Borislav Milosevic

Biographical Information:  Born in 1934 in Montenegro, father Svetozar and mother Stanislava.  Married twice, has a son with second wife (Milanka).  Montenegrin by nationality.  Speaks four languages, and Russian, it is said, better than most Russians.  He does not hide his love for Russia, which many condemned, but he was also highly valued by many because of this.

Career:  After graduating from high school in Pozarevac, went to study law in Belgrade.  After graduating from university, gets a job with the Central Committee, in the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia for international relations, and on patriotic grounds goes to Moscow where, in the Yugoslav embassy, he is responsible for relations with the USSR Communist Party.  Upon returning from Russia he becomes Chief of the Party Sector for International Relations.  He entered diplomacy from the position of Executive Secretary of the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia.  He was ambassador to Algiers, and for a while was ambassador to Japan.  After diplomacy he begins to deal with foreign trade.  At the moment of the disintegration of SFRY, he came to Moscow to the position of Belgrade’s Foreign Trade Office of INEKSEXSPORT, where he was caught off guard by the ambassadorial appointment.  He was also falsely appointed on one occasion.  Namely, in August of 1988 he was appointed Director of the French-Yugoslav Bank based in Paris (instead of the arrested Zecevic).  Despite the fact that this appointment was announced in the June edition (255) of “Beogradske banke” [“Belgrade Banks”],  the directors of the bank refuted this announcement.

When he became better known:  In June of this year, on the occasion of the visit by FRY President Slobodan Milosevic to the President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin, in the double capacity of brother and translator to Slobodan Milosevic he participated in the private talks between Milosevic and Yeltsin.  Three years earlier, in August of 1995, when Slobodan Milosevic also went on a visit to Russia, in talks at the Kremlin his brother Bora was once again present as translator, but at that time no one took notice of him.

For who else he translated:  He translated on many occasions for Tito when the latter conducted talks with Russian politicians.  After one of those “private” talks, in the seventies, there were many curious people who wanted to hear what words were exchanged between Tito and Brezhnev.  Borislav did not satisfy their curiosity and withdrew “to an unspecified location”, so that even the possibility of him being suspected of compromising state-party secrets.

What he said after Milosevic’s talks in Moscow:  “I also helped Josip Broz, why would I not help my own brother?  Translating is a patriotic duty.”

How he sees himself:  “I am merely a businessman.”

What he said as new ambassador:  “First the politics, then the economy,” and explained that this is because of the crisis in Kosovo in which Russia is very much involved.

What are his hopes:  That the ministries of finance of Russia and Yugoslavia will soon approve the credit in goods for Yugoslavia, but he pointed out that it should not be expected that it will be possible to acquire energy in exchange, because Russians want to export steel products.

What Montenegrins say about the new Ambassador:  “Slobodan Milosevic’s decision to appoint his own brother Borislav as Ambassador to Russia should not surprise anyone.  Is it even worth noting that the decision was made without any consultation of Montenegro, even though he (Borislav Milosevic), by contrast with Slobodan Milosevic, declares himself to be a Montenegrin and a government official of Montenegro,” stated Predrag Popovic, Vice-President of Parliament of Montenegro and President of the Parliamentary Council for International Relations.  According to him, Slobodan Milosevic took his proven method to “find his devoted Montenegrin through whom he will quietly carry out his ideas, while formally fulfilling the principle of ceding the ambassadorial post to Montenegro.”

Where he goes for vacation:  In Rezevici (Montenegro).  “I will be there this summer also, but will not stay for long.  I am already getting on, and I don’t sleep too well down there, because of air pressure.  I scoobadive less and less - I’m no longer in shape.”