NEBOJŠA TATOMIR, CONSUL GENERAL OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA IN TORONTO

I had the privilege to be part of the delegation of SAN magazine that attended the ceremony of raising the Serbian flag in front of the Parliament of Ontario on the occasion of the Statehood Day of the Republic of Serbia. On that occasion, I met Nebojša Tatomir, Consul General of the Republic of Serbia.

You have been appointed Consul General of the Republic of Serbia in Canada in August of 2022. What are you first impressions? Have you been able to get to know the Serbian community, in addition to your regular and day-to-day jobs?

First of all, thank you for inviting me to the interview and greetings to the editorial board and to all your readers. Of course, at the beginning, it was necessary for me to meet as many of our people as possible and to make the necessary contacts. I try to attend every event organized by the Serbs. I have a good cooperation with the Serbian Orthodox Church and His Grace, Bishop Mitrofan of Canada, as well as an agreement to visit all Serbian churches and meet as many of our people as possible. Among other things, the goal is to find out what the needs of the Serbian diaspora are, so that I can react correctly, to help and strengthen our community.

The Republic of Serbia attaches great importance to relations with the diaspora and Serbs in the region. There are the Declaration of the Government of the Republic of Serbia on the Proclamation of the Relationship between the Fatherland and the Diaspora as a Relationship of the Greatest State and National Interest (2006), the Law on the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region (2009) and the Strategy for Preserving and Strengthening the Relations between the Homeland and the Diaspora and the Homeland and Serbs in the Region (2011). What do you think is the current state of affairs between Serbia’s cooperation with the diaspora in Canada look like at the moment?

The Republic of Serbia has two diplomatic and consular missions in Canada, the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Ottawa and the Consulate General in Toronto. Also, the importance of three honorary consuls should not be overlooked: Petar Vladiković in Vancouver, Milica-Prtilo Opačić in Calgary and Marina Gavanski-Zisis in Montreal. Canada is a big country, so there are probably some parts where it is more difficult for people from our diaspora to find their representatives. However, most of our compatriots manage to meet all their goals in a relatively easy way when it comes to issuing passports, notarization of power of attorney, inheritance declarations and registration in the registry books. Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown in Canada have slowed down and disrupted life, so to speak, the established patterns of guest performances of theaters, musicians and cultural workers from Serbia. On the other hand, the number of applications for Serbian citizenship is increasing, which only shows that our people in the diaspora, in these uncertain times, recognize Serbia as a safe country.

What are your plans, ideas and initiatives for improving and enhancing Serbia's relations with the diaspora in Canada?

I have noticed that there is a large number of Serbs who plan or want to return to Serbia with some smaller capital and are mostly invested in real estate. I have set myself the task that in the future, when the conditions are met, I will try to provide this group of people with the opportunity to get acquainted with all the ways of investing, that is, where and how they could invest their capital, and that it is not just real estate. In this regard, I plan to organize a business forum, where I would try to ensure the arrival of a delegation from the Republic of Serbia, people who work in the Chamber of Commerce, the Development Agency, etc., who would try to introduce people from our diaspora to all the possibilities of investing in Serbia.

What are the next steps of the Consulate in strengthening cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and Canada?

Canada is a very rich country and, in a way, it is self-sufficient. What Canada needs, it mainly procures through cooperation with the United States, then from China and South America. In general, as far as I have noticed, they are not so interested in any special investments in Europe or Serbia. Canada has a good education system and invests heavily in science and education. That is why I think we should focus on this kind of cooperation when it comes to Canada, especially since there are many Serbs from our diaspora in different and strong positions in the Canadian education and science sector. In this sense, I have already made certain steps in connecting our people with some institutions in Serbia. My idea is to somehow try to bring back our most intelligent, which have been leaving Serbia for the last 30 years. It is also a way to increase educational and scientific cooperation between the two countries.

Has the COVID-19 pandemic changed the relationship between Canada and Serbia, and to what extent?

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot around the world, and everything that has been happening in international relations in the last five years has been a great challenge in the work of diplomats.

For years, we have been talking about global warming and the need to preserve the natural environment. What do you think is the current state of human environmental awareness in Serbian and Canadian society?

As far as the Republic of Serbia is concerned, I know that in the last five years, great attention has been paid to ecology and that large funds have been invested in the preservation of the natural environment. What is interesting to me is the fact that in Canada the most talked about is the mining of lithium and rare earth minerals, unlike in Serbia where this topic is raised as a matter of "life or death". Even before the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine and strained international relations, in 2021 Canada sold three companies to Chinese investors, which are currently engaged in lithium and rare earth mining.

How did you develop your love for diplomacy and how did you start your career in diplomacy?

International relations and diplomacy are something that I have always been very attracted to and I have always paid a lot of attention to these topics in literature and media. You need to know the history and geography well. In the end, I enrolled in the Diplomatic Academy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia and successfully completed it within the deadline.

What advice can you give to our young readers who want to pursue diplomacy?

My message to young people is to be hardworking first and foremost. First, they need to constantly work on themselves and improve, and then they need to provide themselves with some dedicated work. In this way, they will gain the necessary experience, and they will also feel fulfilled and useful. Because nothing falls from the sky. When it comes to diplomacy, you need to read a lot, you need to know the history, geography, mentality of the people, follow international relations and events. On one occasion, when I realized that I was interested in this area, I asked my friend, a long-time journalist and diplomat, what I should read first. He recommended Henry Kissinger's "Memoirs" as an introduction to the subject. By the way, it is a book in two volumes and was published in the former Yugoslavia by Zagreb's Mladost, in 1981.

Your versatility is evidenced by the fact that you have published a book under the interesting title "Angel's Touch". Can you tell us what the book is about? What inspired you to write the book? Will it be possible to buy the book in Canada?

As you know, I graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade and this is my main occupation. I wrote a script for a movie and then a novel. These are two different forms, so in the novel I tried to elaborate on the subject matter. As always, it all comes down to an idea. I was thinking about this constant struggle between good and evil in man. Then the thought came to my mind that we are dealing with this evil in ourselves, precisely, evil. When the idea came to me, I said, "Oh my God, what a crazy idea!" Then I realized that an interesting story could come out of it.  Evil can only be defeated by good, not by evil. It is a universal and original story, and the message is that life is a gift to all of us that we should not treat arrogantly, but should be appreciated and loved.

How much have you managed to visit Canada so far? Do you like Toronto?

I managed to visit those parts where Serbs live, that is. I was at all the events organized by our people and where they invited me. I've got a lot of work to do, so I don't have much time for any special tours. Toronto is a huge city, there are long distances and, to be honest, I haven't gotten to know it in the right way yet.

Who is Nebojša Tatomir in his personal life?

Father of Natalia and husband of Ivana Tatomir.

SHORT BIOGRAPHY

CONSUL GENERAL NEBOJŠA TATOMIR

Born on March 28, 1968 in Jagodina, Republic of Serbia

2022 - Consul General in Toronto

2017/2022 - Independent Media Analyst at the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media.

2014/2016 - Member of Parliament in the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia and member of the Committee on Culture and Information

2011/2014 - Editor-in-Chief of the website www.bktvnews.com

2009 - production company "Beoton", assistant director of the production of the TV show "Mission Impossible"

2006/2008 Commissioner-Coordinator in the Power Movement of Serbia – Bogoljub Karić

2004/2005 journalist and editor - TV Jagodina, JIP "Novi put", Jagodina, editor and author of several shows.

2002/2004 Assistant Director for Marketing and Accounting - JIP "Novi put" Jagodina. This company includes TV Jagodina, Radio Jagodina and the weekly "Novi put".

2000/2001 He worked at RT RS in Banja Luka, first as a producer of the editorial board, and from the beginning of 2001 as a producer and deputy editor of the Morning Program of the Television of the Republic of Srpska.

Education:

2021 . Diplomatic Academy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia

2000 . Faculty of Dramatic Arts, University of Belgrade, undergraduate studies

Other education:

2003 Media Management Training, organized by NUNS-a and the International Media Training Center, a course held by Dr. Gregory Pitts. - University of Bradley, Illinois; White City

2003 Summer School of Journalism - Investigative Journalism, organized by ANEM and IREKS, Kotor, Republic of Montenegro, 2002 Training for the development of business plans in the media organized by MDLF, a non-governmental organization for press assistance; Prague, Czech Republic, 2002.

2001 PR training for spokespersons in the ministries of the Government of the Republic of Srpska, organized by the OSCE Office in Banja Luka, led by Tanja L. Homes; Banja Luka in 2001.