The Chairman of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Predrag Markovic, today opened the final ‘Serbian Trefoil’ event, held by the Serbian Emigrants’ Association to mark the 150^th anniversary of the births of scientist Nikola Tesla and composer Stevan Stojanovic Mokranjac, and the 200^th anniversary of the birth of playwright Jovan Sterija Popovic.

In his address, Mr Markovic said that 2007 was a year ‘at the start of which we were all worried, and wondered whether we were worthy of properly marking the three anniversaries of our great men.’ He went on to say that ‘[w]e used to have an Emigrants’ Association, but Serbia was not independent. Today we have an independent Serbia, and, for the first time in 103 years, we have constitutional guarantees that Serbia must take care of its nationals living abroad, enshrined in provisions of the constitution that are hardest to change – and, God willing, will never be changed.’ Markovic added that ‘Serbia needed to start celebrating anniversaries of men who knew how to find common value in an austere and cruel reality, turn it into their dream, share it with others, and thus make a common good of it – which we are now obliged to keep forever.’

The final event to mark anniversaries of Nikola Tesla, Stevan Stojanovic Mokranjac, and Jovan Sterija Popovic was organised by the Serbian Emigrants’ Association and under the auspices of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, and was preceded by similar events in six European countries with expatriate Serbian populations. As ‘Serbian Trefoil’ was also conceived as an educational experience, the most successful pupils from schools named after the three men were rewarded for their achievements.