Boris Milošević(Serbian Cyrillic:Борис Милошевић,pronounced[bǒrismilǒːʃeʋitɕ];born 5 November 1974)[1]is aCroatian Serblawyer and politician who served asDeputy Prime Minister of Croatiabetween 2020 and 2022. He is a member of theIndependent Democratic Serb Party(SDSS). He previously served as the president of theSerb National Councilfrom July 2019 until July 2020.[2]
Boris Milošević | |
|---|---|
Борис Милошевић | |
 Milošević in 2020 | |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia Responsibility for Social Affairs and Human and Minority Rights | |
| In office 23 July 2020 – 29 April 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Andrej Plenković |
| Preceded by | Predrag Štromar |
| Succeeded by | Anja Šimpraga |
| President of theSerb National Council | |
| In office 15 July 2019 – 22 July 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Milorad Pupovac |
| Succeeded by | Milorad Pupovac |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 November 1974 Šibenik,SR Croatia,SFR Yugoslavia |
| Political party | Independent Democratic Serb Party |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of Rijeka University of Zagreb |
| Occupation | Lawyer, politician |
Early life and career
editMilošević was born to an ethnicSerbfamily in 1974 inŠibenik,which at that time was a part of theSFR Yugoslavia.He graduated from theFaculty of Law, University of Rijeka,and later enrolled in postgraduate studies in public law and administration at theFaculty of Law, University of Zagreb.[3]
During theCroatian War of Independencehis father was mobilized into theCroatian Armyeven though he was a Serb because Šibenik was under control of Croatia, unlike a lot of Serb majority areas where theRepublic of Serbian Krajinahad control. Milošević's grandmother Dara Milošević was murdered in the village of Bribirske Mostine in the aftermath of theOperation Storm.Her murderer Veselko Bilić was arrested after bragging about "murdering a 'Chetnik' "and sentenced to 7.5 years in prison. He was, however, pardoned by thePresident of CroatiaFranjo Tuđmanafter 3.5 years.[4][5]
From 2002 to 2005 he was an intern at the Municipal Court inBenkovac.From 2005 to 2007, he worked as a legal advisor for the Spanish humanitarian organization, Movement for Peace, and from 2007 to 2008 he worked as the secretary of the municipality ofKistanje.[6]
After moving toZagreb,from 2008 to 2011 he worked as a legal advisor in theSerb National Council(SNV), the most influential association of the Serb community in Croatia.[7]He was also a member of the main board of the Center for Human Rights from 2010 to 2012.[8]
Political career
editSerb National Council
editHis serious political career began in 2012 when he became the AssistantMinister of Public Administrationand Head of the Directorate for the Political System and Local (Regional) Self-Government under the ministerArsen Bauk.In the2016 election,he was elected aMember of Parliament,and became the President of theIndependent Democratic Serb Party(SDSS) Parliamentary Club.[7]During his parliamentary career he was a member of the inter-parliamentarty friendship groups withAzerbaijan,Montenegro,Czech Republic,Greece,Ireland,Italy,China,Russia,Serbiaand theUnited Kingdom.He was also a member of the Parliamentary Committee for Human Rights and the Rights of National Minorities and the Parliamentary Committee for Labor, Pension System and Social Partnership.[1]
He advocated theuseof theSerbian CyrillicAlpha bet, stating that "the Cyrillic Alpha bet symbolizes Serbs in Croatia", and thatthose who say that the Cyrillic Alpha bet is not desirableactually want to say that Serbs are the ones who are undesirable.[3]
In July 2019, he became the president of the Serb National Council (SNV), and he came to that position afterMilorad Pupovac,who led SNV for 22 years.[9]He was elected to theCroatian Parliamentfollowing the2020 election,in which the SDSS won all seats belonging to the Serb national minority.[10]
Deputy Prime Minister
editOn 23 July 2020, Milošević was elected one of the fourDeputy Prime Ministers of Croatiain charge of social affairs and human and minority rights in the newcabinetofAndrej Plenković.[6]Due to accepting the government position he had to resign as the president of SNV.[2]Croatian PresidentZoran Milanovićreacted to Milošević becoming a Deputy Prime Minister by saying that he wishes to see Milošević inKninat the celebration of theVictory Day,[11]marking the anniversary ofOperation Stormthat brought an end to the Serb rebellion, and led to a large refugee crisis of Serb civilians,[12]for which Milanović blamed the thenBelgradegovernment.[11]The anniversary has for a long time been a subject of dispute between Croatia and Serbia.[12]
On 30 July,Prime MinisterPlenković announced that Milošević would be participating in the celebration of the Victory Day while theMinister of Croatian VeteransTomo Medvedwould be participating in the commemoration of theGrubori massacre,where six Serb civilians were killed in the aftermath of the Operation Storm. This was the first time that any political representative of Croatian Serbs attended the Victory Day celebration.[13]Milošević's decision was mostly met with positive reactions in Croatia, including theoppositionparties. Political representatives ofCroats of Serbiaalso welcomed Milošević's decision.[14]
However, criticism came fromfar-rightcircles, such asCroatian Defence Forces.[15]Criticism also came from theGovernment of SerbiaandBosnian Serbpoliticians, who previously urged Croatian Serbs not to participate in the anniversary.[12]Milorad Dodik,the Serb member of thePresidency of Bosnia and Herzegovinacalled Milošević's decision "unacceptable", whileAleksandar Vulin,theMinister of Defence of Serbia,said that he "could not believe that a Serb was going to celebrate the expulsion of 250,000 Serbs".[16][17]President of SerbiaAleksandar Vučićlater said that it was up to Serbia andRepublika Srpskato say that "they did not support the presence of Serb representatives at the celebration of the Operation Storm in Knin, and that they would never stop marking the anniversaries of the 'pogrom' of Serbs from Croatia ".[18]Savo Štrbac,director of the Veritas Documentation and Information Center, said that Milošević's father was a winner over Serbs and a recognized Croatian veteran, and that the question was whether Serbs would have voted for him in the parliamentary elections if they had known.[19]Special envoy of the President of Serbia for resolving the issue of missing persons with Croatia,Veran Matić,said that "Milošević had proved to be a very dedicated, principled and valuable advocate of the interests of Serbs in Croatia, but also the democratization of Croatia".[20]After the Victory Day celebration, Milošević talked to the media about his reasons for coming and about Serb victims explaining it with a quote:
"Let the spiral of hatred be broken so that the horrors of war will never be repeated. All victims, regardless of nationality, should be respected. Serbs from Croatia also had their victims and that should be respected. Emotions are still fresh, and I consider my arrival a pledge for the future."[21]
The same day, after the celebration in Knin was over, a banner was set up above theZemun–Pančevohighway, betweenBorčaandPadinska Skela,saying "Борисе Милошевићу, пичко ustaška" (transl. Boris Milošević, youUstashacunt).[22]One day after the celebration, Milošević said that he knew that people in Serbia would not understand his decision and that he condemns all war crimes, "especially crimes committed againstCroatsinLovas,Škabrnja,Nadin and all other places ".[23]Milošević said that the mass return of exiled Serbs to the territories where Operation Storm was carried out "will certainly not happen", but that the message of the government is that it will do everything to create preconditions for that.[24]
On 18 November 2020, on theRemembrance Day of the Sacrifice of Vukovar in 1991,Milošević took part in the memorial walk through thecity.[25]The same day, he took toFacebookto express his condolences to the families affected by theVukovar massacre.[26]
On 3 July 2021, Milošević took part in 20th annualZagreb Pride,alongside other politicians such asMayor of ZagrebTomislav TomaševićandSocial Democratic PartypresidentPeđa Grbin,earning praise from Prime Minister Plenković.[27][28]On 23 July, he praised the citizens' decision to putNikola TeslaonCroatian euro coins(as a result of a public online poll), dubbing him the "symbol that binds us (Serbs and Croats) to the whole world. The citizens of Croatia voted for a Serb from Croatia, who was proud of his people and his homeland, who always remained faithful to his culture—a typicalKrajina,Prečanione—and now he is going to be on a Croatian euro coin as one of therecognizable symbolsof the Republic of Croatia. "[29]
Personal life
editHe is married and has one child, while his wife works at theSerbian Orthodox Secondary Schoolin Zagreb.[8][3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ab"Zastupnik data 106 | Hrvatski sabor".Hrvatski sabor(in Croatian).Retrieved24 July2020.
- ^abSerbia, RTS, Radio televizija Srbije, Radio Television of."Boris Milošević nije više predsednik SNV-a".rts.rs.Retrieved24 July2020.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^abcŠundić Mihovilović, Ivana (2 July 2020)."Boris Milošević: Srbin u Vladi Hrvatske".Dnevni list Danas(in Serbian).Archivedfrom the original on 24 July 2020.Retrieved24 July2020.
- ^M. V. (1 August 2020)."Boris Milošević objasnio zašto je odlučio otići u Knin:" Nakon 25 godina potrebno je prestati s mržnjom, prestati s ratom "".Dnevnik.hr(in Croatian).
- ^Vladisavljević, Anja; Stojanović, Milica (5 August 2020)."Court Records Reveal Croatian Units' Role in Operation Storm Killings".Balkan Insight.Archivedfrom the original on 25 August 2020.Retrieved5 August2021.
- ^ab"Croatia votes in a new government, a Serb Vice President".B92.net.Retrieved24 July2020.
- ^ab"Naslednik Pupovca potpredsednik vlade Hrvatske: Ko je Boris Milošević?".Telegraf.rs(in Serbian).Retrieved24 July2020.
- ^ab"Vlada Republike Hrvatske – Boris Milošević".vlada.gov.hr.Retrieved25 July2020.
- ^"Boris Milošević novi predsednik SNV-a".Управа за сарадњу с дијаспором и Србима у региону(in Serbian). 1 July 2019. Archived fromthe originalon 24 July 2020.Retrieved24 July2020.
- ^"SDSS-u sva tri mandata srpske nacionalne manjine: U Sabor idu Pupovac, Jeckov i Milošević".Novi list.6 July 2020.Retrieved6 July2020.
- ^ab"Milanović: Do devastacije srpskog naroda u Hrvatskoj došlo zbog Beograda".N1 Srbija(in Serbian (Latin script)). Archived fromthe originalon 26 July 2020.Retrieved26 July2020.
- ^abc"Croatian Serb Official to Join 'Storm' Celebration in Croatia".Balkan Insight.31 July 2020.
- ^"Plenković potvrdio: Boris Milošević dolazi na proslavu Oluje, a Medved ide u Grubore".index.hr(in Croatian).Retrieved30 July2020.
- ^"Nakon 25 godina došlo je do prekretnice za Srbe u Hrvatskoj: 'Moramo iskazati počast svim žrtvama'".Jutarnji list.1 August 2020.Retrieved1 August2020.
- ^"Dio branitelja ipak će prosvjedovati u Kninu: Ovo je veleizdaja, nosit ćemo HOS-ove majice".vecernji.hr(in Croatian).Retrieved3 August2020.
- ^"DODIK NIKAD JASNIJI: Neprihvatljivo da Srbin ide na proslavu" Oluje "".NOVOSTI(in Serbian).Retrieved31 July2020.
- ^"VULIN O ODLUCI MILOŠEVIĆA: Ne verujem da Srbin ide da slavi proterivanje 250.000 Srba".NOVOSTI(in Serbian).Retrieved31 July2020.
- ^"Vučić o godišnjici" Oluje ": Do Srbije i RS je bilo da kažu svoj stav".Avaz.ba(in Bosnian). 31 July 2020.Retrieved31 July2020.
- ^"NOVI PODACI: U" Oluji "ubijeno i nestalo 1.872 Srba, od toga 1.221 civil!" Milošević sin hrvatskog vojnika "".Mondo Portal(in Serbian (Latin script)).Retrieved10 August2020.
- ^Insajder (31 July 2020)."Matić: Osvetnička retorika onemogućava potragu za nestalima".Insajder(in Serbian).Retrieved31 July2020.
- ^"Boris Milošević: Svoje prisustvo u Kninu smatram zalogom za budućnost".N1(in Serbian). Archived fromthe originalon 29 October 2020.Retrieved5 August2020.
- ^"U Srbiji osvanuo vulgarni transparent s porukom Borisu Miloševiću".Index.hr(in Croatian). 5 August 2020.
- ^Serbia, RTS, Radio televizija Srbije, Radio Television of."Милошевић за ХРТ: Осуђујем све злочине, поготово оне над Хрватима".rts.rs.Retrieved6 August2020.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^"Milošević: Neće biti masovnog povratka Srba na područja na kojima je bila Oluja".N1 Srbija(in Serbian (Latin script)).Retrieved27 August2020.[permanent dead link]
- ^Hina (18 November 2020)."I Boris Milošević u Koloni sjećanja u Vukovaru: S nama je trebala biti jedna tiha i skromna žena".Jutarnji list(in Croatian).Archivedfrom the original on 28 November 2020.Retrieved23 December2020.
- ^"Milošević: 'Od svake moje riječi glasnije govore sve vukovarske grobnice, poznate i nepoznate'".Jutarnji list(in Croatian). 18 November 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 18 November 2020.Retrieved23 December2020.
- ^HINA; Bajruši, Robert; Kukec, Tomislav; Karakaš Jakubin, Hajdi (3 July 2021)."U Povorci ponosa oko 2500 ljudi, među njima i Tomašević: 'Skupljanje poena na manjinama je jadno!'".Jutarnji list(in Croatian).Archivedfrom the original on 9 July 2021.Retrieved6 July2021.
- ^Ciglenečki, Dražen (6 July 2021)."Premijer ugodno iznenadio koalicijske partnere: Plenković pohvalio Miloševića zbog sudjelovanja u Prideu".Novi list(in Croatian).Archivedfrom the original on 6 July 2021.Retrieved6 July2021.
- ^M. R. (23 July 2021)."Boris Milošević objašnjava zašto je ponosan zbog Tesle na kovanicama eura:" Hrvati su odabrali Srbina iz Hrvatske "".Dnevnik.hr(in Croatian).Archivedfrom the original on 23 July 2021.Retrieved24 July2021.