The International Institute for Middle East and Balkan Studies (IFIMES)[1], based in Ljubljana, regularly monitors and analyses political, economic and social developments in the Middle East, the Balkans and across the world. IFIMES exclusively publishes an opinion piece by Bogoljub J. Karić, a prominent entrepreneur, visionary and philanthropist, presenting his ideas for Serbia’s future development and calling for political and social reconciliation. The article centres on dialogue between diverse social stakeholders, institutional accountability and economic growth as the foundations of the country’s long-term stability and progress. Entitled “Serbia today does not need a new wall, but a bridge”, it calls for a forward-looking development strategy geared towards overcoming societal divisions, encouraging cooperation and transforming Serbia from a nation of passive expectation to one that actively builds and shapes its own future.
Serbia today faces a choice that matters more than any political slogan or electoral outcome: what kind of country do we want to leave to future generations?
Do we want a Serbia in which we call each other enemies? A Serbia in which students and the state authorities stand on opposite sides of a barricade? A Serbia where every political discussion begins with assigning blame and ends in yet another division?
I believe in a different Serbia. I believe in a Serbia that engages in dialogue, that builds bridges rather than tearing them down, and where differing opinions do not fester into hatred. We can hold different views and still live together.
More than five decades in business have taught me one simple lesson: nothing of lasting value can be built if people are unable to talk to one another. I have worked with people of different nationalities, faiths, cultures and political convictions. I have conducted business across continents and learned the importance of listening to the person across the table, even when we disagree.
Dialogue is not a sign of weakness. It is a source of strength. Compromise is not defeat. It is the means by which two sides can find common ground.
That is why I reiterate what I have already stated publicly: I want to speak with both the students and the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). Reconciliation does not mean asking anyone to abandon their beliefs or ideals. It means bringing people closer by identifying the issues on which agreement is possible.
That is a far more demanding task. I am fully aware of it. Yet that is precisely the kind of work Serbia needs today.
I want to speak in particular about the students. I cannot accept our children being called enemies of Serbia. Young people who take to the streets in protest should not be branded from the outset as thugs, traitors or enemies simply because they are voicing their discontent.
We can discuss who represents them, what their demands are and how they choose to express them. We may disagree with their methods. Yet at no point must we lose our humanity or our sense of responsibility towards the generation that will hold the future of this country in their hands. They are our children.
If we, the older generation, have created a society in which young people feel they lack space, trust or prospects, then our responsibility is to hear them out. Not to insult them. Not to fear them. Not to alienate them. But to sit down at the same table and talk.
On two occasions, I have had the opportunity to speak with people involved in organising the student protests. Those conversations were kept out of the public eye and that was precisely what made them invaluable. Without cameras, slogans or political pressure, people are able to speak more openly, listen to one another and make a genuine effort to understand the issues that divide them.
I believe in that kind of dialogue. I believe that trust cannot be imposed; it can only be built. And the first step is to stop viewing one another as enemies.
We must also recognise that Serbia cannot be divided into good and bad citizens, nor should political allegiance become a test of patriotism. Different experiences, convictions and visions of the country’s future coexist within our society. That is inherent in any democratic society.
Some support the incumbent government because they believe in what it has accomplished. Others demand change, convinced that things could and should have been handled differently. Some are content, others are concerned, while some want to see the country take a different development path. All of them have their rightful place in Serbia and form part of its social fabric.
Consequently, what Serbia needs today is not a widening gap, but responsible political dialogue. Those in power are accountable not only to their supporters, but also to citizens who do not place their trust in them. By the same token, those advocating change have a responsibility to respect institutions, the law and the principle that no state can be built by excluding any section of society. The state must remain above political divisions.
If we want a stable, well-governed and European Serbia, we must demonstrate that political differences can coexist without resulting in perpetual conflict. A democratic society does not require unanimity. It requires the ability to remain in dialogue even when we disagree and to make decisions with the broader interests of the country in mind.
For that reason, elections must not become the starting point for a new political reckoning. Rather, they should mark the point at which political rivalry ends and gives way to responsibility, dialogue and constructive work.
Once the elections are over, Serbia remains the same country and its citizens remain neighbours, colleagues, friends and members of the same families. It is therefore our duty, whatever our political differences may be, to find a way to work together for Serbia.
I often say that businesspeople build bridges while politicians build walls. I do not say this because I regard entrepreneurs as superior to politicians, but because more than five decades in business have taught me that lasting results depend on the ability to bring people, interests and differing perspectives together.
When you operate across different countries and collaborate with individuals of various nationalities, cultures, faiths and political convictions, you cannot afford to close doors before a conversation has even begun. You must talk. You must listen. You must understand the other side and identify the ground you share.
The same principle applies to a country. When there is trust, people are willing to cooperate. When there is cooperation, the conditions for development are created. And when there is development, society gains greater security and stability.
That is why I believe in a politics of bridges – one that connects rather than divides, that seeks common interests instead of fuelling new divisions, and that views differences not as an obstacle, but as a reality that responsible politics must be capable of accommodating.
Dialogue fosters trust. Trust fosters cooperation. Cooperation fosters development. And development yields security. This is not merely a business principle. It is also a foundation on which a serious, stable and responsible state can be built. And that is precisely the approach I want for Serbia.
Reconciliation does not mean forgetting. Nor does it mean abandoning the truth or absolving anyone of responsibility. On the contrary, genuine reconciliation is possible only where there is a readiness to establish the facts and uphold the rule of law.
Where failures have occurred, the competent institutions must establish what happened. Where there is responsibility, it must be determined in accordance with the law, free from political pressure and without selective application of justice. But as a society, we must draw a clear distinction between accountability and revenge.
Accountability strengthens institutions. Revenge weakens them. Accountability restores trust in the state. Revenge deepens divisions.
Serbia must not become a country in which every change of government triggers a new political reckoning with the previous one, nor one in which political differences harden into perpetual conflict among citizens.
What we need is continuity where it serves the interests of the state, change where change is necessary and accountability wherever the law has been broken.
The state must be strong enough to establish accountability, but wise enough not to allow accountability to turn into retribution.
Only then can we break the cycle of division and clear the path for a Serbia where the law stands above political interests and the interests of the state above party conflict.
When I speak about reconciliation, I do not refer to political dialogue alone. Genuine reconciliation must also have an economic dimension. Someone lacking employment, security and prospects can hardly have faith in the future. A young person contemplating leaving Serbia is not concerned only with who holds political power. They are asking: Where will I work? How much can I earn? Can I start a business of my own? Can I build a family here and secure a better future for my children?
Serbia therefore does not need an economy of waiting, but an economy of creation – one that produces, invests, innovates and generates new jobs. I want a Serbia that turns knowledge into products, technology and added value; one that exports more, develops domestic production, invests in young people and establishes the conditions for them to build their future at home.
Over more than five decades in business, I have come to realise that Serbia possesses what matters most: people, knowledge, energy and an entrepreneurial spirit. Our task is to harness this potential and turn it into a powerful engine of development.
That is why I have spent years advocating closer links between science and industry, advancing new technologies and artificial intelligence, strengthening domestic production and pursuing projects such as "Tesla City". The underlying idea has always been the same: to ensure that the knowledge and expertise of our people stay in Serbia and are given the opportunity to create jobs, attract investment and generate new value.
Serbia must not remain a country that exports only raw materials and labour. It must become a country that creates, produces, innovates and retains its people.
Because the best answer to a young person wondering whether there is a future for them in Serbia is not a political slogan. The best answer is to give them the opportunity to build that future here.
I do not want a Serbia in which politicians tell young people to keep quiet. Nor do I want a Serbia in which young people believe that no one from the older generation has the right to hear them out. I do not want a Serbia in which each side simply waits for the other to make a mistake. I want a Serbia where we grant each other the opportunity to create something worthwhile.
We do not need more walls. We need more bridges. We do not need more hatred. We need more dialogue. We do not need more divisions between “us” and “them”. We need Serbia. Can we achieve that? I believe we can. But only if we stop believing that Serbia can be built by trying to defeat one another.
No one can build Serbia alone. No political party. No institution. No generation. No individual.
Serbia can be built only by bringing together the best we possess: our young people, knowledge, economy, science, domestic capital and the experience of those who have succeeded internationally.
That is how I see politics. Not a politics of division. Not a politics of revenge. Not a politics of waiting. But a politics of creation.
Whoever wins the support of citizens in the elections will have to talk to those who did not win that support. That is the essence of democracy. The students will remain part of Serbia. The SNS will remain part of Serbia. The opposition will remain part of Serbia. The business community will remain part of Serbia. Young people will remain part of Serbia. And all of them will have to find a way to talk to one another. That is why I want to be part of that process. Not as someone who claims to have all the answers, but as someone who understands the value of bringing different people together around the same table. Over the course of my life, I have built companies. I have built factories. I have forged business ties. I have built bridges between people and countries. Today, I want to place that experience at the service of a far greater idea: rebuilding bridges between people across Serbia.
Because an economy without peace has no future. Politics without dialogue has no stability. And a society devoid of mutual respect cannot build a shared future. My message is therefore simple: let us not drag Serbia back into the past; let us not leave it trapped in conflict; let us build the Serbia of the future.
A Serbia in which a student can criticise those in power. A Serbia in which someone can support the government. A Serbia in which entrepreneurs can work and create. A Serbia in which young people can choose to stay. A Serbia in which diversity is a source of strength rather than a pretext for conflict. And a Serbia in which, when we disagree, we sit down together around the same table rather than shut the door on one another.
Bridges are not built because people agree on everything. They are built because people wish to remain connected.
I believe that, despite all our differences, Serbia has far more that unites us than divides us.
The views expressed in this article are the personal views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of IFIMES.
Ljubljana/Belgrade, 7 October 2026
[1] IFIMES - International Institute for Middle East and Balkan Studies, based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, has held special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council ECOSOC/UN in New York since 2018, and it is the publisher of the international scientific journal "European Perspectives." Available at: https://www.europeanperspectives.org/en
