Boris Tadic
Encyclopedia
Boris Tadić is the President
of Serbia
and leader of the Democratic Party
. He was elected to a five-year term on 27 June 2004, and was sworn into office on 11 July. He was re-elected for a de facto second five-year term on 3 February 2008 and was sworn in on 15 February. Prior to Presidency, Tadić served as the last Minister of Telecommunications of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and as the first Minister of Defence of Serbia and Montenegro
. He is a psychologist
by profession.
Boris Tadić advocates the integration of Serbia into the European Union
but he also believes Serbia should only join the EU with his country's sovereignty
over Kosovo
. He is seen as a pro-Western
leader but who favours balanced relations with Russia
, the United States, and the EU.
, the capital of the People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a republic within the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia. His father, Ljubomir
, is a philosopher and a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
. His mother, Nevenka
, is a psychologist. His maternal grandfather and six other relatives were killed by the Croatian Ustaše
during World War II
at the Jasenovac concentration camp
.
The Tadić are descendants of the Serb clan
of Old Herzegovina
in Piva
(pl. Pivljani) and their family venerate Saint John
(Serbian tradition Krsna slava of Jovandan).
His parents frequently relocated between various cities and had moved to Sarajevo from Paris, where they were pursuing their doctoral studies, only a few days prior to his birth. The Tadić family moved to Belgrade
when Boris was three years old, and his father got a job at the newspaper Liberation.
Tadić finished Pera Popović Aga (today Mika Petrović Alas
) elementary school and matriculated at First Belgrade High School
in the Belgrade neighbourhood of Dorćol
. During his teenage years he played water polo for VK Partizan
but had to quit due to injuries. He graduated from the University of Belgrade
Faculty of Philosophy
with a degree in psychology, specifically social psychology in the department of clinical psychology
. Tadić was arrested during his studies for "participating in the demonstrations demanding that arrested students be released from detention" and spent one month in penal labour
prison in Padinska Skela. He worked as a journalist, military clinical psychologist
and as a teacher of psychology at the First Belgrade Gymnasium.
Until 2003, Tadić also worked at the Faculty of Drama at the University of Belgrade
as a lecturer of political advertising.
Tadić joined the Democratic Party, founded in 1990. The Democrats won seven seats in the National Assembly
that year.
Boris Tadić was the founder of the Centre for modern skills in 1998. Centre for modern skills is the NGO dealing with political and civil education, and the development of the political culture and dialogue.
The Democratic party, was part of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia
, which played a key role in the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević in 2000. He served two terms as the deputy leader of the Democratic Party before he was elected as the new leader in 2004 following the death of Zoran Đinđić.
Tadić served as Minister of Telecommunications in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 2000 and as Minister of Defence from 17 March 2003 until he started his presidential campaign. He served as an MP of the Democratic Party in the parliament and later on as vice-speaker. He served as the leader of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia
coalition in the Parliament of Serbia and Montenegro
in 2003 and as leader of the Democratic Party in the Parliament of Serbia in 2004. As an MP he was a member of the science and technology parliamentary committee.
The assassination of Zoran Đinđić
in March 2003 led to a leadership convention of the Democratic Party in 2004, which was won by Tadić against Zoran Živković
. He was reelected in regular leadership convention in 2006.
of the nationalist Radical Party
in the run-off of the 2004 presidential election
with 53% of the vote. He was inaugurated
on 11 July, of that year.
On 1 December 2004, Tadić’s presidential motorcade was involved in a traffic collision. Miroslav Cimpl, a Serb employee of the local American embassy, repeatedly crashed his vehicle into presidential motorcade although the President's car was not personally affected. Cimpl fled the scene but was later arrested after the Serb government complained to the embassy. A subsequent investigation concluded that Cimpl did not intend to harm Tadić but that he was driving under influence of alcohol. The public drew a connection between this incident and a similar occurrence in February 2003 when Dejan Milenković Bagzi attempted to kill then Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić by ramming his vehicle with a truck on the highway.
On 6 December 2004, Boris Tadić made an apology in Bosnia-Herzegovina to all those who suffered crimes committed in the name of the Serbian people.
As President, Tadić has pursued a pro-Western foreign policy
. On 28 September 2005 he met with Pope
Benedict XVI in the Vatican City, making him the first Serbian head of state to be granted an audience with a pope. This helped improve traditionally strained Catholic-Orthodox
relations.
Tadić presided during the independence referendum
in Montenegro in 2006. He was the first foreign head of state to visit Montenegro after it became independent on 8 June, promising to continue friendly relations. Serbia declared independence as well, and Tadić attended the first raising of the flag of Serbia
at the United Nations Headquarters
in New York City.
Tadić took part in the events marking the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution, unveiling a plaque in honour of Imre Nagy
with Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány
at the Embassy of Serbia in Budapest
.
On 22 June 2007, Tadić presided over the 1000th meeting of the Council of Europe
Committee of Ministers
in Belgrade
.
In 2007, Tadić issued an apology to Croatia
for any crimes committed in Serbia
's name during the war in Croatia
.
On 4 August 2007, Tadić was awarded the "European Prize for Political Culture" that is given by the Swiss Foundation Hans Ringier of the Ringier
Publishing House in Locarno
. Previously it was awarded to Jean-Claude Juncker
. Tadić decided to donate the financial part of the award for humanitarian purposes for the maternity hospital in town near Gračanica
. In the same year Tadić was a signatory of the agreement that led to formation of the Council for Cooperation between Serbia and Republika Srpska
on 6 September 2007, together with Milorad Dodik
and Vojislav Koštunica
.
In September 2007, he met with Sumitaka Fujita, CFO of Itochu Corporation
in order to negotiate a donation from Official development assistance
which would be used for the construction of a new bridge over the river Danube
in Belgrade.
Contrary to his earlier decision in the 2004 Kosovan parliamentary election
, Tadić stated that he has no right to call Serbs of Kosovo
to vote in the 2007 Kosovo parliamentary election
, as the standards he asked for in 2004 were not reached.
He stated that former and current terrorists, who escaped from prison in Kosovo
in September 2007, are located in northern regions of the Republic of Macedonia
. According to him, terrorists are planning new attacks on municipalities in southern Serbia in order to start a new Preševo Valley conflict.
In late 2007, he stated that Serbia does not support a break up of Bosnia and Herzegovina
and that, as a guarantor of the Dayton Accords that brought peace to Bosnia, supports its territorial integrity. Tadić also said that Serbia supports EU integration for Bosnia
. Along with that, he supports Bosnia's incorporation into the military organisation NATO.
On 13 January 2008, Tadić announced a 7.5 billion RSD
modernisation package for the Serbian Army
from the National Investment Plan to include the purchase of communications equipment and an overhaul of the air force.
, after the successful constitutional referendum
in October 2006. On 13 December 2007 the speaker of the Parliament, Oliver Dulić
, set the election
date for 20 January 2008. The Democratic Party officially submitted the candidacy of its leader to the Republic Electoral Commission on 21 December. The re-election campaign was led under the slogan – ”For a Strong and Stable Serbia“ (За Јаку и Стабилну Србију) in the first round and ”Let's win Europe together!“ (Да освојимо Европу заједно!) in the second. Tadić advocated integration of Serbia into the European Union
but also territorial integrity of Serbia with sovereignty
over Kosovo
and Metohia.
Tadić received support from G17 Plus
and Sanjak Democratic Party
, partners from the Government. He also received support of various national minority parties including Hungarian and Roma parties. Tadić has received strong support from Milorad Dodik
, the Prime Minister of Republika Srpska
. Boris Tadić also received support from various organisations representing people with disabilities and special needs.
Tadić received 1,457,030 votes (35.39 percent) in the first round. In the second round on 3 February 2008, he faced Tomislav Nikolić
and won the election with 2,304,467 votes (50.31 percent).
He was sworn in at the inauguration ceremony on 15 February 2008 in the National Assembly of Serbia
.
The Assembly of Kosovo
, proclaimed a unilateral declaration of independence on February 17, 2008. Boris Tadić urged a United Nations Security Council
meeting to react urgently and annul the act. He also said that Belgrade would never recognise the independence of Kosovo and would never give up the struggle for its legitimate interests. Russia
backed Serbia's position and President Vladimir Putin
said that any support for Kosovo's unilateral declaration is immoral and illegal. On 21 February Tadić met President of Romania
Traian Băsescu
in Bucharest
where he thanked him for Romanian support and stated that "Serbia will not give up its future in Europe". Tadić also said that Serbia would not accept the legality of the EU's planned policing and judiciary mission
for Kosovo. On 25 February 2008 Boris Tadić met with Dmitry Medvedev
and Sergei Lavrov in Belgrade where Medvedev stated that “We proceed from the understanding that Serbia is a single state with its jurisdiction spanning its entire territory, and we will adhere to this principled stance in the future, We have made a deal to coordinate together our efforts in order to get out of this complicated situation”. Agreement on the South Stream
pipeline was also signed during this visit.
Tadić said that Serbia would never recognise an independent Kosovo. He stated that the problem of Kosovo
was not solved by the unilaterally declared independence
and that the decade-long problems between Serbs
and Albanians
still exist. He called the international institutions to find a solution within the UN Security Council, for the continuation of negotiations. He also called a decision made by the US President George W. Bush
to send arms to Kosovo “bad news.”
On 5 April 2008, Tadić called the acquittal of Ramush Haradinaj
"disgraceful because of the innocent victims" and demanded the ICTY to appeal. He said that Serbia wishes to help the Tribunal to collect evidence "because Haradinaj’s place is in prison". He said that former Hague Chief Prosecutor
Carla Del Ponte
had said that witnesses in the case against Haradinaj had been intimidated and even murdered to prevent them testifying to his crimes.
On 13 March 2008, President Tadić has signed a decree dissolving the country's parliament and slating early parliamentary elections for 11 May. Boris Tadić has gathered a large pro-EU coalition around his Democratic Party and G17 Plus
for the upcoming Serbian parliamentary election
in 2008, named “For a European Serbia
– Boris Tadić”. The coalition list was led by Dragoljub Mićunović
and it also included Sanjak Democratic Party
, Serbian Renewal Movement
and League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina
. The coalition won 38% of the vote, more than any other list. He condemnеd remarks regarding the election made by Javier Solana
and Pieter Feith
and called on the European Union
not to interfere with Serbian elections.
Tadić said that he is ready, authorised as per Vienna Convention
, to sign the Stabilisation and Association Agreement
(SAA) with the European Union if it is offered on 28 April, but not at the price of recognising Kosovo's unilaterally declared independence. Tadić attended the signing of the SAA ceremony in Luxembourg
on 29 April, where the Deputy Prime Minister Božidar Đelić signed the document on behalf of Serbia, as per the authorisation of the Government from December 2007. He is opposed by the Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica
who thinks Serbia must not sign any agreements with the European Union. On 1 May, Koštunica said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was right when he said that the SAA should have been signed but one day later on May 2 he vowed to annul the agreement after the election, calling it "a trick", "Solana
's agreement" and "the Tadić-Đelić SAA signature".
On 27 June 2008, he named Mirko Cvetković
for the new Prime Minister, following the victory of his party coalition in parliamentary election
that took place in May. Cvetković was officially sworn in after giving the oath in the National Assembly
on 7 July 2008.
Following the 2008 South Ossetia War
, and Russian recognition of Abkhazia
and South Ossetia
independence, he refused to follow suit by saying that even though he respects the Russian support to Serbia regarding Kosovo, "Serbia is not going to recognise these so-called new countries". He stated that "Serbia is not going to do something that is against our interest, because we are defending out territorial integrity and sovereignty by using international law" and that by constitution he must defend the interests of Serbia, and not the interests of any other country in the world.
He received the Quadriga
award in September 2008, an annual German award sponsored by Werkstatt Deutschland, a non-profit organisation based in Berlin. The award recognises four people or groups for their commitment to innovation, renewal, and a pioneering spirit through political, economic, and cultural activities. The other three winners were Wikipedia
, represented by Jimmy Wales
, Eckart Höfling
, Franciscan
and director and Peter Gabriel
, musician and human rights activist. Award given to Tadić was named The Courage of Perseverance and was presented by Heinz Fischer
, the Federal President of Austria
.
Congratulating Barack Obama
for his presidential election
victory, Tadić said that it will pave the way for opening a new chapter in the long history of relations between Serbia and the United States, during which they have been allies and friends for the most part. He also expressed hope that the new U.S. administration will have more understanding for Serbia, that defends its legitimate interests in peaceful and diplomatic way.
On 24 December 2008 Boris Tadić and Dmitry Medvedev
signed an umbrella agreement providing political guarantees that Serbia will receive a stretch of the South Stream
gas pipeline and that the underground gas storage facility in Banatski Dvor
will be finalised.
Tadić invoked his constitutional powers of Commander-in-Chief of the Military of Serbia
and dismissed the Chief of the General Staff Zdravko Ponoš
on 30 December 2008. Ponoš made public accusations against the Defence Minister Dragan Šutanovac
in the media. It was also revealed that he ignored the minister and has not submitted a single report in a year.
He was ranked the tenth most influential politician in Europe of 2008 in a survey conducted by Telewizja Polska
among 29 European media houses. He shared the position with Mikheil Saakashvili
, scoring below Jean-Claude Juncker
and above Dmitry Medvedev
. He was also one the five nominated politicians for the award National politician of the year of the European Voice
for "bringing his country closer to EU membership with the handing over of alleged war criminal Radovan Karadžić to the international court for former Yugoslavia".
Following the formation of Kosovo Security Forces in January 2009, he sent protest letters both to the and NATO Secretaries-General. The letter, states that Serbia views those forces as an illegal paramilitary organisation that constitutes a threat to the country’s security and a danger to peace and stability in the Western Balkans. Tadić drew attention to the fact that the KSF were formed on the basis of the Ahtisaari Plan that was never adopted by the Security Council and added that the creation of these forces constitutes a breach of the Serbian Constitution and international law, which is why they should be disbanded. He called for the demilitarisation
of Kosovo.
Mayor of Madrid
Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón
gave the Golden Keys of the City of Madrid
to Tadić in March 2009, due to his commitment to Europe and its values and the changes that Serbia has undertaken in this direction. He said that this attitude helps the stability and progress of the continent "in a very positive way" and that the award given is "an expression of our friendship with the Serbian people and our commitment to collaboration". In March 2009 he also received an honorary degree of Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University
in Bucharest
.
In April 2009, he announced a constitutional reform proposal. His initiative includes proposal to reduce the number of the National Assembly
members from 250 to 150 to better reflect the size of the country followed by changes in law on party registration and financing in order to consolidate similar parties and limit those with little support which should bring Serbia closer to a two-party system
. The second proposed amendment would change the administrative division of Serbia by dividing it into more autonomous regions in order to achieve the more balanced development. This change would lead to Serbia being divided into seven regions instead of the current asymmetrical division which includes two autonomous provinces but where the majority of the territory has no special autonomy.
During the visit to Serbia in May 2009, Lech Kaczyński
, President of Poland
, stated that he doesn't agree with the decision of the Polish Government to recognise independence of Kosovo and that he is as the President "favours the policy pursued by Serbian President Boris Tadić". They also discussed energy, particularly Europe's dependence on natural gas from just one source, and agreed that there is a need for a common EU energy policy that should also include the Balkan states.
Tadić attended the inauguration of the new Macedonian
President Gjorge Ivanov in Skopje
in May 2009. They agreed that both countries should cooperate on the integration to the European Union despite problems caused by their different views on the status of Kosovo. This caused a minor controversy as the leader of Kosovo Fatmir Sejdiu
was not invited for the inauguration ceremony. He also met with Montenegrin
President
Filip Vujanović
in Belgrade the same month, which was the first official visit by a senior Montenegrin official to Belgrade since October 2008, when Montenegro recognised Kosovo's independence. They agreed on mutual protection of Serbs and Montenegrins in both countries.
Following the state visit of the US Vice President Joe Biden
to Serbia in late May 2009, Tadić voiced his belief that Biden's visit opened a new era in relations between the two countries, stressing the need for dialogue despite their opposing views on Kosovo. He stated "Vice-President Biden and I agreed that we now have an opportunity to establish a new level of communication between our two countries" and "I’m sure that with dialogue based on mutual respect, we can achieve a great deal,". Tadić said that there are many subjects that unite Serbia and the US, and that those are primarily the Western Balkans’ EU integration, and the struggle against international crime and terrorism. He also recalled that the two countries had been allies during the Second World War, adding that they were now "allies in the Partnership for Peace
program." During this meeting Tadić reiterated Serbia’s position that Kosovo’s unilateral independence declaration was a breach of international law and that it is strongly committed to the stability of the entire region and the integrity of all the UN member states. He said that as a signatory of the Dayton Peace Accords, Serbia is a guarantor of the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina
, and it opts only for solutions that are the result of democratic agreement reached between the three constituent ethnic groups – Serbs
, Bosniaks
and Croats
.
On 21 May 2009, Dragan Marić, a former businessman who was revolted over the court decision in his dispute with the national air carrier Jat Airways
entered the Presidency office carrying two hand grenades seeking an out-of-court settlement signed by President or Government. Members of the Battalion of Military Police Cobras
, providing security to the President of Serbia, managed to take one of the grenades immediately and isolate the attacker, however the perpetrator removed the pin from the second grenade and threatened to detonate it by releasing the lever. The negotiations were handled by the special team of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs, supported by the officials of the Ministry of Justice, and lasted for several hours until the man was disarmed and arrested. After the incident, Tadić, who was present in the secured area of the building, congratulated the police and army special units, the security and negotiation team for doing a terrific job, peacefully and with no casualties and also said that problems, no matter what kind, cannot be resolved by force and by jeopardising citizens' lives.
During the state visit to France in late May 2009, Tadić unveiled a memorial plaque to Serbo-French friendship in two world wars at Les Invalides
in Paris. He and President Nicolas Sarkozy
announced that a strategic partnership document would be signed between France and Serbia in Belgrade. Sarkozy also stressed the importance of Serbia’s fast accession to the European Union
and committed to help Serbia on this path.
In August 2009 in Beijing
, Tadić and Hu Jintao
signed a Joint declaration of the Republic of Serbia and the People's Republic of China on the establishment of strategic partnership. The agreement has ten points and covers wide array of subjects including the mutual respect of territorial integrity, plans for trade development as well as cultural, technological and scientific exchange. He also held separate meetings with Wen Jiabao
and Wu Bangguo
. Tadić made a 5 day tour of China, also visiting Xi'an
, Great Wall of China
and economic forums in Shanghai. During the visit to Shanghai he received a special invitation for Serbia to participate in Expo 2010 Shanghai China. China Post
issued honorary envelope series with his image and signature, as well as the message „For the great historic friendship of Chinese and Serbian peoples“. The Chinese Post Office also released into circulation stamps with the flag of Serbia marking the Serbian delegation visit.
In October 2009, after Serbia
qualified
for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
in South Africa; Boris Tadić and other Serbian Minister celebrated at the end of the match in Belgrade
's Stadion Crvena Zvezda
(Red Star Stadium) by toasting
the winning teach with a glass of champagne. It is illegal to consume alcohol at Serbian sporting events to stop violence. Tadić pleaded guilty, saying "I did not know that consumption of alcohol, even if only for a toast, has been forbidden so I fully take responsibility for the violation" and was fined €
400.
In March 2010, he received the Steiger Award
Europe of the Rhine-Ruhr
for "respectfulness, openness, humanity, and tolerance".
In 2011 he was awarded the North–South Prize.
Chief of Staff is Miodrag Rakić. Acting Secretary General of the Office of the President is Vladimir Cvijan.
Previous advisors who served from 2005 to 2008 are Biserka Jevtimijević Drinjaković
(economic issues), Vladimir Cvijan
(legal issues) and Dušan T. Bataković
and Leon Cohen (political issues). Most of the former advisors are now serving as directors of public enterprises and ambassadors.
. Besides his native language
, Tadić is fluent in English, French and Italian.
He enjoys watching football and supports FK Partizan
.
He was previously married to journalist Veselinka Zastavniković from 1980 to 1996, but they divorce
d, having had no children. Throughout their marriage they were actively involved in various socio-political activities including protests and petitions against human rights abuses and so-called 'verbal delict' in SFR Yugoslavia in the 1980s as well as anti-Milošević protests in the 1990s. Veselinka became a nun in October 2008, as Irina, in the Patriarchate of Peć
.
He is married to Tatjana Tadić (née Rodić), with whom he has two daughters: Maša and Vanja. Tatjana has roots in Knin
.
President of Serbia
The President of Serbia is the head of state of Serbia. Presently serving as the head of state is Boris Tadić. He was elected with a narrow majority of 50.31% in the 2008 Serbian presidential elections.-Authority, legal and constitutional rights:...
of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
and leader of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (Serbia)
The Democratic Party is a political party in Serbia. It is described as a social liberal or social democratic party.-Pre-war history:The Democratic Party was established on 16 February 1919 from unification of Sarajevo parties independent radicals, progressives, liberals and the Serbian part of...
. He was elected to a five-year term on 27 June 2004, and was sworn into office on 11 July. He was re-elected for a de facto second five-year term on 3 February 2008 and was sworn in on 15 February. Prior to Presidency, Tadić served as the last Minister of Telecommunications of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and as the first Minister of Defence of Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro was a country in southeastern Europe, formed from two former republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia : Serbia and Montenegro. Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was established in 1992 as a federation called the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
. He is a psychologist
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
by profession.
Boris Tadić advocates the integration of Serbia into the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
but he also believes Serbia should only join the EU with his country's sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
over Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
. He is seen as a pro-Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
leader but who favours balanced relations with Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, the United States, and the EU.
Early life
Boris Tadić was born in SarajevoSarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
, the capital of the People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a republic within the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia. His father, Ljubomir
Ljubomir Tadic
Ljubomir "Ljuba" Tadić is a law graduate and a professor of philosophy at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy as well as a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts...
, is a philosopher and a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts is the most prominent academic institution in Serbia today...
. His mother, Nevenka
Nevenka Tadic
Nevenka Tadić is a Serbian psychiatrist most noted for her work in the psychotherapy of children...
, is a psychologist. His maternal grandfather and six other relatives were killed by the Croatian Ustaše
Ustaše
The Ustaša - Croatian Revolutionary Movement was a Croatian fascist anti-Yugoslav separatist movement. The ideology of the movement was a blend of fascism, Nazism, and Croatian nationalism. The Ustaše supported the creation of a Greater Croatia that would span to the River Drina and to the border...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
at the Jasenovac concentration camp
Jasenovac concentration camp
Jasenovac concentration camp was the largest extermination camp in the Independent State of Croatia and occupied Yugoslavia during World War II...
.
The Tadić are descendants of the Serb clan
Serb clans
Serb clans is a general term referring to what are known as plemena and bratstva , traditional geo-political units of the Western Balkans that now richly attest social anthropology and family history . The descendants of the clans are divided by regional and lately, national affiliation...
of Old Herzegovina
Old Herzegovina
Old Herzegovina is a historical region in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina . The largest city in this region in Nikšić, and the second-largest is Herceg Novi. Until the Congress of Berlin in 1878 the Old Hercegovina was part of Bosnian Pashalik, but since then merged into Montenegro....
in Piva
Piva, Montenegro
Piva and Pivljani are the names of the geographical region and Montenegrin tribe of Old Herzegovina, situated in the southwestern highlands of Montenegro, bordering the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia & Herzegovina. The Piva lake flows through the region. The Serbian president Boris Tadić is a...
(pl. Pivljani) and their family venerate Saint John
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
(Serbian tradition Krsna slava of Jovandan).
His parents frequently relocated between various cities and had moved to Sarajevo from Paris, where they were pursuing their doctoral studies, only a few days prior to his birth. The Tadić family moved to Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
when Boris was three years old, and his father got a job at the newspaper Liberation.
Tadić finished Pera Popović Aga (today Mika Petrović Alas
Mihailo Petrovic
Mihailo Petrović Alas , was an influential Serbian mathematician and inventor. He was also a distinguished professor at Belgrade University, an academic of the Serbian Royal Academy, and a fisherman. He was a student of Henri Poincaré, Charles Hermite and Charles Émile Picard...
) elementary school and matriculated at First Belgrade High School
First Belgrade Gymnasium
First Belgrade Gymnasium is a grammar school with a long tradition, founded in 1839, in Belgrade . It is located in the center of Belgrade, in 61 Cara Dušana Street, the place where once stood the Vidin Gate through which people could enter Belgrade. Near the school, the Church of Aleksandar Nevski...
in the Belgrade neighbourhood of Dorćol
Dorcol
Dorćol is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Stari Grad.- Location :Dorćol begins already some 700 meters north of Terazije, the central square of Belgrade...
. During his teenage years he played water polo for VK Partizan
VK Partizan
Vaterpolo klub Partizan Raiffeisen is a waterpolo club from Belgrade, Serbia. VK Partizan is one of the sport clubs in Serbia that are part of sport society Partizan. Partizan's home terrain is the pool which is part of the Sportski centar Voždovac na Banjici complex...
but had to quit due to injuries. He graduated from the University of Belgrade
University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade is the oldest and largest university of Serbia.Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments into a single university...
Faculty of Philosophy
University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy
The University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Serbia, founded in the early 19th century within the Belgrade Higher School...
with a degree in psychology, specifically social psychology in the department of clinical psychology
Clinical psychology
Clinical psychology is an integration of science, theory and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal development...
. Tadić was arrested during his studies for "participating in the demonstrations demanding that arrested students be released from detention" and spent one month in penal labour
Penal labour
Penal labour is a form of unfree labour in which prisoners perform work, typically manual labour. The work may be light or hard, depending on the context. Forms of sentence which involve penal labour include penal servitude and imprisonment with hard labour...
prison in Padinska Skela. He worked as a journalist, military clinical psychologist
Clinical psychology
Clinical psychology is an integration of science, theory and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal development...
and as a teacher of psychology at the First Belgrade Gymnasium.
Until 2003, Tadić also worked at the Faculty of Drama at the University of Belgrade
University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade is the oldest and largest university of Serbia.Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments into a single university...
as a lecturer of political advertising.
Political career
National Assembly of Serbia
The National Assembly of Serbia is the unicameral parliament of Serbia. It is composed of 250 proportionally elected deputies elected in general elections by secret ballot, on 4 years term. The National Assembly elects the President of the National Assembly who presides over the sessions...
that year.
Boris Tadić was the founder of the Centre for modern skills in 1998. Centre for modern skills is the NGO dealing with political and civil education, and the development of the political culture and dialogue.
The Democratic party, was part of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia
Democratic Opposition of Serbia
The Democratic Opposition of Serbia was a wide alliance of political parties in Serbia , formed as a coalition against the ruling Socialist Party of Serbia and its leader, Slobodan Milošević in 2000...
, which played a key role in the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević in 2000. He served two terms as the deputy leader of the Democratic Party before he was elected as the new leader in 2004 following the death of Zoran Đinđić.
Tadić served as Minister of Telecommunications in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 2000 and as Minister of Defence from 17 March 2003 until he started his presidential campaign. He served as an MP of the Democratic Party in the parliament and later on as vice-speaker. He served as the leader of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia
Democratic Opposition of Serbia
The Democratic Opposition of Serbia was a wide alliance of political parties in Serbia , formed as a coalition against the ruling Socialist Party of Serbia and its leader, Slobodan Milošević in 2000...
coalition in the Parliament of Serbia and Montenegro
Parliament of Serbia and Montenegro
The Parliament of Serbia and Montenegro was the legislative body of Serbia and Montenegro. The parliament was unicameral and was made up of 126 deputies, of which 91 were from Serbia and 35 were from Montenegro. The parliament was established in 2003, and was a replacement for the Federal...
in 2003 and as leader of the Democratic Party in the Parliament of Serbia in 2004. As an MP he was a member of the science and technology parliamentary committee.
The assassination of Zoran Đinđić
Assassination of Zoran Đinđić
The assassination of Zoran Đinđić, the Prime Minister of Serbia, took place on Wednesday, March 12, 2003, in Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro.- Background :The assassination of Đinđić was preceded by several unsuccessful attempts on his life...
in March 2003 led to a leadership convention of the Democratic Party in 2004, which was won by Tadić against Zoran Živković
Zoran Živkovic (politician)
Zoran Živković is a former Prime Minister of Serbia who replaced assassinated Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić in March 2003. He was born on December 22, 1960 in Niš where he finished high-school Bora Stanković. Živković received a community college diploma in Economics in Belgrade and worked as...
. He was reelected in regular leadership convention in 2006.
President of Serbia within state union (2004–2008)
Tadić, as the newly elected Democratic Party leader, was chosen as the candidate for the presidential election. He defeated Tomislav NikolićTomislav Nikolic
Tomislav "Toma" Nikolić is a Serbian politician, President of the Serbian Progressive Party. He is also a former member of the Serbian Radical Party, where he served as Deputy Leader of the party and parliamentary leader during the absence of Vojislav Šešelj...
of the nationalist Radical Party
Serbian Radical Party
The Serbian Radical Party is a far-right Serbian nationalist political party in Serbia, founded in 1991. Currently the second-largest party in the Serbian National Assembly, it has branches in three of the nations that currently border Serbia – all former federal republics of Yugoslavia...
in the run-off of the 2004 presidential election
Serbian presidential election, 2004
Serbia held the first round of its 2004 elections for President of Serbia on Sunday, 13 June 2004, and the second round on Sunday, 27 June 2004. Boris Tadić, the pro-western Democratic Party's candidate, was the eventual victor...
with 53% of the vote. He was inaugurated
Inauguration
An inauguration is a formal ceremony to mark the beginning of a leader's term of office. An example is the ceremony in which the President of the United States officially takes the oath of office....
on 11 July, of that year.
On 1 December 2004, Tadić’s presidential motorcade was involved in a traffic collision. Miroslav Cimpl, a Serb employee of the local American embassy, repeatedly crashed his vehicle into presidential motorcade although the President's car was not personally affected. Cimpl fled the scene but was later arrested after the Serb government complained to the embassy. A subsequent investigation concluded that Cimpl did not intend to harm Tadić but that he was driving under influence of alcohol. The public drew a connection between this incident and a similar occurrence in February 2003 when Dejan Milenković Bagzi attempted to kill then Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić by ramming his vehicle with a truck on the highway.
On 6 December 2004, Boris Tadić made an apology in Bosnia-Herzegovina to all those who suffered crimes committed in the name of the Serbian people.
As President, Tadić has pursued a pro-Western foreign policy
Foreign policy
A country's foreign policy, also called the foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations milieu. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries...
. On 28 September 2005 he met with Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
Benedict XVI in the Vatican City, making him the first Serbian head of state to be granted an audience with a pope. This helped improve traditionally strained Catholic-Orthodox
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
relations.
Tadić presided during the independence referendum
Montenegrin independence referendum, 2006
The Montenegrin independence referendum was a referendum on the independence of the Republic of Montenegro from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro that was held on 21 May 2006.The total turnout of the referendum was 86.5%...
in Montenegro in 2006. He was the first foreign head of state to visit Montenegro after it became independent on 8 June, promising to continue friendly relations. Serbia declared independence as well, and Tadić attended the first raising of the flag of Serbia
Flag of Serbia
The flag of Serbia is a tricolour consisting of three equal horizontal bands, red on the top, blue in the middle and white on the bottom. The same tricolour, in some variations, was the flag of Serbia throughout its history, and is the ethnic flag of the Serbian people.The state flag bears the...
at the United Nations Headquarters
United Nations headquarters
The headquarters of the United Nations is a complex in New York City. The complex has served as the official headquarters of the United Nations since its completion in 1952. It is located in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, on spacious grounds overlooking the East River...
in New York City.
Tadić took part in the events marking the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution, unveiling a plaque in honour of Imre Nagy
Imre Nagy
Imre Nagy was a Hungarian communist politician who was appointed Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the People's Republic of Hungary on two occasions...
with Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány
Ferenc Gyurcsány
Ferenc Gyurcsány is a Hungarian politician. He was the sixth Prime Minister of Hungary from 2004 to 2009.He was nominated to take that position on 25 August 2004 by the Hungarian Socialist Party , after Péter Medgyessy resigned due to a conflict with the Socialist Party's coalition partner...
at the Embassy of Serbia in Budapest
Embassy of Serbia in Budapest
The Serbian Embassy in Budapest is Serbia's diplomatic mission to Hungary. It is located at 1068, Dózsa György út 92/b, Budapest, Hungary.The current Serbian ambassador to Hungary is Dejan Šahović.- History :...
.
On 22 June 2007, Tadić presided over the 1000th meeting of the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
Committee of Ministers
Committee of Ministers
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe or commonly the Committee of Ministers is the Council of Europe's decision-making body. It comprises the Foreign Affairs Ministers of all the member states, or their permanent diplomatic representatives in Strasbourg...
in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
.
In 2007, Tadić issued an apology to Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
for any crimes committed in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
's name during the war in Croatia
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
.
Ringier
Ringier AG is one of the largest media corporations in Switzerland founded in Zofingen and based in Zürich. It publishes several newspapers and magazines in both German and French...
Publishing House in Locarno
Locarno
Locarno is the capital of the Locarno district, located on the northern tip of Lake Maggiore in the Swiss canton of Ticino, close to Ascona at the foot of the Alps. It has a population of about 15,000...
. Previously it was awarded to Jean-Claude Juncker
Jean-Claude Juncker
Jean-Claude Juncker is a Luxembourg politician, 23rd and current Prime Minister of Luxembourg, since 20 January 1995. He is the longest standing head of government of any European Union state...
. Tadić decided to donate the financial part of the award for humanitarian purposes for the maternity hospital in town near Gračanica
Gracanica monastery
Gračanica is a Serbian Orthodox monastery located in Kosovo. It was founded by the Serbian king Stefan Milutin in 1321. Gračanica Monastery was declared Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1990, and it is protected by Republic of Serbia, and on 13 July 2006 it was placed on UNESCO's...
. In the same year Tadić was a signatory of the agreement that led to formation of the Council for Cooperation between Serbia and Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska is one of two main political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
on 6 September 2007, together with Milorad Dodik
Milorad Dodik
Milorad Dodik , is the President of Republika Srpska, and the president of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats political party. He graduated from the Belgrade University of Political Sciences .-Political career:...
and Vojislav Koštunica
Vojislav Koštunica
Vojislav Koštunica is a Serbian politician, statesman and the president of the Democratic Party of Serbia. He was the last President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, succeeding Slobodan Milošević and serving from 2000 to 2003...
.
In September 2007, he met with Sumitaka Fujita, CFO of Itochu Corporation
ITOCHU
, until 1992 "C. Itoh" in English, is a Japanese general trading concern based in Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka and Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo. It has a common origin with Marubeni Corporation. Itochu is a Fortune 500 company.-History:...
in order to negotiate a donation from Official development assistance
Official development assistance
Official development assistance is a term compiled by the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to measure aid. The DAC first compiled the term in 1969. It is widely used by academics and journalists as a convenient indicator of...
which would be used for the construction of a new bridge over the river Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
in Belgrade.
Contrary to his earlier decision in the 2004 Kosovan parliamentary election
Kosovan parliamentary election, 2004
Parliamentary elections were held in Kosovo on 24 October 2004....
, Tadić stated that he has no right to call Serbs of Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
to vote in the 2007 Kosovo parliamentary election
Kosovan parliamentary election, 2007
Parliamentary elections to the unicameral Assembly of Kosovo were held on 17 November 2007, together with municipal elections. The Assembly of Kosovo is the legislative branch of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government that the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo ...
, as the standards he asked for in 2004 were not reached.
He stated that former and current terrorists, who escaped from prison in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
in September 2007, are located in northern regions of the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
. According to him, terrorists are planning new attacks on municipalities in southern Serbia in order to start a new Preševo Valley conflict.
In late 2007, he stated that Serbia does not support a break up of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
and that, as a guarantor of the Dayton Accords that brought peace to Bosnia, supports its territorial integrity. Tadić also said that Serbia supports EU integration for Bosnia
Accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the European Union
The accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the European Union is the aim of the present relations between the two entities. Bosnia and Herzegovina has been recognised by the EU as a "potential candidate country" for accession since the decision of the European Council in Thessaloniki in 2003...
. Along with that, he supports Bosnia's incorporation into the military organisation NATO.
On 13 January 2008, Tadić announced a 7.5 billion RSD
Serbian dinar
The dinar is the currency of Serbia. An earlier currency also called dinar was used in Serbia between 1868 and 1918. The earliest use of the dinar date to 1214. Today's Serbian dinar is a continuation of the last Yugoslav dinar...
modernisation package for the Serbian Army
Military of Serbia
The Serbian Armed Forces are the armed services of Serbia. They consist of the Serbian Army and the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence...
from the National Investment Plan to include the purchase of communications equipment and an overhaul of the air force.
Reelection campaign
Boris Tadić has advocated an early presidential election that is required under constitutional law, since the adoption of the new Constitution of SerbiaConstitution of Serbia
The Constitution of the Republic of Serbia is Serbia's fundamental law. The current constitution was approved in a constitutional referendum, held from on 28–29 October 2006...
, after the successful constitutional referendum
Serbian constitutional referendum, 2006
A referendum on a proposed draft of the new Serbian constitution was held on October 28 and 29 October 2006 and has resulted in the draft constitution being approved by the Serbian electorate. The constitution is Serbia's first as an independent state since the Kingdom of Serbia's 1903 constitution...
in October 2006. On 13 December 2007 the speaker of the Parliament, Oliver Dulić
Oliver Dulic
Oliver Dulić is a Serbian politician, long-time member of Democratic Party, and former President of the National Assembly of Serbia between 2007 and 2008...
, set the election
Serbian presidential election, 2008
A pre-term presidential election was held in Serbia on January 20 and February 3, 2008. Incumbent President Boris Tadić was reelected as President of Serbia in the second round with 51.61 percent of the votes cast, defeating challenger Tomislav Nikolić....
date for 20 January 2008. The Democratic Party officially submitted the candidacy of its leader to the Republic Electoral Commission on 21 December. The re-election campaign was led under the slogan – ”For a Strong and Stable Serbia“ (За Јаку и Стабилну Србију) in the first round and ”Let's win Europe together!“ (Да освојимо Европу заједно!) in the second. Tadić advocated integration of Serbia into the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
but also territorial integrity of Serbia with sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
over Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
and Metohia.
Tadić received support from G17 Plus
G17 Plus
G17 Plus , abbreviated to G17+, is a centre-right political party in Serbia. With 22 seats in the National Assembly, it is the third-largest party, and currently participates in a coalition with, amongst others, the Democratic Party and the Socialist Party...
and Sanjak Democratic Party
Sanjak Democratic Party
The Social Democratic Party of Serbia is a political party in Serbia...
, partners from the Government. He also received support of various national minority parties including Hungarian and Roma parties. Tadić has received strong support from Milorad Dodik
Milorad Dodik
Milorad Dodik , is the President of Republika Srpska, and the president of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats political party. He graduated from the Belgrade University of Political Sciences .-Political career:...
, the Prime Minister of Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska is one of two main political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
. Boris Tadić also received support from various organisations representing people with disabilities and special needs.
Tadić received 1,457,030 votes (35.39 percent) in the first round. In the second round on 3 February 2008, he faced Tomislav Nikolić
Tomislav Nikolic
Tomislav "Toma" Nikolić is a Serbian politician, President of the Serbian Progressive Party. He is also a former member of the Serbian Radical Party, where he served as Deputy Leader of the party and parliamentary leader during the absence of Vojislav Šešelj...
and won the election with 2,304,467 votes (50.31 percent).
President of Serbia (2008–)
| Presidential oath of Boris Tadić: |
| I swear that I will invest all my efforts in the preservation of sovereignty and integrity of the territory of the Republic of Serbia, including Kosovo and Metohija as its integral part, as well as the realisation of human and minority rights and freedoms, observation and defence of the Constitution and laws, preservation of peace and welfare of all Serbian citizens and that I will fulfill all my duties conscientiously and responsibly. |
He was sworn in at the inauguration ceremony on 15 February 2008 in the National Assembly of Serbia
National Assembly of Serbia
The National Assembly of Serbia is the unicameral parliament of Serbia. It is composed of 250 proportionally elected deputies elected in general elections by secret ballot, on 4 years term. The National Assembly elects the President of the National Assembly who presides over the sessions...
.
The Assembly of Kosovo
Assembly of Kosovo
The Assembly of Kosovo was originally established by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo in 2001 to provide 'provisional, democratic self-government'....
, proclaimed a unilateral declaration of independence on February 17, 2008. Boris Tadić urged a United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
meeting to react urgently and annul the act. He also said that Belgrade would never recognise the independence of Kosovo and would never give up the struggle for its legitimate interests. Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
backed Serbia's position and President Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
said that any support for Kosovo's unilateral declaration is immoral and illegal. On 21 February Tadić met President of Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
Traian Băsescu
Traian Basescu
Traian Băsescu is the current President of Romania. After serving as the mayor of Bucharest from June 2000 until December 2004, he was elected president in the Romanian Presidential Elections of 2004 and inaugurated on December 20, 2004...
in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
where he thanked him for Romanian support and stated that "Serbia will not give up its future in Europe". Tadić also said that Serbia would not accept the legality of the EU's planned policing and judiciary mission
European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo
The European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo, EULEX Kosovo, is a deployment of European Union police and civilian resources to Kosovo...
for Kosovo. On 25 February 2008 Boris Tadić met with Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
and Sergei Lavrov in Belgrade where Medvedev stated that “We proceed from the understanding that Serbia is a single state with its jurisdiction spanning its entire territory, and we will adhere to this principled stance in the future, We have made a deal to coordinate together our efforts in order to get out of this complicated situation”. Agreement on the South Stream
South Stream
South Stream is a proposed gas pipeline to transport Russian natural gas to the Black Sea to Bulgaria and further to Greece, Italy and Austria. The project is seen as rival to the planned Nabucco pipeline...
pipeline was also signed during this visit.
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
was not solved by the unilaterally declared independence
2008 Kosovo declaration of independence
The 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence was adopted on 17 February 2008 by individual members of the Assembly of Kosovo acting in personal capacity and not binding to the Assembly itself...
and that the decade-long problems between Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
and Albanians
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
still exist. He called the international institutions to find a solution within the UN Security Council, for the continuation of negotiations. He also called a decision made by the US President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
to send arms to Kosovo “bad news.”
On 5 April 2008, Tadić called the acquittal of Ramush Haradinaj
Ramush Haradinaj
Ramush Haradinaj is a former leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army and former prime minister of Kosovo. He leads the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo and is among former KLA officers charged of war crimes during the 1999 Kosovo War by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia...
"disgraceful because of the innocent victims" and demanded the ICTY to appeal. He said that Serbia wishes to help the Tribunal to collect evidence "because Haradinaj’s place is in prison". He said that former Hague Chief Prosecutor
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia or ICTY, is a...
Carla Del Ponte
Carla Del Ponte
Carla Del Ponte is a former Chief Prosecutor of two United Nations international criminal law tribunals. A former Swiss attorney general, she was appointed prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in August...
had said that witnesses in the case against Haradinaj had been intimidated and even murdered to prevent them testifying to his crimes.
On 13 March 2008, President Tadić has signed a decree dissolving the country's parliament and slating early parliamentary elections for 11 May. Boris Tadić has gathered a large pro-EU coalition around his Democratic Party and G17 Plus
G17 Plus
G17 Plus , abbreviated to G17+, is a centre-right political party in Serbia. With 22 seats in the National Assembly, it is the third-largest party, and currently participates in a coalition with, amongst others, the Democratic Party and the Socialist Party...
for the upcoming Serbian parliamentary election
Serbian parliamentary election, 2008
A pre-term parliamentary election was held in the Serbia on 11 May 2008, barely a year after the previous parliamentary election. There were 6,749,886 eligible electors who were able to vote in 8,682 voting places, as well as 157 special voting places designed for refugees from...
in 2008, named “For a European Serbia
For a European Serbia
For a European Serbia – Boris Tadić is an electoral coalition that won the Serbian parliamentary election, 2008, Vojvodina parliamentary election, 2008 and Serbian local elections, 2008...
– Boris Tadić”. The coalition list was led by Dragoljub Mićunović
Dragoljub Micunovic
Dragoljub Mićunović, PhD is a prominent Serbian politician and philosopher.-Early life:...
and it also included Sanjak Democratic Party
Sanjak Democratic Party
The Social Democratic Party of Serbia is a political party in Serbia...
, Serbian Renewal Movement
Serbian Renewal Movement
The Serbian Renewal Movement is a political party in Serbia.It was founded in 1990.In 1997 a dissident group abandoned the party and formed New Serbia....
and League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina
League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina
The League of Vojvodina Social Democrats is a regionalist social democratic political party in Serbia...
. The coalition won 38% of the vote, more than any other list. He condemnеd remarks regarding the election made by Javier Solana
Javier Solana
Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, KOGF is a Spanish physicist and Socialist politician. After serving in the Spanish government under Felipe González and Secretary General of NATO , he was appointed the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary...
and Pieter Feith
Pieter Feith
Pieter Cornelis Feith is a Dutch diplomat, formerly serving as the European Union Special Representative and still as the International Civilian Representative in Kosovo.- About :...
and called on the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
not to interfere with Serbian elections.
Tadić said that he is ready, authorised as per Vienna Convention
Vienna Convention
Vienna Convention can mean any of a number of treaties signed in Vienna. Notable are:* several treaties and conventions resulted from the Congress of Vienna which redrew the map of Europe, only partially restoring the pre-Napoleonic situation, and drafted new rules for international relations*...
, to sign the Stabilisation and Association Agreement
Stabilisation and Association process
In talks with countries who have expressed a wish to join the European Union, the EU typically concludes Association Agreements in exchange for commitments to political, economic, trade, or human rights reform in that country...
(SAA) with the European Union if it is offered on 28 April, but not at the price of recognising Kosovo's unilaterally declared independence. Tadić attended the signing of the SAA ceremony in Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
on 29 April, where the Deputy Prime Minister Božidar Đelić signed the document on behalf of Serbia, as per the authorisation of the Government from December 2007. He is opposed by the Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica
Vojislav Koštunica
Vojislav Koštunica is a Serbian politician, statesman and the president of the Democratic Party of Serbia. He was the last President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, succeeding Slobodan Milošević and serving from 2000 to 2003...
who thinks Serbia must not sign any agreements with the European Union. On 1 May, Koštunica said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was right when he said that the SAA should have been signed but one day later on May 2 he vowed to annul the agreement after the election, calling it "a trick", "Solana
Javier Solana
Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, KOGF is a Spanish physicist and Socialist politician. After serving in the Spanish government under Felipe González and Secretary General of NATO , he was appointed the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary...
's agreement" and "the Tadić-Đelić SAA signature".
On 27 June 2008, he named Mirko Cvetković
Mirko Cvetkovic
Mirko Cvetković is a Serbian economist and the Prime Minister of Serbia as well as the Minister of Finance.-Biography:...
for the new Prime Minister, following the victory of his party coalition in parliamentary election
Serbian parliamentary election, 2008
A pre-term parliamentary election was held in the Serbia on 11 May 2008, barely a year after the previous parliamentary election. There were 6,749,886 eligible electors who were able to vote in 8,682 voting places, as well as 157 special voting places designed for refugees from...
that took place in May. Cvetković was officially sworn in after giving the oath in the National Assembly
National Assembly of Serbia
The National Assembly of Serbia is the unicameral parliament of Serbia. It is composed of 250 proportionally elected deputies elected in general elections by secret ballot, on 4 years term. The National Assembly elects the President of the National Assembly who presides over the sessions...
on 7 July 2008.
Following the 2008 South Ossetia War
2008 South Ossetia war
The 2008 South Ossetia War or Russo-Georgian War was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....
, and Russian recognition of Abkhazia
Abkhazia
Abkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...
and South Ossetia
South Ossetia
South Ossetia or Tskhinvali Region is a disputed region and partly recognized state in the South Caucasus, located in the territory of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within the former Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic....
independence, he refused to follow suit by saying that even though he respects the Russian support to Serbia regarding Kosovo, "Serbia is not going to recognise these so-called new countries". He stated that "Serbia is not going to do something that is against our interest, because we are defending out territorial integrity and sovereignty by using international law" and that by constitution he must defend the interests of Serbia, and not the interests of any other country in the world.
Quadriga (award)
Quadriga is an annual German award sponsored by Netzwerk Quadriga gGmbH, a non-profit organization based in Berlin. The award recognizes four people or groups for their commitment to innovation, renewal, and a pioneering spirit through political, economic, and cultural activities.The award consists...
award in September 2008, an annual German award sponsored by Werkstatt Deutschland, a non-profit organisation based in Berlin. The award recognises four people or groups for their commitment to innovation, renewal, and a pioneering spirit through political, economic, and cultural activities. The other three winners were Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
, represented by Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Donal "Jimbo" Wales is an American Internet entrepreneur best known as a co-founder and promoter of the online non-profit encyclopedia Wikipedia and the Wikia company....
, Eckart Höfling
Eckart Höfling
Eckart Höfling is a German Catholic priest who works combating poverty in Brazil....
, Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
and director and Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
, musician and human rights activist. Award given to Tadić was named The Courage of Perseverance and was presented by Heinz Fischer
Heinz Fischer
Heinz Fischer GColIH is the President of Austria. He took office on 8 July 2004 and was re-elected for a second and last term on 25 April 2010. Before he took office, Fischer was a member of the Social Democratic Party of Austria...
, the Federal President of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
Congratulating Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
for his presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
victory, Tadić said that it will pave the way for opening a new chapter in the long history of relations between Serbia and the United States, during which they have been allies and friends for the most part. He also expressed hope that the new U.S. administration will have more understanding for Serbia, that defends its legitimate interests in peaceful and diplomatic way.
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
signed an umbrella agreement providing political guarantees that Serbia will receive a stretch of the South Stream
South Stream
South Stream is a proposed gas pipeline to transport Russian natural gas to the Black Sea to Bulgaria and further to Greece, Italy and Austria. The project is seen as rival to the planned Nabucco pipeline...
gas pipeline and that the underground gas storage facility in Banatski Dvor
Banatski Dvor
Banatski Dvor is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Žitište municipality, in the Central Banat District, Vojvodina province...
will be finalised.
Tadić invoked his constitutional powers of Commander-in-Chief of the Military of Serbia
Military of Serbia
The Serbian Armed Forces are the armed services of Serbia. They consist of the Serbian Army and the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence...
and dismissed the Chief of the General Staff Zdravko Ponoš
Zdravko Ponoš
Zdravko Ponoš is a former Chief of the General Staff of the Military of Serbia.President Boris Tadić invoked his constitutional powers of Commander-in-chief of the Military of Serbia and dismissed Zdravko Ponoš on 30 December 2008 as Chief of General Staff. Ponoš made public accusations against...
on 30 December 2008. Ponoš made public accusations against the Defence Minister Dragan Šutanovac
Dragan Šutanovac
Dragan Šutanovac is the current Minister of Defence in the Government of Serbia.- Background :...
in the media. It was also revealed that he ignored the minister and has not submitted a single report in a year.
He was ranked the tenth most influential politician in Europe of 2008 in a survey conducted by Telewizja Polska
Telewizja Polska
Telewizja Polska Spółka Akcyjna is Poland's public broadcasting corporation...
among 29 European media houses. He shared the position with Mikheil Saakashvili
Mikheil Saakashvili
Mikheil Saakashvili is a Georgian politician, the third and current President of Georgia and leader of the United National Movement Party.Involved in the national politics since 1995, Saakashvili became president on 25 January 2004 after President Eduard Shevardnadze resigned in a November 2003...
, scoring below Jean-Claude Juncker
Jean-Claude Juncker
Jean-Claude Juncker is a Luxembourg politician, 23rd and current Prime Minister of Luxembourg, since 20 January 1995. He is the longest standing head of government of any European Union state...
and above Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
. He was also one the five nominated politicians for the award National politician of the year of the European Voice
European Voice
European Voice is an English language newspaper owned by The Economist Group. The newspaper gives an account of the activities of the key European Union institutions – the European Commission, European Parliament and Council of Ministers...
for "bringing his country closer to EU membership with the handing over of alleged war criminal Radovan Karadžić to the international court for former Yugoslavia".
Following the formation of Kosovo Security Forces in January 2009, he sent protest letters both to the and NATO Secretaries-General. The letter, states that Serbia views those forces as an illegal paramilitary organisation that constitutes a threat to the country’s security and a danger to peace and stability in the Western Balkans. Tadić drew attention to the fact that the KSF were formed on the basis of the Ahtisaari Plan that was never adopted by the Security Council and added that the creation of these forces constitutes a breach of the Serbian Constitution and international law, which is why they should be disbanded. He called for the demilitarisation
Demilitarisation
Demilitarisation or demilitarization is the reduction of a nation's army, weapons, or military vehicles to an agreed minimum. Demilitarisation is usually the result of a peace treaty ending a war or a major conflict....
of Kosovo.
Mayor of Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón
Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón
Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón Jiménez is a Spanish politician and mayor of Madrid. A stalwart of the conservative People's Party , he has previously been a leading figure in various local and national legislative bodies.-Personal life:...
gave the Golden Keys of the City of Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
to Tadić in March 2009, due to his commitment to Europe and its values and the changes that Serbia has undertaken in this direction. He said that this attitude helps the stability and progress of the continent "in a very positive way" and that the award given is "an expression of our friendship with the Serbian people and our commitment to collaboration". In March 2009 he also received an honorary degree of Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University
Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University
Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University is a Romanian private University.The Romanian newspaper Gândul has reported that the Christian University "Dimitrie Cantemir" from Bucharest started 34 Master's degree curricula which have no legal ground. According to the rector of the University, Mrs...
in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
.
In April 2009, he announced a constitutional reform proposal. His initiative includes proposal to reduce the number of the National Assembly
National Assembly of Serbia
The National Assembly of Serbia is the unicameral parliament of Serbia. It is composed of 250 proportionally elected deputies elected in general elections by secret ballot, on 4 years term. The National Assembly elects the President of the National Assembly who presides over the sessions...
members from 250 to 150 to better reflect the size of the country followed by changes in law on party registration and financing in order to consolidate similar parties and limit those with little support which should bring Serbia closer to a two-party system
Two-party system
A two-party system is a system where two major political parties dominate voting in nearly all elections at every level of government and, as a result, all or nearly all elected offices are members of one of the two major parties...
. The second proposed amendment would change the administrative division of Serbia by dividing it into more autonomous regions in order to achieve the more balanced development. This change would lead to Serbia being divided into seven regions instead of the current asymmetrical division which includes two autonomous provinces but where the majority of the territory has no special autonomy.
During the visit to Serbia in May 2009, Lech Kaczyński
Lech Kaczynski
Lech Aleksander Kaczyński was Polish lawyer and politician who served as the President of Poland from 2005 until 2010 and as Mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 22 December 2005. Before he became a president, he was also a member of the party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość...
, President of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, stated that he doesn't agree with the decision of the Polish Government to recognise independence of Kosovo and that he is as the President "favours the policy pursued by Serbian President Boris Tadić". They also discussed energy, particularly Europe's dependence on natural gas from just one source, and agreed that there is a need for a common EU energy policy that should also include the Balkan states.
Tadić attended the inauguration of the new Macedonian
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
President Gjorge Ivanov in Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
in May 2009. They agreed that both countries should cooperate on the integration to the European Union despite problems caused by their different views on the status of Kosovo. This caused a minor controversy as the leader of Kosovo Fatmir Sejdiu
Fatmir Sejdiu
Fatmir Sejdiu is a politician from Kosovo. He was the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo and was the first President of the Republic of Kosovo.-Early life and education:...
was not invited for the inauguration ceremony. He also met with Montenegrin
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
President
President of Montenegro
-Presidents of Montenegro:-See also:*President of Serbia and Montenegro*President of Yugoslavia*List of Presidents of Montenegro*Prime Minister of Montenegro-External links:*...
Filip Vujanović
Filip Vujanovic
Filip Vujanović is a Montenegrin politician who, since 2003, has served as the President of Montenegro. He is the first President of Montenegro since it split ties with Serbia and became an independent nation in June 2006...
in Belgrade the same month, which was the first official visit by a senior Montenegrin official to Belgrade since October 2008, when Montenegro recognised Kosovo's independence. They agreed on mutual protection of Serbs and Montenegrins in both countries.
Following the state visit of the US Vice President Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
to Serbia in late May 2009, Tadić voiced his belief that Biden's visit opened a new era in relations between the two countries, stressing the need for dialogue despite their opposing views on Kosovo. He stated "Vice-President Biden and I agreed that we now have an opportunity to establish a new level of communication between our two countries" and "I’m sure that with dialogue based on mutual respect, we can achieve a great deal,". Tadić said that there are many subjects that unite Serbia and the US, and that those are primarily the Western Balkans’ EU integration, and the struggle against international crime and terrorism. He also recalled that the two countries had been allies during the Second World War, adding that they were now "allies in the Partnership for Peace
Partnership for Peace
Partnership for Peace is a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation program aimed at creating trust between NATO and other states in Europe and the former Soviet Union; 22 States are members...
program." During this meeting Tadić reiterated Serbia’s position that Kosovo’s unilateral independence declaration was a breach of international law and that it is strongly committed to the stability of the entire region and the integrity of all the UN member states. He said that as a signatory of the Dayton Peace Accords, Serbia is a guarantor of the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, and it opts only for solutions that are the result of democratic agreement reached between the three constituent ethnic groups – Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
, Bosniaks
Bosniaks
The Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia...
and Croats
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
.
On 21 May 2009, Dragan Marić, a former businessman who was revolted over the court decision in his dispute with the national air carrier Jat Airways
Jat Airways
Jat Airways is the national airline of Serbia and the former national airline of Yugoslavia, and has its head office in the Jat Airways Business Center in Belgrade. It was established in 1927 as Aeroput, making it currently one of the world's oldest airlines still in operation...
entered the Presidency office carrying two hand grenades seeking an out-of-court settlement signed by President or Government. Members of the Battalion of Military Police Cobras
Battalion of Military Police Cobras
The Military Police Special Operation Battalion "Cobra" is a military police unit of the Serbian military, responsible for counter-terrorism, close protection and special operations....
, providing security to the President of Serbia, managed to take one of the grenades immediately and isolate the attacker, however the perpetrator removed the pin from the second grenade and threatened to detonate it by releasing the lever. The negotiations were handled by the special team of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs, supported by the officials of the Ministry of Justice, and lasted for several hours until the man was disarmed and arrested. After the incident, Tadić, who was present in the secured area of the building, congratulated the police and army special units, the security and negotiation team for doing a terrific job, peacefully and with no casualties and also said that problems, no matter what kind, cannot be resolved by force and by jeopardising citizens' lives.
During the state visit to France in late May 2009, Tadić unveiled a memorial plaque to Serbo-French friendship in two world wars at Les Invalides
Les Invalides
Les Invalides , officially known as L'Hôtel national des Invalides , is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans, the building's...
in Paris. He and President Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
announced that a strategic partnership document would be signed between France and Serbia in Belgrade. Sarkozy also stressed the importance of Serbia’s fast accession to the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and committed to help Serbia on this path.
In August 2009 in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, Tadić and Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao is the current Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China. He has held the titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China since 2002, President of the People's Republic of China since 2003, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2004, succeeding Jiang...
signed a Joint declaration of the Republic of Serbia and the People's Republic of China on the establishment of strategic partnership. The agreement has ten points and covers wide array of subjects including the mutual respect of territorial integrity, plans for trade development as well as cultural, technological and scientific exchange. He also held separate meetings with Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao is the sixth and current Premier and Party secretary of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, serving as China's head of government and leading its cabinet. In his capacity as Premier, Wen is regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy...
and Wu Bangguo
Wu Bangguo
Wu Bangguo is a high-ranking politician in the People's Republic of China. He is currently Chairman and Party secretary of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, a position that makes him China's chief legislator...
. Tadić made a 5 day tour of China, also visiting Xi'an
Xi'an
Xi'an is the capital of the Shaanxi province, and a sub-provincial city in the People's Republic of China. One of the oldest cities in China, with more than 3,100 years of history, the city was known as Chang'an before the Ming Dynasty...
, Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China, built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups...
and economic forums in Shanghai. During the visit to Shanghai he received a special invitation for Serbia to participate in Expo 2010 Shanghai China. China Post
China Post
China Post , which is the name used by the State Post Bureau of PRC in business, is the official postal service of the People's Republic of China. China Post is operated by the State Post Bureau of the People's Republic of China. The State Post Bureau, commonly referred to as China Post, is both a...
issued honorary envelope series with his image and signature, as well as the message „For the great historic friendship of Chinese and Serbian peoples“. The Chinese Post Office also released into circulation stamps with the flag of Serbia marking the Serbian delegation visit.
In October 2009, after Serbia
Serbia national football team
The Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović...
qualified
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 7
The 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group 7 was a UEFA qualifying group for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The group comprised France, Romania, Serbia, Lithuania, Austria and Faroe Islands....
for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
in South Africa; Boris Tadić and other Serbian Minister celebrated at the end of the match in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
's Stadion Crvena Zvezda
Stadion Crvena Zvezda
The Red Star Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Belgrade, Serbia. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Red Star Belgrade. The stadium is all-seated and the capacity is 51,328. It was opened in 1963 after construction which had started three years...
(Red Star Stadium) by toasting
Toast (honor)
A toast is a ritual in which a drink is taken as an expression of honor or goodwill. The term may be applied to the person or thing so honored, the drink taken, or the verbal expression accompanying the drink. Thus, a person could be "the toast of the evening," for whom someone "proposes a toast"...
the winning teach with a glass of champagne. It is illegal to consume alcohol at Serbian sporting events to stop violence. Tadić pleaded guilty, saying "I did not know that consumption of alcohol, even if only for a toast, has been forbidden so I fully take responsibility for the violation" and was fined €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
400.
In March 2010, he received the Steiger Award
Steiger Award
The Steiger Award or Der Steiger is an international award established in 2005 and presented annually by the award organization based in Bochum, Germany. The title translates as The Miner, and reflects the qualities of responsibility, honesty, openness and hard work valued in the North Rhine...
Europe of the Rhine-Ruhr
Rhine-Ruhr
The Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region is the largest metropolitan region in Germany with about 10,100,000 inhabitants. It is of polycentric nature and the only megacity in Germany. It covers an area of 7,110 square kilometers and lies entirely within the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia...
for "respectfulness, openness, humanity, and tolerance".
In 2011 he was awarded the North–South Prize.
People's Office of the President
During the 2004 election campaign, Tadić promised to form a new special institution called the People's Office. The People's Office of the President of the Republic was opened on 1 October 2004. The role of the People's Office is to make communication between the citizens and the President easier, and to cooperate between other state bodies and institutions, in order to enable the citizens of Serbia to exercise their rights. The People's Office of the President is divided into four divisions: Legal Affairs Division, Social Affairs Division, Projects Division and General Affairs Division. The first Director of the People's Office was Dragan Đilas. When he joined the Government of Serbia as the Minister in charge of the National Investment Plan in 2007, Tatjana Pašić became the new Director.Advisors
Advisors to the President of the Republic carry out the analytical, advisory and other corresponding tasks for the needs of the President of the Republic as well as other expert tasks in relations of the President with the Government and the Parliament.| Advisor | Portfolio |
|---|---|
| Gordana Matković Gordana Matkovic Gordana Matković is a General Advisor of the President of Serbia, appointed by Boris Tadić.She is the Director of the Social Policy Studies Department in Centre for Liberal-democratic studies and her professional interest covers different fields such as social insurance and social policy,... |
General Affairs |
| Trivo Inđić | Political Issues |
| Mlađan Đorđević | Legal Issues |
| Nebojša Krstić Nebojša Krstic Nebojša Krstić is an Advisor of the President of Serbia for public relations appointed by Boris Tadić. He was also a member of the Serbian rock band Idoli.- Biography :... |
Public Relations |
| Vojislav Brajović Vojislav Brajovic -Personal:He is married to actress Milica Mihajlović and they have three children. His son is Vukota Brajović, an actor as well.Vojislav Brajović speaks English.-Filmography:* Balkan ekspres 3 * Zona mrtvih * Žena bez tijela... |
Culture |
| Jovan Ratković Jovan Ratkovic Jovan Ratković is an advisor for relations with the European Union and NATO to the President of Serbia, appointed by Boris Tadić. He is a graduate of the University of East Anglia in politics and environmental economics with international relations.... |
EU/NATO relations |
Chief of Staff is Miodrag Rakić. Acting Secretary General of the Office of the President is Vladimir Cvijan.
Previous advisors who served from 2005 to 2008 are Biserka Jevtimijević Drinjaković
Biserka Jevtimijevic Drinjakovic
Biserka Jevtimijević Drinjaković is the current director of the supervisory board of the Serbian national oil company NIS. She was also an Advisor to the President of Serbia for economic affairs, appointed by Boris Tadić and serving from 2005 to 2008...
(economic issues), Vladimir Cvijan
Vladimir Cvijan
Vladimir Cvijan, LL.M. is a former Advisor of the President of Serbia responsible for legal affairs. He was appointed by Boris Tadić and served from 2005 to 2008....
(legal issues) and Dušan T. Bataković
Dušan T. Batakovic
Dušan T. Bataković is a Serbian historian and diplomat. His specialty is modern and contemporary Serbian and Balkan history...
and Leon Cohen (political issues). Most of the former advisors are now serving as directors of public enterprises and ambassadors.
Personal life
Tadić has a sister, Vjera, who is also a psychologist and currently teaches psychology in the First Belgrade GymnasiumFirst Belgrade Gymnasium
First Belgrade Gymnasium is a grammar school with a long tradition, founded in 1839, in Belgrade . It is located in the center of Belgrade, in 61 Cara Dušana Street, the place where once stood the Vidin Gate through which people could enter Belgrade. Near the school, the Church of Aleksandar Nevski...
. Besides his native language
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
, Tadić is fluent in English, French and Italian.
He enjoys watching football and supports FK Partizan
FK Partizan
Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978...
.
He was previously married to journalist Veselinka Zastavniković from 1980 to 1996, but they divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d, having had no children. Throughout their marriage they were actively involved in various socio-political activities including protests and petitions against human rights abuses and so-called 'verbal delict' in SFR Yugoslavia in the 1980s as well as anti-Milošević protests in the 1990s. Veselinka became a nun in October 2008, as Irina, in the Patriarchate of Peć
Patriarchate of Pec
The Patriarchate of Peć is a Serbian Orthodox monastery located near Peć. The complex of churches is the spiritual seat and mausoleum of the Serbian archbishops and patriarchs....
.
He is married to Tatjana Tadić (née Rodić), with whom he has two daughters: Maša and Vanja. Tatjana has roots in Knin
Knin
Knin is a historical town in the Šibenik-Knin county of Croatia, located near the source of the river Krka at , in the Dalmatian hinterland, on the railroad Zagreb–Split. Knin rose to prominence twice in history, as a one-time capital of both the Kingdom of Croatia and briefly of the...
.
Honours
- European Prize for Political Culture by RingierRingierRingier AG is one of the largest media corporations in Switzerland founded in Zofingen and based in Zürich. It publishes several newspapers and magazines in both German and French...
in 2007 - Medal For the Contribution to the Victory of Russian Federation in 2008
- The Courage of Perseverance by QuadrigaQuadriga (award)Quadriga is an annual German award sponsored by Netzwerk Quadriga gGmbH, a non-profit organization based in Berlin. The award recognizes four people or groups for their commitment to innovation, renewal, and a pioneering spirit through political, economic, and cultural activities.The award consists...
in 2008 - Golden Keys of the City of MadridMadridMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
in 2009 - Honorary doctorate of Dimitrie Cantemir Christian UniversityDimitrie Cantemir Christian UniversityDimitrie Cantemir Christian University is a Romanian private University.The Romanian newspaper Gândul has reported that the Christian University "Dimitrie Cantemir" from Bucharest started 34 Master's degree curricula which have no legal ground. According to the rector of the University, Mrs...
in 2009 - 40 Years of Revolution Medal of LibyaLibyaLibya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
in 2009 - Steiger Award of Rhine-RuhrRhine-RuhrThe Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region is the largest metropolitan region in Germany with about 10,100,000 inhabitants. It is of polycentric nature and the only megacity in Germany. It covers an area of 7,110 square kilometers and lies entirely within the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia...
in 2010 - Golden Medal of Hellenic ParliamentHellenic ParliamentThe Hellenic Parliament , also the Parliament of the Hellenes, is the Parliament of Greece, located in the Parliament House , overlooking Syntagma Square in Athens, Greece....
in 2010 - Jubilee Medal 65 Years of Victory in Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 of Russian Federation in 2010