Serbian diplomat passes away, body sent home

ANKARA

AA Photo

A funeral ceremony was held at the capital’s Esenboğa Airport yesterday for the Serbian Embassy’s Minister Counselor Milorad Sekulic, 58, who lost his life on Dec. 31.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu attended the ceremony after which Sekulic’s body was sent to Belgrade on board a plane provided by the Turkish General Staff.

Delivering a speech at the ceremony, Davutoğlu praised Sekulic’s great respect for his profession.
“His memory will always live in our minds, and the friendship of Turkey and Serbia will continue more powerfully from now on also thanks to his contributions,” he said.

Sekulic lost his life on Dec. 31 following a short illness, the Serbian Embassy said in a brief statement.
“Mr. Milorad Sekulic will be commemorated by his friends as a high-level diplomat and as an unusually professional and generous person,” the embassy said.

During his illness, which first occurred on Dec. 28 as he was leaving the Turkish Foreign Ministry, diplomats from the Foreign Ministry closely followed his situation. For his part, Davutoğlu visited Sakulic at Gazi University Hospital and called his Serbian counterpart, Ivan Mrkic, on Dec. 29 to extend his wishes for a speedy recovery.

A ceremony for Sekulic will be held today in Belgrade at the Serbian Foreign Ministry, while a book of condolences will be available at the Serbian Embassy in Ankara today and Jan. 4.