Former ambassador Jelena Milic hired permanently by Serbian MFA

Milic, who was unexpectedly recalled from her post in Zagreb this March, attracted considerable media attention in Croatia due to several public incidents during her two-and-a-half-year diplomatic term.

In January, she walked out of the traditional Christmas reception hosted by the Serb National Council (SNV) in Zagreb. Her departure followed applause for a letter by SNV award recipients that expressed support for student protests in Serbia. "Let’s be clear—I left because part of the SNV leadership applauded a segment of the letter referencing support for Serbian youth. Sadly, many of those youth consider my country's leadership to be murderers with blood on their hands," Milic told Croatian reporters.

She claimed her reaction was in defence of the Serbian state and that any ambassador would have done the same.

Award recipients—author Jasminka Petrović and director Radivoje Andric—could not attend the event but sent a letter thanking the SNV and young readers for recognising the message of reconciliation in their joint project, The Summer I Learned to Fly.

Another controversy occurred when Milic walked out of a conference in Zagreb about minority rights after Croatian MP Jasna Vojnic accused Serbian authorities of engaging in hate speech against the Croatian community. From the front row, Milic refuted the accusation and criticised Croatia’s handling of its past, mentioning controversial singer Marko Perkovic Thompson and his new song Ako ne znaš šta je bilo (“If you don’t know what happened”).

Milic also caused a stir in February during a panel titled Thompson über Alles, hosted by the Serbian economic society “Privrednik”. Croatian media reported that the event remained calm until Milic began shouting from the audience, arguing with guests and the moderator, insisting that Serbia confronts its wartime past more openly than Croatia.

Throughout her time in Zagreb, Croatian media frequently described Milic as a controversial and confrontational diplomat, often accusing her of criticising Croatian citizens and institutions while representing Serbia.