In the presence of Ms. Prof. Dr. Tanja Miščević, Minister for European Integration, Mr. Prof. Dr. Dejan Antić, State Secretary in the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, Ms. Ambassador Nataša Rašević, Acting Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Consular Affairs, Ms. Jelena Blagojević, State Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Serbia, numerous members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of international organizations in Belgrade, officials from public services in Serbia, representatives of cultural institutions, and other guests, the exhibition "Belgrade – Lisbon. Fifty Years of Democracy in Portugal" was opened, organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Portugal in the Republic of Serbia and the Archives of Yugoslavia.
At the opening, the director of the Archives of Yugoslavia, Dr. Milan Terzić, and the Ambassador of the Republic of Portugal in the Republic of Serbia, H.E. José Rui Veloso Caroso, spoke. Director Terzić welcomed the guests and emphasized the importance of the archival materials preserved by the Archives of Yugoslavia, as well as the fact that after the Carnation Revolution in Portugal in 1974, Yugoslavia had attempted to include another European state, alongside Cyprus, in the Non-Aligned Movement, which would also be the third European member of the Non-Aligned, but due to internal problems faced during the seventies and the death of President Josip Broz Tito in 1980, this did not happen. Terzić also highlighted that relations between the two countries have successfully developed since 1974, noting that during the seventies, President Tito made two visits to Portugal in 1976 and 1977, and two visits from Portuguese presidents to Yugoslavia, Gomes in 1975 and Janes in 1979. He also mentioned that in 1990, the President of the Presidency, Janez Drnovšek, visited Portugal, as well as Serbian Presidents Tadić in 2012 and Nikolić in 2017, and that in 2022, President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, hosted the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, João Gomes Cravinho.
Ambassador José Veloso Caroso greeted the guests and thanked Director Terzić and the staff of the Archives of Yugoslavia who made the exhibition possible. He noted that "at the exhibition, we have the opportunity to see documents, photographs, and various original archival materials," and highlighted "that this year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, which took place on April 25, 1974, starting at dawn as a legitimate military coup against dictatorship, and during the morning, thanks to the large spontaneous support of the people who peacefully took to the streets in Lisbon, it grew into a huge revolution that laid the foundation for today’s democratic regime in Portugal." The ambassador further pointed out that the Carnation Revolution was symbolized by the flower that soldiers placed in their rifles on that April 25, and that the revolution had a huge positive impact on the rights that citizens gained unconditionally, while in Africa, colonial wars ended and independence was achieved in all Portuguese-speaking countries, which now celebrate half a century. Many countries sent their reporters to report on what was happening in the farthest country on the southern western Atlantic coast of Europe, and the consequences of the revolution were closely watched in Washington, Moscow, Beijing, Brasília, and European metropolises, including Paris, Berlin, London, Stockholm, as well as in Africa and Latin America—in Havana. In this context, "this view from Belgrade to Lisbon from fifty years ago holds special significance," as can be seen in the exhibition. He emphasized that this was a period when Portugal reopened to the world and renewed diplomatic relations with almost all countries, and that Mário Soares, with his far-sighted vision of Europe, had the determination to join the then-European Economic Community along with Spain, marking a direction that at the time was not necessarily obvious but which the Portuguese people followed with enthusiasm. The ambassador pointed out that fifty years have passed on a path that has not been spared difficulties, but that in the face of new and demanding challenges, an important lesson can be learned from the Carnation Revolution: that hardships, oppression, and even war can be overcome, and that justice, human rights, and peace ultimately prevail if it is the will of the people, which no regime, no matter how repressive and invincible, can deny forever. The ambassador indicated that there is hope, even in these difficult times we live in, with the war in Ukraine and the Middle East, many other regional and national conflicts, and constant attacks on human rights and the rule of law, and that we should have hope and faith, just as the Portuguese people did fifty years ago during the Carnation Revolution.
The author of the exhibition is Dragan Teodosić, senior archivist and head of the Department for Publishing Archival Materials and Inter-Archival Cooperation. The exhibition will be open until November 1, 2024, on weekdays from 8 AM to 3 PM in the exhibition hall of the Archives of Yugoslavia, Vase Pelagica 33, entrance from Topčiderska Zvezda.