Serbian Ambassador Dragan Šutanovac visits Austin Peay for landmark engagement on diplomacy, U.S.-Serbia relations
By: Institute for National Security and Military Studies May 12, 2026
From the left are Ambassador Dragan Šutanovac, APSU Fulbright Visiting Scholar Dr. Vladimir Trapara, Minister-Counsellor Ivona Bagarić, Minister-Counsellor Stefan Dragojević, APSU INSMS Director Dr. Rich Mifsud, APSU INSMS Assistant Professor Dr. Rudy B. Baker, APSU INSMS Assistant Professor Dr. Simon Rotzer, and APSU INSMS Assistant Professor Dr. Erin Carlin.
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – H.E. Dragan Šutanovac, ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the United States, visited Austin Peay State University from April 20 to 23, accompanied by Minister-Counsellors Stefan Dragojević and Ivona Bagarić. The visit, hosted by APSU's Institute for National Security and Military Studies (INSMS), featured a filmed interview, a public address, a private reception, and a briefing session at the INSMS facility at Fort Campbell, marking one of the most significant diplomatic engagements in the university's recent history. The visit was jointly planned and coordinated by Dr. Rudy B. Baker, INSMS Assistant Professor at APSU, and Ivana Stevanović, Counselor at the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Washington.
On Tuesday, April 21, Ambassador Šutanovac, Dragojević, and Bagarić participated in a filmed interview with APSU-TV, hosted by Micca Terrell of the Department of Communication. The interview, in which all three members of the delegation participated together, has since been published and is available below.
Later that morning, Ambassador Šutanovac delivered a public address titled "A Conversation with Serbian Ambassador Dragan Šutanovac" in MUC 307, under Chatham House Rules, to an engaged audience of APSU students, faculty, and staff. The ambassador drew on his distinguished career in Serbian public life as a former Member of Parliament, former Minister of Defense, and now Serbia's senior diplomatic representative in Washington, to offer a wide-ranging perspective on U.S.-Serbia relations, the evolving landscape of Balkan security, and the role of academic partnerships in strengthening people-to-people ties between the two countries.
A VIP Reception followed in the Iris Room, attended by senior university leadership and guests.
Ambassador Dragan Šutanovac and APSU President Dr. Michael Licari.
That evening, the delegation was hosted to a private dinner by APSU Vice President and retired Maj. Gen. Walt Lord and Grace Lord at their home in Clarksville. The dinner brought together the Serbian delegation, INSMS faculty and staff, and APSU's Spring 2026 Serbia Study Abroad students. A particular highlight of the evening was the time Minister-Counsellors Dragojević and Bagarić spent with APSU students, guiding them generously on careers in international affairs and diplomacy and sharing insights drawn from their own experiences as serving diplomats.
On Wednesday, April 22, the delegation visited the INSMS facility at Fort Campbell, where a briefing was held on institutional cooperation among INSMS, Serbia's Institute of International Politics and Economics (IIPE), and the United States Military Group at the U.S. Embassy Belgrade (MILGRP-Belgrade). The session was presented by Dr. Baker and featured participation via Zoom by MILGRP Chief LTC Daniel J. O'Connor and Deputy Chief Major Marshal Carpenter from the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade. IIPE was represented by Dr. Vladimir Trapara, currently in residence at APSU as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar. The briefing provided an opportunity to review the arc of INSMS-IIPE-MILGRP cooperation since 2023 and to explore how the Embassy of Serbia in Washington may complement and build on that framework in the future.
From the left are Minister-Counsellor Stefan Dragojević, Ambassador Dragan Šutanovac, APSU INSMS Assistant Professor Dr. Simon Rotzer, APSU INSMS Assistant Professor Dr. Rudy B. Baker, APSU INSMS Director Dr. Rich Mifsud, APSU Fulbright Visiting Scholar Dr. Vladimir Trapara, and Minister-Counsellor Ivona Bagarić.
"It was a profound honor to welcome Ambassador Šutanovac and his colleagues to APSU," said Dr. Rich Mifsud, Director of INSMS. "This visit is a testament to the depth and seriousness of the relationship our institute has built with Serbia's diplomatic and academic communities over the past several years, and a reflection of APSU's growing role in transatlantic security dialogue."
The visit also yielded several concrete outcomes for the partnership going forward. Ambassador Šutanovac expressed keen interest in returning to APSU in the 2026-27 academic year, with Dragojević and Bagarić accompanying him once again. In addition, Dragojević and Bagarić have agreed to deliver guest lectures in Dr. Baker's HONS 1045 and NSS 2100 courses in the Fall 2026 semester, providing APSU students with direct and recurring access to serving Embassy diplomats. Ambassador Šutanovac also indicated that he will look for opportunities to involve INSMS faculty in in-person events hosted by the Embassy of Serbia in Washington, D.C.
"Evenings like the one at General and Mrs. Lord's home are where real diplomatic relationships are built," said Dr. Baker. "For our students to spend time in substantive conversation with the Serbian ambassador and two of his senior diplomatic colleagues, in the home of a retired Major General of the United States Army, is an experience that simply cannot be replicated in a classroom. It is precisely the kind of engagement that INSMS exists to make possible."
"What distinguishes this partnership is that it is genuinely reciprocal," Dr. Baker continued. "The ambassador and his colleagues did not come to Clarksville simply to be seen. They came to engage, to listen, and to build something lasting. That spirit is what makes this relationship so valuable, and we are deeply grateful for it."
The visit represents the latest milestone in a sustained and growing relationship between INSMS and Serbia's leading institutions. Since the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between INSMS and IIPE in February 2024, the partnership has produced a growing portfolio of joint activity, including three annual APSU Weeks in Belgrade, co-edited publications, international conferences, faculty and student exchanges, and the Fulbright Visiting Scholar appointment of Dr. Vladimir Trapara. Ambassador Šutanovac's visit marks the first time a serving ambassador has visited APSU, and signals a new and significant dimension in the university's engagement with the Republic of Serbia.
INSMS, the first institute of its kind in the southeastern United States, is supported by the Tennessee legislature and committed to enhancing Tennessee's role as a national leader in defense and security studies. Its Speaker Series invites distinguished international experts to campus to foster critical dialogue on global issues.
Founded in 1947, IIPE is Serbia's premier research institution on diplomacy, international relations, and defense policy. It serves as the primary policy and research arm of the Serbian Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense and has become a key voice in shaping Serbia's strategic orientation.
The Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Washington, D.C. serves as the primary diplomatic representation of the Republic of Serbia in the United States, working to strengthen bilateral relations across political, economic, cultural, and academic domains.
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