The world belongs to optimists, pessimists are only spectators ~ Francois Guizot
In a year when it appeared as though one crisis – the one caused by the COVID-19 pandemic – was ending, war broke out in Ukraine. Europe has entered a new period of instability in 2022, marked by the devastating images of the casualties of war. The conflict in Ukraine also resulted in huge disruptions on the food and energy markets, the effects of which have also become evident far beyond the borders of the European continent. In preparing our first issue for 2023, CorD Magazine posed diplomatic interlocutors a single question: ‘taking into consideration the complex global situation, what provides us with reason for optimism as we enter 2023?’
Convinced that “it is always darkest before the dawn”, representatives of the diplomatic corps in Serbia remind us of the courage and resilience with which citizens hit by unprecedented crises are coping with the latest challenges. The unity and solidarity demonstrated in both the struggle against the pandemic and efforts to counter the consequences of armed conflict are cited as reasons to nonetheless enter this new year, which is certain to be another difficult one, with measured optimism, but also hope that 2023 will be a year when peace will be achieved through dialogue.