Serbia Expects 'Objective, Impartial' Investigation In Fatal Stabbing

Serbian Ambassador to Turkey Danilo Vucetic has said the İstanbul police neglected to heed the warnings by the Serbian Consulate in İstanbul about high security risks and failed to take necessary measures before a basketball game between Serbia's Red Star Belgrade team and Turkey's Galatasaray Liv Hospital, which ended with a fatal stabbing of a Serbian fan.

The fatal stabbing of the 25-year-old Red Star Belgrade fan on Friday before the team's Euroleague basketball game with Galatasaray Liv Hospital has turned into a diplomatic crisis between Turkey and Serbia.

Speaking to Today's Zaman, Ambassador Vucetic said on Monday that it is “extremely important” that Turkish authorities investigate the fatal stabbing “objectively and impartially.”

“We have seen some evidence that the death of the young Serbian fan has provoked some strong reaction in Serbia. The atmosphere is not very good. To avoid consequences which will affect bilateral relations we insist on a rapid and thorough investigation,” Vucetic said.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu called his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vucic, over the weekend to express his condolences after the killing of the young fan in İstanbul.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry also sent a letter of condolence to the Serbian ambassador to Turkey.

Ambassador Vucetic said he was in İstanbul before the game and Serbian Consul Zoran Markovic told him that he warned İstanbul police several times to take necessary measures.

“It was a really tragic moment, the death of the young Serbian fan,” said Vucetic.

Vucetic also said he is surprised to see a statement by the İstanbul police claiming that there was a problem between the Serbian fans, suggesting that the young Serbian was killed by other Serbians. “It's unacceptable, especially before the official conclusion of the investigation. So we ask for a rapid investigation, just to avoid interpretations like these which can also affect our bilateral relations,” Vucetic said.

Prime Minister Vucic voiced "outrage over this monstrous murder," in a government statement published on Saturday. The statement read, “Serbia demands that the perpetrator be urgently found, arrested and most severely punished.”

According to the Serbian government's statement, Vucic said Galatasaray coach Ergin Ataman would not be welcome in Serbia after he "accused the young man who was killed and all other Red Star fans of terrorism."

Trouble flared up outside the Abdi İpekçi Arena in İstanbul before the match when around 400 Red Star fans arrived but were not allowed to enter. In the ensuing clash Marko Ivkovic was stabbed in the heart by an assailant who has not yet been identified.

The Turkish media reported that Red Star fans attacked several cars and shop windows in the area as they left the area.

Turkey's ambassador to Serbia, Mehmet Kemal Bozay, was summoned to the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the incident. Bozay said after the meeting that he had given the Serbian authorities information regarding developments with regard to the incident.

Ambassador Vucetic recalled that there have been problems between Turkey and Serbia over the past year and that both sides were trying to put their relationship on a normal level. He said it is therefore important to have a positive perception about each other in both Turkish and Serbian society.

Then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Oct. 23 of last year said, “Do not forget that Kosovo is Turkey and Turkey is Kosovo,” during an address in the Kosovar city of Prizren, where there is a significant Turkish population.

Erdoğan's remarks were received with skepticism by Serbia, which does not recognize Kosovo's independence and considers Kosovo the cradle of Serbian culture.

“In the Republic of Serbia, such statements cannot be received as friendly,” said the Serbian Foreign Ministry in a statement.

After Turkey failed to mend ties following Erdoğan's remarks, Serbia indefinitely postponed a trilateral meeting with Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina which was scheduled to take place in December of last year in Belgrade.

Terrorist remarks

“We were very very disappointed with the Galatasaray coach Ergin Ataman due to his remarks calling Serbian fans terrorists. The coach then corrected his statement and apologized, saying that he did not know about the death of the Serbian fan at that time [when making the remarks],” said Vucetic.

The coach had said that 300-400 Serbian madmen were throwing stones and attacking Turkish fans and police, calling the Serbian fans “terrorists.”

On Saturday Ataman wrote on his Twitter account: “During the press conference after yesterday's game I did not know about the loss of a person. All my remarks were made before learning this.”

Galatasaray issued a statement on its website expressing its condolences over the death of Ivkovic. Ataman also delivered a statement on the club's website, underlining his heartfelt sorrow over the incident.

The İstanbul Police Department also issued a statement regarding the incident, saying that an investigation into the murder of Ivkovic is ongoing.

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)