The British Embassy in Belgrade on Thursday condemned what it described as the unacceptable harassment of two of its employees during a diplomatic visit to the Serbian town of Arandjelovac, saying the incident undermines Serbia’s reputation and could damage cooperation between the two countries.
The embassy said the employees were approached and verbally abused by two men while carrying out a routine visit that included meetings with representatives of the local government and opposition figures.
“We are deeply disappointed by the aggressive behaviour of two individuals who approached, harassed and prevented our staff from carrying out their duties,” the embassy said in a statement posted on social media. “Such actions are unacceptable, undermine Serbia’s reputation and reduce opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation between our two countries.”
The reaction followed the publication of a video by pro-government television channel Informer showing two men confronting several people in a cafe in Arandjelovac and later following them on the street.
In the footage, one of the men asks provocative questions and directs insults at Zvezdana Crnogorac, an employee of the British Embassy, and at Milorad Savic, a local official from the opposition Serbia Centre party who had come to meet with her and a colleague.
The man, who identified himself as Marko Maric, suggested the meeting was linked to upcoming local elections in Arandjelovac scheduled for March 29 and accused them of trying to “create chaos” and undermine Serbia’s constitutional order.
The embassy said the visit to Arandjelovac had been part of a routine diplomatic engagement.