A large public panel entitled “Culture and Diplomacy” brought numerous ideas and recommendations on how to improve Serbia’s cultural diplomacy with reference to current relations in foreign policy, which intrigued the Belgrade audience of an important panel organized by the Institute (Zaprokul) held in the House youth. Experts from different fields exchanged opinions, and the moderator of the panel was Dr. Aleksandra Kolaković, historian, senior research associate from the Institute for Political Studies, editor of the topic “Culture and Diplomacy” in the magazine Kultura.
The scientific advisor of the Institute of Social Sciences in Belgrade, Ognjen Pribićević, pointed out that we live in a time of incredible changes and that in the world of technological development, culture has become extremely important to diplomacy. Pribićević.
Nemanja Radonjić, assistant professor of the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, reminded of the important fact that socialist and non-aligned Yugoslavia had a developed cultural diplomacy towards the West, because the first task was to distinguish itself from other eastern countries. The professor of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, Nevena Daković, continued by pointing out that in the past Yugoslavia nominated many films for the Oscar, which at the time represented an important step forward in the world: “today, modern Serbia uses the channels of soft power differently, in the desire to brand its national identity.”
The most successful actor in the use of soft power after the Second World War was the United States, concluded Mladen Lišanin, an expert at the Institute for Political Studies, so much so that “for centuries, the main pillars of the Russian presence, writers and composers, did not help to prevent Western public opinion from turning against Russia.” Ivana Vesić, senior research associate at the SANU Institute of Musicology, assessed that the power of cultural diplomacy is still limited, especially when it comes to relations in the region. “We must have a clear attitude and position towards ourselves in order to achieve effects in the domain of cultural diplomacy,” stated Vesić.
Ljiljana Rogač Mijatović stated that Serbia failed to build a coherent system of cultural policy and that it still lacks systemic solutions and a long-term approach, but that a lot of work is being done in that field.
The candidacy of Serbia and the city of Belgrade for the organization of the International Specialized Exhibition Expo 2027 at the General Assembly of the International Bureau of Exhibitions in Paris was highlighted as a good example of how best to connect culture and diplomacy.
The participants agreed that the importance of such public panels is exceptional, because only the exchange of opinions can systematically start a dialogue and improve cultural diplomacy research, in order to come up with new ideas in terms of foreign policy and cultural strategies. It is recommended that Serbian cultural centers be opened all over the world, which will contribute to the permanent development of cultural relations through specific projects, programs and exchanges, while it is important to use the opportunities of the scientific community, which represents an exceptional resource in this field.
