A teacher at a Serbian university was fired for contacts with the Russian Embassy
In the Serbian city of Novi Sad, the dean of the law faculty was fired because he was actively involved in projects related to Russia.
Branislav Ristivojevic was suspended from work by the Faculty Council after he recommended that Serbian students contact the Russian Embassy in Belgrade to obtain information about the possibility of obtaining higher education at Russian universities.
“The key reason was that I recommended that students take an interest in scholarships from the Russian Federation. We have an assistant who took advantage of several Russian scholarships, the children know this, and those who know Russian, as well as everyone interested, asked him.
They asked if it was possible to contact the Russian Embassy for information. They reproach me for allowing this in the current political situation,” the Danas newspaper quotes Ristivojevic as saying.
The Russian Embassy in Serbia says that it is unpleasantly surprised by information about the circumstances of the dismissal of the dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Novi Sad, given that the reason is the meetings that he coordinated between students of the faculty and employees of the Russian Embassy in Belgrade, responsible for bilateral exchanges and interaction in the field culture.
The embassy notes that regular contacts between Russian diplomats and representatives of Serbian educational institutions at all levels do not have a hidden agenda.
“The topics under consideration relate to the development of scientific and educational exchanges, the organization of classes and internships at the expense of the state budget of the Russian Federation and on a commercial basis, as well as the popularization of the Russian language and culture in Serbia and the Serbian language and culture in Russia,” the embassy said in a statement.
The text also states that such cooperation, which plays an important role in unlocking the intellectual and creative potential of the academic communities of Serbia and Russia, fully meets the interests of both countries.
“We believe that the politicization of this area is unacceptable, and slander against Mr. Ristivojevic can only be characterized as a malicious provocation,” the Russian diplomatic mission said, emphasizing that the current situation “contradicts not only the logic of a mutually beneficial Russian-Serbian strategic partnership, but also common sense."
The Russian Embassy also expresses hope for the restoration of justice, believing that “attempts to “abolish Russia” are doomed to failure both in fraternal Serbia and in all other countries.”
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.