Key facts
- The UK summoned a Serbian diplomat.
- The summons was in response to reports of a funeral for Ratko Mladić, the 'Butcher of Bosnia.'
- The funeral allegedly involved nationalist displays.
- Montenegro had previously summoned a Serbian ambassador over comments related to a nationalist singer.
The United Kingdom has summoned a Serbian diplomat in response to reports concerning a funeral that allegedly featured nationalist displays. The funeral is understood to have been for Ratko Mladić, infamously known as the 'Butcher of Bosnia' for his role in the Bosnian War.
This diplomatic action underscores the persistent sensitivities surrounding war crimes and nationalist sentiment in the Balkan region. In a separate but related incident, Montenegro had previously summoned Serbia’s ambassador, Vladimir Bozovic, over his public condemnation of the national broadcaster for showing a video of Marko Perkovic, a Croatian nationalist singer known for using World War II Ustasa slogans. Bozovic stated his sensitivity towards the fascist Ustasa movement, while Montenegrin Foreign Minister Srdjan Darmanovic deemed the ambassador's interference in domestic affairs unacceptable.