Đurić: Serbia a regional leader in preserving the memory of Holocaust victims

20. May 2025.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, Marko Đurić, participated today in Novi Sad in the panel discussion titled “Genocide – A Shared Narrative of the Serbian and Jewish Peoples in the 20th Century,” organized by the Svetozar Miletić Foundation and the Center for Social Stability.

The Minister spoke on the panel entitled “The Political Misuse of Genocide,” which was opened by historian Dr. Efraim Zuroff.

Following the event, Minister Đurić stated that the organizers demonstrated their determination to resist Machiavellianism in politics—namely, the cynical manipulation of sensitive and painful issues such as the concept and definition of genocide.

“They also took a firm stance against historical revisionism, as evidenced by today’s hosting of Mr. Efraim Zuroff in Novi Sad—one of the world’s leading Holocaust experts and an uncompromising advocate for the prosecution of those responsible for the gravest crimes committed during the Second World War,” Đurić emphasized.

According to him, Serbia is a leader in this part of the world when it comes to preserving the memory of Holocaust victims and countering historical revisionism, a fact underscored by President Aleksandar Vučić's decoration of two of the most prominent authorities in the field of Holocaust studies—Efraim Zuroff and Yehuda Bauer.

“We will continue to honor the memory of the Righteous Among the Nations, as Serbs are among the nations with the highest number of individuals recognized for saving Jews during the Second World War,” the Serbian Foreign Minister affirmed.

He added that the gathering also served as an opportunity to draw attention to the current conflict in the Middle East and the distressing fact that more than twenty hostages remain in Hamas captivity, including Alon Ohel, a Serbian-Israeli citizen whose family originates from Novi Sad.

In addition to Minister Đurić, the panel featured remarks by Arnaud Gouillon, Director of the Office for Public and Cultural Diplomacy of the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

Dr. Efraim Zuroff, an honorary citizen of Novi Sad, is currently visiting Serbia as part of a delegation led by Aleksandar Nikolić, the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Serbia in the State of Israel.