Ambassador Vesko Garčević Advocates for Voice of America Amid Shutdown
Ambassador Garčević joined a coalition of investigative journalists, civil rights activists, international relations experts, and former diplomats in voicing support for Voice of America (VOA), with particular emphasis on the VOA Serbian service. Their joint statements—titled “VOA Serbian Service 82nd Anniversary: Why the Salvation of the Beacon of Hope and Truth Is Important? (Why Should America Save a Beacon of Hope and Truth)”—were published by Serbian opposition media outlet N1 on March 26th, 2025.
Notable supporters included Pavol Szalai, Head of the European Union/Balkans Desk at Reporters Without Borders (RSF); Gulnoza Said from the Committee to Protect Journalists; Thomas Countryman, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State; Michael Kirby, former U.S. Ambassador to Serbia; and Daniel Serwer, Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.
On March 15, approximately 1,300 workers—both full-time employees and contractors—were placed on administrative leave after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to dramatically cut back the federally funded VOA, accusing the agency of being “anti-Trump” and “radical.” Among those affected are journalists from the VOA Serbian service.
VOA reaches over 360 million people worldwide each week, with the Serbian service alone reaching 13 million people from January to mid-March 2025, according to Facebook analytics. The service targets audiences across Serbia, Montenegro, parts of Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina—a combined population of approximately 15 million.
In his statement, Ambassador Garčević described VOA as “an alternative to all propaganda and those who restrain freedom of speech and political engagement.” He expressed concern about the regional media landscape, noting that “there are not many media outlets of that kind in the Balkans, so the closing of Voice of America would be a great loss for those who are constantly checking and contesting ‘the official versions’ of events.”
Garčević also warned of broader consequences: “Globally, its closure will sadden millions of people for whom it was the only chance to get uncensored information. It will please those to whom VOA was a thorn in the side—those who sought to fully shut down media space or suffocate it through war, nationalism, or autocratic demagoguery. It is not only desired but needed by millions who will be denied the chance to hear the other, uncensored side.”
Ambassador Vesko Garčević dealt with issues pertinent to European security and NATO for almost 14 years during his diplomatic career. In 2004, he was posted in Vienna to serve as Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He was Montenegro’s Ambassador to NATO from 2010 until 2014 and served as Montenegro’s National Coordinator for NATO from 2015 until he joined the faculty at the Pardee School. Learn more about Ambassador Garčević on his faculty profile.