the Rev. Protopresbyter Nicholas Triantafilou, President of HC/HC, announced that offerings collected during the week would be designated for this cause as well as coordinating relief efforts. It is also worth noting that, following the catastrophic fire at Chilandar Monastery in Mount Athos, the Greek authorities coordinated the collection of donations and the rebuilding effort. Most of the expected cost, estimated at over 30 million euros, will be provided by Greece. By June 2004, the goverment had already disbursed 300,000 euros for the first phase of the work. Serbian aid during the 2007 Greek forest fires
Following the Greek forest fires in 2007, Serbia sent six M-18 Dromader and one Antonov An-2 firefighting planes, 6 firefighting all-terrain vehicles, 55 firefighters, and put specialized military units on alert in case they were needed to assist the Greek Army battling fires and clearing out the debris. According to Assistant Minister of Interior Predrag Maric, over 300 firemen signed up for Greece in less than an hour. The 7th September,2007, Defense Minister, Dragan Šutanovac and the Ambassador of Greece to Serbia, Christos Panagopoulos, welcomed the pilots and technicians of Jat Airways who assisted in extinguishing the fires in Greece, at the Lisičji Jarak Airport.
Šutanovac stated that Serbia had acted upon the request of the Greek Ministry of Defense, and he thanked Jat Airways and the representatives of the Serbian Ministry of Defense who, as he added, helped selflessly the brotherly nation of Greece. Minister Šutanovac said that he was also interested why the planes of Jat had not been used for extinguishing fires in Serbia this summer, adding that the Ministry of Defense was not the bearer of this work. The Ambassador of Greece said that that day showed once again the excellent cooperation between the two nations thanking everyone who had taken part in extinguishing fires. He also remarked that in the last ten days, Serbian pilots and technicians showed great skill in extinguishing fires, which moved the whole of Greece and the Greek nation in particular. “I am here to convey Greek President and Government’s warmest regards. We shall never forget your brotherly act,” the Ambassador of Greece to Serbia Christos Panagopoulos said. On the initiative of Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander II and Crown Princess Katherine, an important charity event in aid of victims of the tragic Greek fires, occurred on 24 September 2007 at the Ekali Club in Athens, in cooperation with the Hellenic Basketball Club Association (ESAKE), Lifeline Hellas and
