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Ivan Mrkić ( sr-cyr, Иван Мркић, , born 30 May 1953) is a Serbian diplomat and the former
Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...
.


Early life and education

Mrkić was born in
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
,
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
,
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
, where he finished his elementary and secondary education. He graduated from the
University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade () is a public university, public research university in Belgrade, Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it me ...
Faculty of Law A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In North America, academic divisions are sometimes titled colleges, sc ...
in 1977. He also speaks English and French.


Professional career

Mrkić started his diplomatic career soon after graduation, with a job at the Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs of
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
. Between 1979 and 1982, Mrkić worked as a clerk in the Administration of International Relations of the Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs. He attended a
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
Disarmament Fellowship in Geneva, Vienna, New York, and Boston. He continued on in the roles of counselor, then Assistant Chief of the Division of Multilateral Activities. He was also a participant in
United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...
sessions, as well as in the delegation at the Ninth Conference of the Non Aligned Movement in
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
in 2012. Mrkić continued his diplomatic service in
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
, where he served as the Minister Counselor for the Yugoslav mission to the
European Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...
between 1990 and 1992. During that period, he participated in the work of the Conference on the former Yugoslavia in
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
and
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
. From 1992–93, Mrkić served as Chief of the Cabinet under
Dobrica Ćosić Dobrica Ćosić (, ; 29 December 1921 – 18 May 2014) was a Yugoslav and Serbian politician, writer, and political theorist. Ćosić was twice awarded the prestigious NIN award for literature and Medal of Pushkin for his writing. His books hav ...
, the first President of the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...
. In 1993, Mrkić was appointed to the office of the Yugoslav Embassy's
chargé d'affaires A (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador. The term is Frenc ...
in
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
, after which he became the Yugoslav
Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...
in
Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...
,
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
, where he remained until 1999. He shifted into an ambassadorial role as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
, and became Deputy Head for Bilateral Affairs in 2000. In 2001, he accepted an appointment as Head of Bilateral Relations and Assistant to the Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs. Starting in 2004, Mrkić joined a group of ambassadors for special and ad hoc duties in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the then
Serbia and Montenegro The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...
. In 2005, he served as President of the National Commission for the Implementation of the
Chemical Weapons Convention The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), officially the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction, is an arms control treaty administered by the Organisation for ...
, appointed by the Council of Ministers of Serbia and Montenegro. In 2006, Ivan Mrkić was appointed as
Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...
of the
Republic of Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
to
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
,
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, where he served his diplomatic tenure until 2011. He co-authored the book A little Guide Through The History of Serbo-Japanese Relations (2011). After completing his service in
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
in 2011, Mrkić was appointed State Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia under his predecessor Vuk Jeremić, where he stayed until his appointment as
Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...
.


Minister of Foreign Affairs

On 27 July 2012, Mrkić was appointed as the Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of Prime Minister Ivica Dačić. He was appointed as a career diplomat and independent candidate, not aligned with any party, but was endorsed by
Serbian Progressive Party The Serbian Progressive Party (, SNS) is a major populist, catch-all party, catch-all List of political parties in Serbia, political party in Serbia. It has been the Ruling party, ruling party since 2012. Miloš Vučević, the former prime mi ...
. Immediately after his appointment, Mrkić acknowledged that there would be no changes in Serbia's foreign policy. He explained that a foundation for foreign policy would remain, preserving territorial integrity and sovereignty, and that the priority would be fully-fledged European Union membership.
"We know what our foundations and priorities are and we point out our pathway toward the EU membership and that is not any different than it was in the previous period." Mrkić gave this quote during an interview with Serbian Broadcaster B92. When asked about the future relations with Moscow and Washington, he said, "Serbia has exceptionally good relations with Russia while it wanted to deepen and improve the existing solid partnership with the U.S." When it came to regional cooperation and good neighborly relations, Mrkić stated, "I expect that there will be intensive communication with colleagues from the neighboring countries in the future period and that we will be seeing each other at numerous meetings."FM: No changes in Serbia's foreign policy
B92.net; accessed 23 August 2015.
He has been nominated by the government of Serbia on two occasions (2017 and 2020) as a member of the National Council for the Coordination of the Cooperation with the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China. He is presently the member of the Supervisory Board of the Jugoslovensko rečno brodarstvo AD (Yugoslav River Freight Transportation). Mr. Mrkić has been re-elected to the post of the President of the Commission of International Sport Cooperation of the Olympic Committee of Serbia in 2021. Since 2020, Mr. Mrkić assumed the duty of the member of the Editorial Board of the Magazine Napredak (Progress), as Editor-in-Chief of International Affairs. He has been appointed by the WanLi Think Tank, Beijing, China, as the Director of International Relations. Actively lectures at domestic and foreign universities and institutions.


Personal life

Ivan Mrkić and his wife Ivona have two children.


Honors

* Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun: 2018


References


External links


Official biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mrkic, Ivan 1953 births Living people Government ministers of Serbia Foreign ministers of Serbia Diplomats from Belgrade Ambassadors of Serbia to Japan Yugoslav diplomats Ambassadors of Yugoslavia to Cyprus Politicians from Belgrade University of Belgrade Faculty of Law alumni Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun