Foreign relations of Yugoslavia (; ; ) were international relations of the interwar Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Cold War Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. During its existence, the country was the founding member of numerous multilateral organizations including the United Nations, Non-Aligned Movement, International Monetary Fund, Group of 77, Group of 15, Central European Initiative and the European Broadcasting Union.
History Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia, ruled by the Serbian Karađorđević dynasty, was formed in 1918 by the merger of the provisional State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs (itself formed from territories of the former Austria-Hungary, encompassing Bosnia and Herzegovina and most of Croatia and Slovenia) and Banat, Bačka and Baranja (that had been part of the Kingdom of Hungary within Austria-Hungary) with the formerly independent Kingdom of Serbia. In the same year, the Kingdom of Montenegro also proclaimed its unification with Serbia, whereas the regions of Kosovo and Vardar Macedonia had become parts of Serbia prior to the unification. The first country in the world to officially recognize the new state was the United States. After the creation of Yugoslavia the newly formed state was a status quo state in Europe which was opposed to revisionist states. In this situation the country prominently was a part of the Little Entente and the first Balkan Pact. Yugoslav accession to the Tripartite Pact resulted in Yugoslav coup d'état and ultimately the Invasion of Yugoslavia.
World War II
During World War II, the country was formally represented by the Yugoslav government-in-exile while Yugoslav Partisans headed by Josip Broz Tito progressively gained support of the Allies. At the same time the Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia challenged the authority of the government in exile and among other issues proposed a review of country's international legal obligations with the aim of annulment or re-negotiation. The new foreign policy was based on the pre-war and war era foreign policy positions of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia which included support for the Soviet Union, Bavarian Soviet Republic, Hungarian Soviet Republic, Yugoslav support for the Spanish Republic, rejection of Anschluss and vocal support for Czechoslovakia’s independence after Munich Agreement. The new socialist Federal Executive Council of Josip Broz Tito was formed on 7 March 1945, recognized by United Kingdom on 20 March 1945, and the Soviet Union and the United States a week after that.
Socialist Yugoslavia
During the first post-war years new Yugoslav state was closely aligned with the Soviet Union and involved into dispute over the Free Territory of Trieste and the Greek Civil War. In May 1945, 4,650 Greek refugees, mostly male members of ELAS, settled in the village of Maglić with the help of Yugoslav government. From 1945 to 1948, it was a sui generis case of Greek extraterritorial jurisdiction. This period was sharply ended in 1948 after the Tito–Stalin split.
Yugoslavia initially pursued development of relations among non-bloc neutral European states as a way to avoid isolation and preserve certain level of independence without alienating major powers. In this period Yugoslavia joined the Second Balkan Pact. Belgrade however perceived that in deeply divided Europe there was shrinking maneuvering space for neutral countries and followed the development of what will be called process of Finlandization with great concern. In 1956 the Belgrade declaration ended the period of significant dependence on the Western bloc. The Declaration guaranteed noninterference in Yugoslavia's internal affairs and legitimized right to different forms of socialist development in different countries. While the declaration failed in achieving lasting rapprochement between the two countries (result of the Yugoslav anxiety over the Hungarian Revolution of 1956) it had an effect on Yugoslav disengagement from the Balkan Pact with NATO member states of Turkey and Greece.
Yugoslavia subsequently discovered new allies among former colonies and mandate territories beyond Europe. Yugoslavia supported Nasserist Egypt during the Suez Crisis. Yugoslavia developed its relations with India beginning with the time of their concurrent mandate at the UN Security Council from the end of 1949 onward. Yugoslavia was one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement which enabled this comparatively small and underdeveloped country to play one of the most prominent diplomatic role during the Cold War.
Yugoslav crisis which escalated into breakup of the country and Yugoslav Wars turned into one of the major policy and security issues in the first decade after the end of the Cold War.
Federal Secretaries of Foreign Affairs
Foreign relations Africa Country Independence Formal Relations BeganNotes5 July 19622 July 196211 November 197519751 August 1960196230 September 196619705 August 196019681 July 196219621 January 196019605 July 1975197513 August 1960196011 August 1960196630 June 1960196115 August 1960196427 June 1977197828 February 19221 February 1908 (continued relations of the Kingdom of Serbia)12 October 19681970never colonized in a classical sense (temporary Italian occupation)195217 August 1960196018 February 196519656 March 195719592 October 1958195810 September 197419757 August 1960196812/20 December 196319634 October 1966197226 July 1847195924 December 1951195526 June 1960196022 September 1960196128 November 196019612 March 19562 March 195712 March 1968196925 June 1975197521 March 199019901 October 196019601 July 1962197128 November 198412 July 1975197729 June 1976197720 August 1960196127 April 196119611 July 196019601 January 195619566 September 196819681961, 26 April 1964 (unification)196127 April 1960196020 March 195619579 October 1962196324 October 1964196418 April 19801980
Americas Country Formal RelationsNotes29 February 1928 1952 1938 9 February 19421935 1966 1952 1943 1 March 1912 (continued relations of the Kingdom of Serbia)1956195629 June 1978 1882 (continued relations of the Kingdom of Serbia) 5 November 196819561904 (continued relations of the Kingdom of Serbia) October 1968 24 May 1946 23 February 1904 (continued relations of the Kingdom of Serbia)1953 1950 1942Both countries established diplomatic relations in October 1942, and renewed them in 1968. An embassy was opened in Belgrade that same year, with the first Peruvian Ambassador arriving in 1969.9 July 1976 19651950 1951
Asia-Pacific Country Formal Relations BeganNotes30 December 1954196620 November 1956 29 December 195015 July 19562 January 1955 19765 December 194819541945195819 May 19481951 7 May 196325 November 19621946 196720 November 1956 7 October 1959195130 October 19481974198918 May 19481972N/aSaudi Arabia and Yugoslavia did not have diplomatic relations.22 August 196727 December 198214 October 19571946195410 March 19571957
Europe Country Formal Relations BeganNotes10 July 196019181917 (continued relations of the Kingdom of Serbia)192815 October 19571920 19771917 (continued relations of the Kingdom of Serbia)19276 January 196926 January 191919 October 1917 (continued relations of the Kingdom of Serbia)19 December 19451919
See also Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Yugoslavia) List of international trips made by Josip Broz Tito Foreign relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina Foreign relations of Croatia Foreign relations of Montenegro Foreign relations of North Macedonia Foreign relations of Serbia Foreign relations of Serbia and Montenegro Foreign relations of Slovenia Non-Aligned News Agencies Pool
References