Serbian envoy urges speedy probe over the killing of Red Star fan to avoid future negative incidents

Serbian Ambassador to Turkey Danilo Vucetic says a speedy probe into the killing of a young man, Serbian Red Star fan, would be significant for normalizing relations between Serbia and Turkey A speedy investigation into the killing of a Serbian Red Star fan and punishing the perpetrators would be the most important element to normalizing ties between Serbia and Turkey, Serbian Ambassador to Turkey Danilo Vucetic has said.

"[Turkish officials] have assured that the pertinent agencies will work hard to investigate what happened. This is very good and something that we are expecting, as both the public and authorities: To do everything to clarify and to eventually find the perpetrators and punish them. I think it's the most important element for the moment," Vucetic told the Hürriyet Daily News.
 
Vucetic stressed that Turkey and Serbia were on a "good track" in normalizing relations following an intervention by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan through a statement he made last year in Kosovo. "But unfortunately, this tragedy in Istanbul happened," the ambassador said.

Marko Ivkovic, the 25-year-old Red Star fan, was stabbed to death on Nov. 21 in clashes with Galatasaray fans before the Euroleague basketball match. The incident caused uproar in Serbia and calls for revenge from some fan groups, and also created concerns about future matches between Turkish and Serbian teams. 

Revealing how the incident affected the atmosphere in Belgrade, Serbian Parliamentary Speaker Maja Goykovic postponed her scheduled visit to Ankara that was scheduled for Dec. 2, the Serbian envoy said, but emphasized that "it was just a postponement, not a cancelation."

"We considered that the visit in such an atmosphere and...