The President of the People’s Party and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Vuk Jeremic said today that Novak Djokovic is not only the best tennis player in history, but also “Muhammad Ali of our time”, because he showed incredible strength of his beliefs and unwavering readiness to defend them regardless price, similar to Ali, who at one time remained steadfast in his refusal to take part in the Vietnam War, despite his suspension.
“I hope that the deportation from Australia and the whole situation will pass with as few consequences as possible for Djokovic’s career. He chose the harder path, as he always chose, and I am sure he will not give up his beliefs. He will not like it. I believe that he should have the unreserved support of us in Serbia, no matter in the organization of world tennis, but also in the wider international arena, whatever he decides, “Jeremic told Nova S. television.
Jeremic pointed out that the reason for Djokovic’s expulsion from Australia was bizarre, because he was deported “not because of a verbal offense, which would be controversial enough, but because of the danger that he could commit a verbal offense, which is far worse.”
“This is a dangerous precedent, and not just for Australia. In some countries of the world, unfortunately, a verbal offense still exists as a legal category, but this is the first time someone has been punished on the assumption that he could commit a verbal offense.” Jeremic said.
Jeremic stated that “Wednesday is pure politics” and that it was a “dilettante-minded demonstration exercise of power” before the general elections in Australia, and that everything about Djokovic turned into a “complete PR disaster in Australia”, and added that Australia’s image in the world is “and how damaged it is, which will come to fruition in the years to come”.
“This is a great shame for both Canberra and the Australian Open. Whatever people think of Djokovic, everyone in the international press agrees that Australia has completely messed up. Now the world has noticed how Australia generally treats refugees and asylum seekers, so “Thanks to Djokovic, it became known about the young man who has been in custody for nine years since he asked to enter Australia,” Jeremic said.
Jeremic pointed out that not only the best tennis player of all time was humiliated at the airport in Australia, but also the state of Serbia, because Djokovic has a diplomatic passport of Serbia.
“Serbia has not used all diplomatic opportunities, among other things because we have not had an ambassador in Canberra for a year and a half, nor a consul in Sydney, which is an indicator of wider disarray in the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If we had an ambassador there, he could have asked to be admitted in the Government of Australia, to which he could officially present the problem of harassing Djokovic for our interstate relations, “Jeremic said.
Jeremic added that the fact that the Prime Minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabic, spoke by phone with the Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, shows how much the authorities in Belgrade do not understand diplomacy and reduce it to a personal title by phone.
“Australia has an ambassador in Belgrade. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should have called him and handed him a sharp demarche in which Serbia’s position would be formalized that the humiliation of the holder of Djokovic’s diplomatic passport should stop immediately and that this harassment will have consequences for relations between the two countries.” , Jeremic added.
Jeremic estimated that Australia would probably not back down, but that demarche could make further measures of Serbia’s retaliation against Australia completely legitimate.
“When it comes to Australia’s economic interests in Serbia, Rio Tinto is an Australian company, for example. The government should consider whether the Rio Tinto project in Serbia will suffer serious consequences due to scandalous behavior towards Djokovic,” Jeremic said.
Jeremic stated that the new ambassador of Serbia should go to Australia in February, but that his departure should be postponed, which every country would do in such circumstances.
“We have a series of vacancies in the diplomatic-consular network, for example, we do not have a consul in New York, which is an extremely important place,” Jeremic said.
“I hope that it will not be former EPS director Milorad Grcic, which is not unthinkable. It is not funny, because the staff in Serbian diplomacy today is such that Marko Djuric is one of our best ambassadors in the world. And you think about what that says about to others, “Jeremic concluded.