Five Things To Know About Serbia

Belgrade, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Dec, 2023) Serbians will vote in parliamentary and local elections on Sunday in a vote expected to bolster the rule of the centre-right party which has led the Balkan state for the past decade.

Here are five facts about the former communist country, known for tennis superstar Novak Djokovic, a love of sports, and a national passion for hearty food.

- The end of Yugoslavia -

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the former Yugoslavia was the scene of the bloodiest fighting in Europe in decades.

Following the death of the Socialist federation's long-time strongman Josip Broz Tito in 1980, the Yugoslav federation found itself in crisis, with bickering between ethnic groups and surging nationalist sentiments.

By the 1990s, a string of conflicts broke out across Yugoslavia, in Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia. Many blamed late Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic for instigating the conflicts.

The war in Bosnia saw some of the worst fighting. An estimated 100,000 people died, including thousands of Muslim men and boys massacred by Serb forces in Srebrenica.

War again broke out in 1998, this time in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo between ethnic Albanian rebels seeking independence and Serbia's armed forces.

The fighting ended in 1999 after an 11-week bombing campaign by NATO, by which time about 13,000 people had been killed and hundreds of thousands had fled their homes.

Decades after that war, resentment continues to simmer in Serbia, where many deny the rights abuses carried out by Serb forces and continue to hold a grudge against NATO.

- Djokovic and co. -

The country's most recognisable face and popular ambassador remains tennis ace Novak Djokovic.

And despite a string of controversies, Serbians have largely stuck by his side. When he was forced to miss the Australian Open last year when he was deported from the country following a legal battle over his lack of Covid vaccinations, Serbs took to the streets to protest.

Though he spends most of his time in Monte Carlo, the Serb regularly visits home, where he hosts charity tournaments, watches other live sports events and even meets the president.

Football, however, remains the most popular sport, with a fierce rivalry -- and rowdy hooligan scene -- between Belgrade's main clubs Red Star and Partizan.

Yet, Serbs seem to have more success internationally in other team sports such as basketball, volleyball and water polo, where they regularly beat world and European rivals.

The country also takes credit for raising multi-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, a star with the Denver Nuggets who lead the team to an NBA title earlier this year.

-'Serbs-Russians. Brothers forever' -

Serbia remains a rare outlier in Europe -- swaths of the population are supportive of Russia's war in Ukraine.

The capital Belgrade has even seen mass protests on its streets in support of the Kremlin, with demonstrators chanting, "Russia-Serbia. Brothers forever".

For centuries, Serbia and Russia have been united by deep fraternal links thanks to their Slavic and Orthodox heritage.

Much of the support for Russian President Vladimir Putin's war is rooted in the collective hatred of NATO.

Russia also crucially backs Serbia over Kosovo, rejecting its independence and helping shut the former province out of the United Nations.

- Serbs home and abroad -

According to the 2011 census, ethnic Serbs account for 83 percent of the population and most of them are Orthodox Christians.

There are also about two dozen minorities living in the country, including Albanians, Croats, Hungarians, Roma and Slovaks.

While around 6.8 million people live in Serbia, several million more Serbs live abroad.

Vienna is considered the second-largest Serbian city in the world, while there are also large Serb communities in Toronto, Chicago, Paris and Australia.

Serbs also make up significant minorities in neighbouring Bosnia, Montenegro, Croatia and Kosovo.

- The raspberry state -

With its rolling hills and rich soil, Serbia is a farming country and is one of the world's top raspberry exporters.

Come spring, local markets are full of strawberries, blackberries and other fruit, which can be bought dried in winter.

Yet the real national passion is for grilled meat, the centrepiece of most meals at the lively local taverns known as kafanas.

Serbians go to these taverns to celebrate and enjoy traditional cuisine, often with shots of brandy, accompanied by live accordions and folk sing-alongs.