The Director of the Directorate for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region, Vladimir Kokanović, and the President of the Chess Federation of Serbia, Andrija Jorgić, signed a cooperation protocol today, which opens up space for connecting the Serbian diaspora and Serbs in the region through chess, sports and work with youth.

After signing the protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kokanović said that the mission of the Directorate was to connect Serbs wherever they live, noting that chess could bring Serbia even closer to its diaspora.

‘Our role is to enable them to do this in some segment, in order to best preserve Serbian identity, tradition and culture,’ said Kokanović.

One of the results of the signed protocol will be the formation of the Serbian Diaspora Chess League. Kokanović stated there were chess sections operating within Serbian diaspora associations in more than 14 countries.

Before the official start of the league, one of the first steps will be to train arbiters and create technical conditions for holding competitions.

The Serbian Diaspora Chess League will initially be held online, with the mandatory presence of arbiters in association premises. Competitions will allow use of digital boards, computers and laptops. Jorgić explained that participants would not be able to play from their homes, but would have to be in the premises of their associations during matches.

The Directorate for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region and the Chess Federation of Serbia plan to involve other relevant institutions, associations of Serbs, their federations, as well as cultural and artistic societies in future work, reports Tanjug.

Photo: Tanjug

Source: Politika