Student List Courts Foreign Partners While Insisting Serbia Will Decide Its Own Future

Student List Courts Foreign Partners While Insisting Serbia Will Decide Its Own Future
The Student List announced meetings with U.S. and Italian diplomatic representatives as part of its effort to engage international partners after its electoral success. The group said the talks would cover the rule of law and energy, describing both as central to stable institutions, economic security and Serbia’s long-term development.

The planned U.S. meeting involved candidates Milena Pisarić, Dejan Radivojević, Dejan Šoškić and Igor Mikitišin, student representatives, Aleksandar Titolo and a State Department delegation. A separate group led by Vladan Jovanović and Stanislav Milošević was due to meet representatives of the Italian Embassy. The Student List said the meetings were intended for “direct exchanges of views” and pledged relationships based on “mutual respect, openness and equal cooperation.”

At the same time, the group sought to draw a firm boundary around the diplomatic outreach. It said dialogue did not mean abandoning its positions or allowing others to decide Serbia’s future, promising that decisions would be made independently and in the interests of citizens. Its stated formula was “partnership, not subservience; cooperation, not obedience.”

The U.S. Embassy later said Assistant Secretary of State Brendan Hanrahan had completed a visit to Belgrade focused on dialogue, partnership and future cooperation. The embassy also confirmed that he had met representatives of the Student Movement and the Student List, congratulating them on their achievement.

The outreach subsequently expanded to Canada, whose embassy invited Student List candidates to meet Deputy Ambassador Ashley Durec and political adviser Vladan Miladinović. The stated aim was to establish communication and develop relations with international partners.

In a separate statement represented in the opposition material, Idea Markets said its stores remained open, supply chains were functioning normally and more than 6,500 jobs were a priority. The company’s message centered on operational stability rather than diplomacy, underscoring the distinct concerns represented in the supplied political perspectives.