Ivica Dačić

Ivica Dačić (Serbian: Ивица Дачић, born 1 January 1966) is a Serbian politician serving as the president of the National Assembly of Serbia since 2020 and as the leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia since 2003. From 2008 to April 2014, he served as Minister of Internal Affairs, while concurrently also serving as Prime Minister of Serbia for part of that tenure, from July 2012 until 2014 and after that he served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from April 2014 to October 2020. He also served as Acting Prime Minister of Serbia from 31 May 2017 until 29 June 2017, after the incumbent Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vučić, was sworn in as President of Serbia. He was succeeded in office by Ana Brnabić on 29 June 2017.

Quotes

A final and long-lasting solution to the Kosovo issue, cannot be achieved without an agreement with Serbia, especially in regard to the UN. For this reason it is very important for the dialogue to continue. Up until now we have not had any requirements of recognition of Kosovo in return for our membership.
- "Exclusive interview with Serbia Prime Minister Ivica Dacic: ‘We haven’t had stability in the Balkans for 100 years – but now we have the same goal, joining the EU’" in The Independent (25 February 2014)

Following Tito’s death came the break-up of Yugoslavia, as he had been integral to its unity. Today Serbia is the successor to Yugoslavia, but we have lost a lot of time, the deaths of so many people since then. Some, primarily Western countries, weren’t satisfied even then, and pushed for the declaration of Kosovo, a province of Serbia as an independent country. As a result, Serbia has been compelled to focus on its domestic problems, not its foreign policy.
- "NAM needs new cause, says Ivica Dacic, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister" in The Hindu (8 May 2018)

Stability is of huge significance to the future of our region. And I have to express great pleasure, and it is a huge potential and advantage that Serbia has, and that is that in Serbia there is political stability. On our part we will do everything to make a contribution to regional stability.
- "ΙΒΝΑ-Exclusive Interview-Ivica Dacic: Stability is of huge importance to the future of our region" in Independent Balkan News Agency (20 May 2017)

There is no doubt that we have a different vision of the past. What’s important is that I see no reasons for any kind of conflicts in the future. We have no interests that could be contradictory in the future.
- "Ivica Dacic: Forced solutions don’t lead to stability of the region" in The Srpska Times (18 September 2018)

We strongly condemn all attempts to rewrite history, reduce the number of victims and minimize contribution to the defeat of Nazism and fascism, as well as attempts to rehabilitate those ideologists.
- "Ivica Dacic: Serbia and Russia are more than just historical friends and allies" in The State Duma (2 June 2021)

Our faith in a better and peaceful tomorrow should be based on realistic evaluation of our strength and the respect of objective conditions in which we are to resolve difficult national and state problems and build a legal and social state. We have all the reasons to give up the demagogic optimism based on the “no alternative” policy. We must overcome this national and social apathy within our social consciousness; we must regain the people’s trust in a strong and respected Serbia. Our life is indeed hard, we are lagging behind greatly, but we are a people with the strength for a true rebirth.
- "Keynote address of Ivica Dacic, Prime Minister Nominee of the new government of the Republic of Serbia" (26 July 2012)

Political actors in Serbia are mostly concerned with the past, with an emphasis on an ideological valorisation of certain events, procedures and personalities, but the main consequences of this are divisions among us.
- "Keynote address of Ivica Dacic, Prime Minister Nominee of the new government of the Republic of Serbia" (26 July 2012)

During my term of office I wish to build an integral vision of Serbia’s future, together with citizens and their communities, organisations and institutions and the academic community, as well as to make a decisive first step towards that future. This government of the Republic of Serbia shall be a government of future, and not the one looking back into the past.
- "Keynote address of Ivica Dacic, Prime Minister Nominee of the new government of the Republic of Serbia" (26 July 2012)

What shall we do with the Serbs who are showing where Albanians are buried all over Serbia?
- "Serbian Officials Double Down On Ethnic Insult, Stoking Tensions With Albanians" in Radio Free Europe (9 October 2020)

So why should anyone talk about my political past? Policy making and the results are what count. If there is anyone who has something to say about that - well, by all means. But the Ministry of the Interior, under my leadership, was the most successful ministry of the Serbian government, according to our citizens. And that's the only thing that counts.
- "Dacic: 'The results are what counts'" (14 July 2012)