The Institute of International Politics and Economics held a commemoration in memory of Dr. Edita Stojić Karanović, retired Principal Research Fellow and former Acting Director of the Institute (2007-2008). The commemorative gathering brought together colleagues, associates, and friends to honour her outstanding scholarly, professional, and personal legacy, as well as her lasting contribution to the development of the Institute.
Commemorative addresses were delivered by Prof. Dr. Mihajlo Vučić, IIPE Deputy Director, Prof. Dr. Dobrica Vesić, and Dr. Sanja Jelisavac Trošić, who read the farewell message of Prof. Dr. Slobodan Pajović.
Prof. Dr. Mihajlo Vučić recalled Dr. Stojić Karanović’s four-decade-long career at the Institute, where she had been employed since 1968, progressing from Junior Research Assistant to Principal Research Fellow. He emphasized that she was one of the pioneers in the study of cross-border and regional cooperation in Southeast Europe – fields of particular importance to Serbia’s foreign policy. He also noted that in 1985 she founded the Centre for Neighbouring Countries and Regional Cooperation within the Institute, and that in 1994 she established the International Scientific Forum “Danube – River of Cooperation”. He concluded by noting that she had left “an indelible mark on the work of the Institute” and had made a significant contribution, through her academic and public engagement, to promoting the Danube as a space of cooperation in the fields of economics, law, politics, culture, and tourism.
Prof. Dr. Dobrica Vesić emphasized that Dr. Stojić Karanović made an immeasurable contribution to the academic community through her research, particularly in the fields of cross-border and regional cooperation in the Balkans, Southeast Europe, and the Danube macro-region. He paid special tribute to her visionary work through the International Scientific Forum “Danube – River of Cooperation”, under whose auspices more than thirty international conferences were organized. He stressed that her research focused on the sustainable development of the Danube region and the advancement of its economic development, while her professional engagement connected scholars and experts from numerous countries, thereby building “a bridge to Europe”.
On behalf of Prof. Dr. Slobodan Pajović, Dr. Sanja Jelisavac Trošić read his farewell message, in which Dr. Edita Stojić Karanović was remembered as a generous colleague, a scholarly and moral authority, and a person who selflessly supported those around her. Particular emphasis was placed on her unwavering optimism and her conviction that internal and external tensions in the region could be overcome, while the Danube, in her view, represented a lasting symbol of cooperation and reconciliation.
Colleagues from the Institute also paid tribute to Dr. Stojić Karanović, emphasizing that through her scholarly work, international engagement, and extensive network of professional contacts, she significantly enhanced the reputation of the Institute of International Politics and Economics and the Republic of Serbia abroad. They also recalled her personal qualities – her innate diplomatic skills, selflessness, openness, empathy, understanding, and readiness to embrace different perspectives – which will remain in the lasting memory of her colleagues and associates.
The staff of the Institute of International Politics and Economics remembers with gratitude her exceptional contribution to the Institute, to science, and to international cooperation.
