Thousands of people watched last weekend as King Charles III and Queen Camilla, together with other senior members of the Royal Family, travelled from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade to take part in the Trooping the Colour ceremony.
A 41-gun salute was fired during the celebrations, after which the famous Royal Air Force aerobatic team, the Red Arrows, flew over London, leaving trails in the colours of the British flag.
The King's Birthday celebrations also provided an opportunity for us to speak with Edward Ferguson, the British Ambassador to Serbia, who shared his views on modern Britain, discussed relations between our two countries, spoke about his knowledge of the Serbian language, and offered recommendations for favourite authors.
"Britain is quite unusual because, unlike most countries, we do not actually have a national day – instead, we celebrate the birthday of our King. The fact that we do not have an obvious date marking the founding of the United Kingdom says something about our long history as a nation, which was last successfully invaded in 1066 and therefore has institutions, including the monarchy, that are more than 1,000 years old," says Edward Ferguson, adding:
"In some respects we are very modern. London ranks first in Europe for technology investment, while Cambridge is number one for innovation. Four of our universities are among the top ten in the world, with Oxford in first place. London ranks second in the Global Cities Index and first for human capital. Yet in other respects we are very old, and our success has been built upon institutions – including our Parliament, courts and media – that have evolved over centuries."
European integration: "We want Serbia to succeed"
The United Kingdom is no longer a member of the European Union, but it supports Serbia’s path towards EU membership. The recent summit in Tivat sparked a wave of optimism regarding the enlargement process. What is your view of the Merz–Macron proposal on phased accession, which was discussed there?
"We like helping friends achieve their goals. Serbia’s goal is to join the EU and we are therefore happy to assist wherever possible, even though we are no longer members ourselves. Unfortunately, the slow pace of the necessary reforms – particularly in the areas of electoral integrity, the rule of law and the media – means that there has not been sufficient progress in recent years, while your neighbours, such as Montenegro, are moving ahead. We want Serbia to succeed and therefore warmly welcome ideas from our European partners that could accelerate the integration of the entire Western Balkans region. Nevertheless, Serbia’s leaders will still need to make the bold decisions required to unite citizens behind the vision of European integration and implement the necessary reforms."
What do you think are Serbia’s greatest strengths, and what do you consider the biggest challenges on its European path?
"Serbia possesses incredible talent and genuine economic potential, particularly in the digital sector and creative industries. These sectors are becoming increasingly important for trade relations between the United Kingdom and Serbia, which are growing by around 9 per cent annually.
Earlier this month, we organised a major technology conference that brought dozens of leading British technology and artificial intelligence companies to Belgrade, and they were highly impressed by the innovation and ambition of their Serbian counterparts. There is potential to go even further if Serbia succeeds in building a unified ecosystem in which government, universities, research institutes and the private sector work together to accelerate innovation."
When it comes to challenges, the ambassador once again emphasised the urgent need for domestic reforms, particularly in the area of the rule of law, which would also increase confidence among businesses and investors.
"Serbia also has complex relationships with many of its neighbours. We are always looking for ways to encourage positive partnerships between countries in this region, which is why we agreed to host last year's Berlin Process on regional cooperation. There are enormous opportunities to make travel, study and business easier for citizens throughout the Western Balkans, as well as to improve connections between cities and people through joint infrastructure projects. We would very much like to see more initiatives of this kind."
How has economic cooperation between our two countries developed in recent years, and in which areas do you see the greatest potential for further growth?
"I am genuinely delighted by the rapid growth of our economic partnership. I have devoted a great deal of effort to this as part of our vision of creating a more positive, modern and forward-looking partnership with Serbia. As I mentioned, digital trade is one of the most dynamic and exciting sectors and is expanding rapidly. But there are many interesting developments in other areas as well, including infrastructure, where we helped finance the Morava Corridor motorway and hope to be involved in many more road, railway and renewable energy projects that can transform Serbia’s economy and environment."
Empowering society
You have been involved in initiatives aimed at empowering women and young people through various projects. Which achievements are you most proud of?
"We genuinely believe that empowering women and young people is crucial to the future of every country. That is especially true here in Serbia, where they are a source of incredible strength, creativity and ambition.
Unfortunately, every country in the world still has a long way to go before achieving true equality between men and women, boys and girls, including ending violence against women and girls. As someone who supports feminists, I would always like to do more, but I am very proud of what we have achieved.
We have worked with the Government and civil society to establish mechanisms for assessing the gender impact of new policies, as well as projects aimed at empowering women leaders in politics and business and teaching children about Serbia's 'Great Women' – role models who broke barriers. We have also provided grants to some fantastic women-led businesses, taught coding and cybersecurity skills to schoolgirls across Serbia, and supported women who are victims of human trafficking. But there is always more to be done."
Family, community and hospitality
You speak fluent Serbian. It’s very impressive. Many people consider grammatical cases to be the most difficult aspect of the language. What was the biggest challenge for you when learning Serbian?
"Thank you for the encouragement! You are absolutely right: the cases are definitely the most challenging part of the language. Some things are particularly confusing for someone like me – for example, the difference between tri, troje, trojica and trojka! But I have genuinely enjoyed learning Serbian. It is a beautiful, rich and complex language – and your spelling is much easier than English spelling, for which I am grateful!"
Would you recommend any books by Serbian authors?
"There are many excellent Serbian writers. I particularly enjoyed reading some of the classic novels of Miloš Crnjanski and Ivo Andrić. Of course, The Bridge on the Drina is Andrić’s best-known work, but I also enjoyed reading Bosnian Chronicle, which tells the story of the first diplomatic missions that arrived in what is now the Western Balkans. Incidentally, Britain was the second country to establish diplomatic relations with Serbia back in 1837 – nearly 40 years before Serbia was formally recognised as a state."
Sport is an integral part of life in both our countries and another thing that connects us. We passionately follow both football and Wimbledon. What are your expectations this year?
"Yes, sport is one of the many things Britons and Serbs have in common. Most Serbs know more about the Premier League than I do, while Novak Đoković is a hero to many Britons, including me. I am looking forward to an exciting summer of sport, including Wimbledon and the FIFA World Cup, as well as England men’s cricket matches against New Zealand, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka."
You have spent many years in the Balkans. What have you learned from the people of this region?
"Living here has reminded me of the importance of traditional values such as family, community and hospitality. I have come to realise that people from all the countries and nations of this region have far more in common than they sometimes think. As I like to say, whether we were drinking Jelen, Sarajevsko or Ožujsko beer, my family and I always experienced the same warmth and generosity. For all of us, this truly feels like home, and we are incredibly happy to be living here in Serbia."
(EUpravo zato)