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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Boris Tadic sworn in as Serbian president

Belgrade, 10 July 2004

The elected president of Serbia, Boris Tadic, took an oath of office at the Serbian parliament today, formally taking office as the president of the Republic. The session was attended by representatives of the Serbian government, led by Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, as well as representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church and other religious communities in Serbia.

Author: FoNet

“I will contribute to stability of the institutions and of our community with all my capacity and ability,” Tadic said addressing the parliament after taking the oath.

He also outlined priorities for the upcoming period, including the preservation of legality and constitutionality in the country. He announced further efforts to join the European Union and added that Serbia’s authorities must understand national priorities and that all the institutions must do their share of work.

“The forthcoming period will not be an easy one, and it will be characterised by our efforts to join the EU,” said Tadic.

Parliament Speaker Predrag Markovic handed over the office to Tadic at the presidency building at 13:00, in the presence of around 40 foreign delegations. The new president’s inaugural reception will take place at the presidency building at 19:30.

Among the guests at the ceremony were Bulgarian President Angel Marin, President of Republika Srpska Dragan Cavic, Prime Minister of Republika Srpska Dragan Mikerevic, and Vice-Chairman of the Russian Duma Artur Cilingarov.

Representatives of international organisations – OSCE Secretary-General Ian Kubis, Council of Europe Secretary-General Walter Schwimmer, Commander of NATO in Southern Europe Admiral Gregory Johnson, EU Commissioner Pavel Telicka, and Stability Pact Special Coordinator Erhard Busek – also attended the ceremony.

The guests at the inauguration also included the foreign ministers of Austria, Greece, Sweden, Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, along with the defence ministers of the Netherlands, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, and the Czech Republic.

President of the US Committee on NATO Bruce Jackson and former UN official Jiri Dienstbier also witnessed the inaugural ceremony.

Boris Tadic is Serbia’s third president since 1990, when the country first started choosing presidents through popular elections. The previous two heads of state were Slobodan Milosevic (1990-1997) and Milan Milutinovic (1997-2002).