Stephen Wordsworth

Were we cycling the joint European future of the region?

Today we are hosting an entry written by Vladan Avramovic, member of our Projects team, and a 'Danube by Bike' tour participant.

A team of staff from the British Embassies in Budapest, Zagreb and Belgrade joined in the  'Danube by Bike'  Tour.  Altogether, four hundred people cycled the length of the Danube river in Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania last week. It was an opportunity to bring together people from all over Europe - EU member states, Western Balkan countries and Turkey - to encourage integration and dialogue, whilst raising awareness of the rich cultural heritage of Southeast Europe.

The British Embassy Team cycled from Budapest in Hungary, through Osijek and Vukovar in Croatia and on to Novi Sad and Belgrade in Serbia. The tour left the participants with a sense of pride, and a number of new friends.   We were only cycling – but we feel we contributed a little to the European future of the region.

Serbia leg of the tour

The Serbia leg of the tour started on Saturday 27 June in Novi Sad and took the group to Sremski Karlovci where it boarded the tourist train, “Nostalgia”. Several keen cycling enthusiasts carried on to Slankamen where they were rewarded with what is claimed to be the best fish soup on Danube.   The British Embassy Cycling Team agrees!

The day ended with an astonishing group ride through Belgrade which brought together more that 500 cyclists. It was a celebration of the European diversity and environmental consciousness, and for local, sometimes not very cyclist-friendly, car drivers, a unique opportunity to get the feeling of being an oppressed minority. It might help a few of them to respect cyclists'  rights better in the future!  

We posted news, views, photos and videos on the following Tumblr site throughout the tour, from its start in Budapest on Tuesday 23 June to the grand finale in Belgrade on the evening of Saturday 27 June: http://danubebybike.tumblr.com/.  There is more about the tour on: http://danubebybike.eu/home.html and on the Embassy FlickR pages.

Posted at 15:51 29 June 2009 by Stephen Wordsworth  |  Comments[3]

The Armed Forces Day in Belgrade

Today we are hosting a blog by Colonel Nigel Fenn, the Defence Attache of the British Embassy in Belgrade, written on the occasion of the first UK Armed Forces Day.

The British Embassy in Belgrade marked the first United Kingdom's Armed Forces Day by raising a commemorative flag outside the Embassy on Thursday, 25 June.  Britain's Armed Forces day will take place on Saturday 27th June and will be marked by events all over the UK.  The commemorative flag will fly at councils, businesses and homes as well as UK Armed Forces bases all over the world. In recognition of this event the British Embassy in Belgrade is proud to support the event. 

 
Armed Forces Day was created as part of the British Government's initiative to recognise better the contribution made to society by all those who serve and have served in the British Armed Forces. It is part of a wider campaign to raise public awareness, understanding and support for the Armed Forces.
 
The title “Armed Forces Day” has been chosen to reflect the wider Armed Forces Family of serving personnel (both regular and reserve), veterans and the cadet forces. This sense of inclusiveness is reflected in the strap line for the Day: “Honouring Britain’s Armed Forces, past, present and future”.  However, this does not mean that we do not also honour those allies that have fought alongside British Forces in the past; Serbia and the UK have a long tradition for cooperation through two world wars and I hope that we can continue to cooperate for many years to come.
 
This Armed Forces Day allows us to remember and honour not only those in past but the present and equally the future.  We must all work together towards a more secure and peaceful future.

Posted at 09:33 27 June 2009 by Stephen Wordsworth  |  Comments[1]

EXIT Festival 09 - stay safe and enjoy!

Today we are hosting an entry written by Ian Craig, member of our Consular team that will be in Novi Sad during the EXIT Festival, 9-12 July, to assist British visitors in case of emergency.

Posted at 19:33 26 June 2009 by Stephen Wordsworth  |  Comments[0]

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN

We celebrated the Queen's official birthday in Belgrade on 16 June, with our traditional garden party.  Having spent the previous week worrying about possible rain, in the end the afternoon was the hottest on record so far this year, and our concern was more that some people might wilt in the heat.  We had almost 900 guests, from every area of Serbia's public life - Government Ministers, mayors, other officials, business people, the local leaders of the main religious groups, journalists, cultural figures, NGO representatives, other diplomats - all the people we work with during the year.  In our 40 minutes on the receiving line, my wife and I shook (or so I am told) some 700 hands, before we passed on the hand-shaking task to my Deputy and his wife, and got free to circulate.  The press were out in force, and I explained to them, as I do every year, why our Queen has an official birthday - it goes back to King Edward VII, whose real birthday was in November but who liked parades, so an 'official' birthday in June was the obvious only answer. 

I also explained that we see this annual event as our chance to say a big thank you to all our friends in Serbia - we are building ever closer cooperation in many areas, not just on big issues such as Serbia's EU integration process, but also many smaller but important things that most people don't know about (though if you read this blog regularly, you will know about many of them by now).  As the sun went down, it got a little cooler, and as the waiters bustled around with their trays, people relaxed.  We ended with both national anthems, and everyone seemed to drift off happily.  Job done, until next year!

Any Comments? - in Serbian or in English?

Posted at 19:10 17 June 2009 by Stephen Wordsworth  |  Comments[5]

Valleys, caves and monasteries

On 13 June, Culture Minister Bradic organised a tour for members of the diplomatic corps to eastern Serbia - Senjski Rudnik, the Resavska Cave and the Ravanica and Manasija monasteries.  The main business was to announce, in Senjski Rudnik, the launch of a project to assist in the transformation of this small coal-mining village into an 'eco-museum' and regional cultural centre.  The coal is all but exhausted, and there is no other industry in the area, but the region has a long and fascinating history, going back to the beginning of Serbia's industrialisation. The museum project, which is expected to get support from the European Commission and the Council of Europe, will help open up this past to future visitors, and provide future generations in the village with a secure livelihood. 

The two monasteries we saw nearby are well-known in Serbia, but almost unknown outside - I, at least, had never seen a photograph of either of them, or realised how beautiful they are.  Manasija in particular, with its strong walls still standing, is a very interesting place to visit.  And Resavska cave nearby must be one of the most impressive cave systems in Europe, but again seems to be largely unknown outside Serbia's borders.  All these sights are set in beautiful wooded valleys, which were looking at their best at this time of year. 

Travelling around the area, I was struck by the many similarities between eastern Serbia and my home region of South Wales.  There too we have beautiful scenery; an old mining village converted into a modern tourist attraction, at "Big Pit" a beautiful network of underground caves, at Dan-yr-Ogof; and monasteries, at Neath and Margam (though in our case they are ruins, thanks to King Henry VIII).  And just as, if you go a little further in eastern Serbia, you can get to the medieval castle of Golubac, or the Roman remains at Felix Romuliana, South Wales has castles such as Raglan, or Roman remains at Caerleon.  The two areas have a lot in common, but in Wales tourism is much more developed, and has created a lot of jobs.  Maybe I need to think how we can get some Serbian officials responsible for tourism development to go across to South Wales, to see what ideas they can pick up there.

Any Comments? - in Serbian or in English?

Posted at 16:51 15 June 2009 by Stephen Wordsworth  |  Comments[1]

(Cricket) History making

Today I will host a blog entry written by Alex Ingram, Third Secretary of the British Embassy in Belgrade.

On Friday, June 5, 2009 , three of our Embassy staff members - who have supported the local Belgrade Cricket Association since its start - took part in possibly the first ever cricket match in Serbia (does anyone out there know better?), in the village of Karlovcic, 30 kilometers west of Belgrade.   The Belgrade side fielded a mainly Serbian team, with support from British, Indian and Pakistani players. They faced a touring side from North Wales, 'Carmel & District Cricket Club'.    The Welsh club had played, or were due to play, sides in Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Macedonia during their tour of South East Europe.

 
The locals had done a good job with the pitch, and the visiting team were given a fantastic welcome - even down to the enthusiastic autograph-hunters! Also, the weather had taken a turn for the better, and instead of the torrential rain of the previous week, we were lucky enough to have a perfect day for cricket.
 
The UK team batted first, and managed to score 172 runs.  This left an attainable target for the Belgrade side to aim for. After lunch they went into bat, and managed to put together a respectable 107 all out. This 65-run loss was by no means a failure, and it was testament to the work the Belgrade team had put in before the game that they had put up such a good fight against the more experienced team.
 
As well as being an important day for the Belgrade Cricket Association, it was also a very enjoyable day out. There were opportunities to enjoy some Serbian hospitality (rakija included!), and hopefully a few people were inspired to pick up a bat themselves. The Belgrade Cricket Association have made great progress so far, and have big plans for the future. Have a look at their website for more information on the BCA, and the game of cricket itself, and for contact details. The BCC are happy to answer any questions, and always keen to welcome new players to the weekly training sessions. It's informal and fun, and as demonstrated here, there is clearly potential for those who wish to take it further.

How long before a Serbian national side takes to the field?

Any Comments? - in Serbian or in English?

Posted at 14:56 10 June 2009 by Stephen Wordsworth  |  Comments[0]

Nice to see you again!

On Friday, 5 June, the Embassy opened its gates to a group of secondary school students from across Serbia who had made it to the finals of 'Hello Europe' Quiz, organised by RTS and the EC Delegation in Serbia.  

 
Some of you probably wonder why a 18-year old would be interested in Embassy work in the first place.  Unfortunately, for the vast majority of young people from the region, the only obvious link to diplomatic work is visa queuing.
 
Our aim this time was to give a brief and realistic impression of a wide range of the activities (political, development, commercial, project, culture etc.) undertaken by our Embassy in Serbia, and to try to explain not only what we do, but also why.  Our guests were also introduced to the history of the Embassy building and some artifacts that testify to the diverse and lasting ties that have existed between the UK and Serbia for 172 years of diplomatic relations.
 
The Open Day invitation was also extended to three journalism students who attended an internship programme in the BBC last year, and to the winning 'Hello Europe' Quiz team from the time of the UK Presidency.  Some members of this informal 'alumni' group admitted that they were pleasantly shocked with the invitation.  For us, it was fantastic to get in touch again and see that just a couple of years on some of them are in position to do useful and exciting things, or are - for example - doing their studies in Warwick!
 
Not to make things too serious on a sunny Friday afternoon, we also arranged an informal social programme in the Embassy garden.  All my colleagues who had the opportunity to participate in discussions with our guests were very impressed with quality of their spoken English, their general knowledge, and their keen interest in issues that go way beyond their local community.   This leads me to conclude once again that Serbia - similar to other countries in the region - has a tremendous potential in its younger generation. 
 
We are looking forward to similar occasions in the future, and to seeing where our quiz heroes move on to.

Any Comments? - in Serbian or in English?

Posted at 10:44 10 June 2009 by Stephen Wordsworth  |  Comments[0]

Down Sandzhak Way..

On 27 May I had a series of meetings in Novi Pazar and Prijepolje, in the Sandzhak region of south-west Serbia.  I saw the Mayors of both towns, other officials, and representatives of NGOs and the media.  The scenery is beautiful, but the region has a lot of problems.  Novi Pazar in particular was managed disastrously badly in the past, which has left the town in a desperate situation; and in both towns there is high unemployment and little if any recent investment.  The region has also long had a serious problem with organised crime, lying as it does on the edge of Serbia, with borders to Kosovo, Bosnia and Montenegro. 

The good news is that the two main communities in the region, Christian Serb and Moslem Bosniak, seem to get along quite well, but in recent days there have been tensions within the Islamic community, which is now divided between two rival religious leaders.  The UK runs a number of projects in the region, working with the OSCE and other partners, aimed at improving local administration, strengthening the justice sector, and helping young people.  But as I said to everyone there, outsiders can only do so much.  Ultimately, the region's future depends on its leaders; and the most important thing now is for any disagreements to be resolved by calm dialogue, not stirred up further with heated rhetoric.  That would only frighten outside investors away completely, and condemn the region to further years of hardship.

Posted at 10:18 02 June 2009 by Stephen Wordsworth  |  Comments[3]

Young Lions

On 26 May I was invited to the Pasuljanske Livade training ground, where officer cadets of the Military Academy performed a military exercise, called “Diplomac 2009” - a sort of demonstration of all they had learned.  There were two parts to the exercise, the first a display of more traditional 'war-fighting' activity, with planes, helicopters and tanks blasting away at distant targets, the second a demonstration of 'peace-keeping' skills, with the cadets wearing blue helmets and UN flags flying. 

I found the second part more fun to watch, as the soldiers showed how they would search cars at a check point (we were asked to note how, at a UN checkpoint, the soldiers actually in close contact with civilians are always unarmed), and then checked individual civilians passing through on foot.  During the latter search, the soldiers 'discovered' that one man they were checking was carrying a concealed pistol, so he was led away for questioning, while his girlfriend followed behind, protesting vociferously (and in English) 'Let him go, he is my brother'! Let him go!', etc.  He was detained, but she was let go, and (predictably enough) she returned soon afterwards with 'angry villagers' who began attacking the checkpoint, pelting the soldiers with oranges (safer than rocks, for exercise purposes) and starting a small fire.  The soldiers remained calm, eventually some 'tear gas' (yellow smoke) was deployed, and the 'villagers' retreated.  At which point an even angrier 'villager' turned up and began firing at the checkpoint with a Kalashnikov, to which the soldiers - now allowed by their rules of engagement to use lethal force, in self-defence - responded. 

In all, it was a good show.  At the end President Tadic announced that Serbia plans to deploy a further group of soldiers to a UN mission in Chad, so the training should come in useful.  I wish them every success.

Posted at 09:24 01 June 2009 by Stephen Wordsworth  |  Comments[0]

Better by Design

I spoke last evening at the official opening of Belgrade Design Week (BDW).  This is the fourth such annual event, and this year the UK (through the British Council) has supported it by helping to bring to Belgrade a large group of top UK designers and design journalists.  So I ended up making a speech, together with the BDW organiser, Jovan Jelovac, and Culture Minister Bradic. 

As I said in my speech, 'design' might sound like an indulgence in a time of global economic crisis, but in fact nothing could be further from the truth.  In the UK the creative industries contribute about €25 billion a year to the UK economy and employ some half a million people - one in five of all new jobs. 

Serbia is well placed to be a regional leader in this area.  BDW is already not just a regional, but a global, event.  And good design is not just about making things look better, it's about making things work better, to create a better world for everybody.  We are pleased, for example, that this year's BDW 'DesignPark' will include an exhibition of the work that the British Council has been doing under their 'Access for All' programme, with the Belgrade Faculty of Architecture, to promote the design of better facilities for disabled people, to make it possible for them to play a fuller role in society.  So we are proud to be BDW's partner this year - and we wish them every success.

Posted at 08:54 26 May 2009 by Stephen Wordsworth  |  Comments[1]

Learning English

I gave an opening speech, on 22 May, to the annual English Language Teachers Association Conference, meeting this year, for a change, in Novi Sad.  This was the third time I have done this, and each year the event gets bigger and better.  Worldwide demand for English language skills is growing all the time, as English becomes ever more firmly established as the global business language, and the dominant language on the Internet.

The UK, through the British Council, is doing a lot here, and around the world, to help improve teaching methods and curricula, and provide other support to teachers of English.  The teachers attending the Conference were all very much aware that the future of the children they teach will be profoundly affected by how well they do their job, not just in teaching, but in encouraging their students to develop a real passion for learning and using the language. 

As I have said many times, I am constantly impressed by the level of English language skills among young people here in Serbia, particularly bearing in mind that few of them have had the opportunity to visit an English-speaking country.  This will be a very important factor in Serbia's economic growth in years to come.

Posted at 08:38 26 May 2009 by Stephen Wordsworth  |  Comments[2]

BETA Anniversary

21 May - This evening I went along to the 15th anniversary party of the independent news agency BETA.  Nowadays, BETA is pretty well part of the media scenery, but when it was founded Serbia was a very different place.  It's hard now - particularly for an outsider - to realise just how much courage it took for people in BETA and other independent outlets, such as B92, to challenge the monopoly of the state information machine. 

There was a good turn-out there of Government Ministers, senior politicians, and other guests.  Today, the independent media face a different challenge, from the global economic crisis and the dramatic drop in advertising revenues.  We can only hope that the same courage and imagination that saw them through the 1990s will help them pull through now.

Posted at 08:31 26 May 2009 by Stephen Wordsworth  |  Comments[0]

Free Media in Tough Times

I went on 18 May to help open the third Annual Meeting between the BBC and their partner radio stations here in Serbia.  There's been some good progress here in recent years - a stronger network of partner stations, better audibility, a growing audience.  But, as with all media companies, the global economic crisis is at the top of their agenda.  The print media and radio, in particular, have seen their advertising revenues hit hard, and many organisations are facing tough decisions. 

We in the UK see independent media as absolutely essential to the development of free democracies.  So we think it's really important, right across the world, that the independent media stay independent - that they are not forced by the crisis into over-heavy reliance on business or political interests, that then seek to influence their editorial policy.  We understand that it's hard, if the choice is between staff cut-backs or editorial compromise.  But, ultimately, it's all about staying true to one's original vision.   Of course, most people in the independent media in Serbia understand this very well, having faced much tougher challenges before.  We are proud to have them as our partners.

Posted at 16:48 19 May 2009 by Stephen Wordsworth  |  Comments[1]

London Calling

Posted at 17:00 12 May 2009 by Stephen Wordsworth  |  Comments[1]

Classical Mood - with feeling!

On 10 May I went to a concert at the Sava Centre by the London Symphony Orchestra, under their Russian principal conductor, Valerij Gergijev.  The programme was entirely of Russian music, Rachmaninov and Prokoviev - dramatic pieces, played with tremendous confidence and vigour. 

The orchestra's visit to Belgrade was the first night of a 'five day, five city' tour, taking in also Zagreb, Budapest, Vilnius and Tallinn.  The audience responded with great enthusiasm.  It was wonderful to see an orchestra of this top world quality in Belgrade - a sign that, in yet another way, Serbia is now firmly 'back on the map'.

Posted at 15:13 11 May 2009 by Stephen Wordsworth  |  Comments[0]