Serbia will not close diplomatic offices in crisis zones

BELGRADE - Serbia will not close its diplomatic and consular offices in crisis areas for as long as there are conditions to provide consular protection for Serbian citizens, the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released on Wednesday.

The Foreign Ministry released that Serbian diplomats did not abandon Syria, Iraq and Libya despite the risks they are facing.

The Serbian Embassy in Damask employs a chargé d'affaires and five local civil servants who hold Syrian citizenship. In 2012, the rest of the diplomatic staff was transferred to Beirut for security reasons, and are now following the developments in Syria from a safe distance, which is the usual practice in most countries.

Last week, the Serbian Embassy in Damask received a threat letter addressed to the local Syrian staff which bore the logo of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Upon receiving the letter, the Embassy immediately notified the security services, the Serbian Foreign Ministry released.

Quoting diplomatic sources, Belgrade papers reported on Tuesday that the Islamic State terrorists threatened to kill the staff of the Serbian Embassy in Damask unless they leave the building within seven days.

The Islamic State extremist movement posted a video on the internet last week which displays the decapitation of U.S. reporter James Foley.