Milošević instead of Pupovac at the head of the Serb National Council in Croatia

ZAGREB, (Patria) - Boris Milošević is the new president of the Serb National Council, while Milorad Pupovac, who led the umbrella organization of Serbs in Croatia for 22 years, is now the president of the SNV Council, decided the delegates at the electoral assembly of the SNV, held on Saturday at the premises of the Serbian Orthodox Gymnasium in Zagreb. 

Milošević holds the positions of president of the Council of the Serbian Minority of the City of Zagreb and the parliamentary group of the SDSS in the Croatian Parliament.

Novosti reports that Dragana Jeckov and Aneta Vladimirov were elected as Milošević's deputies.

In his introductory address to the delegates and guests, Pupovac emphasized that the SNV and the Serb community have gone through four turbulent years.

“These were among the most turbulent years in the post-war history of the Serb community, characterized by financial instability and attempts to disintegrate the SNV, SDSS, ‘Prosvjeta’, and other Serb institutions. The influence of people from other political parties on the representatives of Serbs in Croatia was evident. We had serious financial difficulties, but we found understanding in Serbia, whose authorities provide us with continuous support, making our organizations safer and more stable,” said Pupovac.

He also touched upon general political aspects, from the anti-Cyrillic campaign in 2014 to initiatives that were against tolerance and the protection of minority rights, with a constant rise in hate speech that has not diminished even today, along with attempts to reduce the rights of Serbs in Croatia through referendums.

He assessed the results of the recent minority elections as excellent because all counties except Istria were included in the SNV. Among the SNV's successes, he included strong cooperation with other organizations, the formation of the Youth Network and the Sports Association of Serbs, as well as the consolidation of the Serb Democratic Forum. He indicated further construction of Serb cultural centers as priorities, from the one in Vukovar, which is nearing completion, to those in Rijeka, Zagreb, Osijek, Knin… Speaking about education, he pointed to the generational shift. The older ones, who were educated before the war, are leaving, and they are being replaced by new generations who, as he said, must be prepared for this.

“The problem of the Serb community is assimilation; the identity of Serbs in Croatia is perceived negatively, and besides that, we are not a community from which stigmas are easily removed, especially within policies that seek to be dominant. We must respond to political attacks, but we must not enter into confrontations that could cause us great harm,” said Pupovac.

In his vision of development titled ‘Let Us Be Ourselves’, Milošević outlined four priorities. The first is the improvement of SNV activities, as well as the preservation of activities that have proven to be good: Novosti, which, according to Milošević, is the only independent public medium for citizens, Political Academy, which is growing and developing, and there is also the Development Center, which provides assistance in project development and informing users of funds, as well as capital investments for areas where Serbs live.