Serbia Celebrates Vidovdan in Valencia with Ambassador, Royalty, and Business Ambition

A forum, a liturgy, and a first anniversary: Serbia's diplomatic push in Spain mixed investment with community.

The candles were still warm from the liturgy when the singing started. In a small church on the outskirts of Valencia, a congregation that didn't exist thirteen months ago gathered on Vidovdan to mark its first anniversary — children reciting verses, a humanitarian concert, and a priest describing his parish as "small, simply equipped, but filled with sincere faith." It was the quiet half of a weekend that, a day earlier, had looked nothing like this: dark suits, investment panels, and a prince.

That contrast — slava cake and PowerPoint slides, incense and elevator pitches — was the story of Serbia's diplomatic push in Valencia this June, a two-day sequence that tried to do something unusual: court Spanish capital and reassure the diaspora in the same breath.

A forum with ambition

On June 27, the day before Vidovdan, Serbia's Ambassador to Spain, Irena Šarac, arrived in Valencia's La Marina district for the "Best of Serbia" business forum, flanked by a small delegation with a lot of titles: Assistant Minister for Economic Diplomacy Miljan Ranđelović, Directorate for Diaspora Director Vladimir Kokanović, and Chamber of Commerce representative Branislava Simanić.

Just days earlier, Ambassador Šarac had met with Ruth Merino, Secretary for External Action of the Valencian Government, to discuss economic cooperation — a sign that the Spanish side was not merely a host but a serious partner in Serbia's push into the Spanish market.

The pitch, stripped of its diplomatic packaging, was simple: *why should a Spanish company look at Serbia?* Ranđelović framed the forum as a chance to strengthen ties between Belgrade and its diaspora while showcasing what he called the country's investment and development potential. Panels on female entrepreneurship and market entry followed, with Princess Vesna — yes, an actual princess — speaking from experience on the entrepreneurship stage rather than as a ceremonial guest.

The royal factor

If the forum needed a headline act, it got one. Prince Alexander Karađorđević opened the event by marking a milestone that had nothing to do with quarterly returns: 110 years of official diplomatic relations between Serbia and Spain. Organizers were candid about what his presence did for the room — Spanish institutions and media pay closer attention when a royal walks in, and this was no exception.

"The connections between the Royal Houses of Serbia and Spain are another bond that brings the people and cultures of our two countries even closer together," the prince said. "This business forum is in the spirit of these good and friendly relations; it improves our connections but also contributes to the well-being of our people."

Vidovdan in Valencia

The next morning, the suits gave way to vestments. The delegation crossed the city to the Church of St. John the Theologian, where Archpriest-Stavrophor Dušan Erdeljan led the Vidovdan liturgy for a parish marking its first full year — small in size, the priest noted, but not in devotion. Believers had come in from along the Balearic coast for the service, which closed with children's recitations and a benefit concert by Serbian singer Goca Lazarević.

What comes next

Back on the business side, organizer Milena Lazić Tejeda called the forum a foundation rather than a finish line: "We achieved concrete results, established valuable connections, and created new opportunities for cooperation between Serbian and Spanish businesses." One tangible thread already exists — the Spanish family firm Al Artesano has expressed serious interest in entering the Serbian market — and the delegation's visit to Lanzadera, one of Spain's largest business incubators, suggested Valencia isn't done playing host.

By Sunday evening, the two threads of the weekend had folded back into one message. For the diaspora, it was proof that Belgrade still counts its people abroad. For Spanish business, it was an invitation dressed as an anniversary. And for a parish that started with almost nothing thirteen months ago, it was simply Vidovdan — candles, cake, and a congregation a little larger than it used to be.