Jugoslavija i Bliski istok (1945–1956)
Yugoslavia and the Middle East (1945–1956)

Author(s): Aleksandar Životić
Subject(s): Diplomatic history, Political history, WW II and following years (1940 - 1949), Post-War period (1950 - 1989), Cold-War History
Published by: Institut za noviju istoriju Srbije
Keywords: Yugoslavia; Middle East; Egypt; Israel; Suez crisis
Summary/Abstract: In the years following the Second World War the Middle East had an important place in Yugoslav foreign policy. The evolution of Yugoslav policy in that region had three phases. During the first phase which lasted from the end of the Second World War to 1948, a relatively reserved attitude regarding this region can be observed. In this period the interest in this region existed only in the sense of the solution of the problem in the United Nations bodies, while economic cooperation was rather small and dependent on traditions of the pre-war period. The second period which started with the creation of the Jewish state in 1948 is characterized by the development of very close political, economic and military relations with Israel and closer approach to Egypt after the progressive solution of the problem in mutual relations caused by Yugoslav contacts with persecuted Egyptian communists. Egyptian military revolution in 1952 and the beginnings of shift of the Yugoslav foreign policy toward the creation of a wider movement of countries which were not engaged in any blocs and which were non-aligned caused the Yugoslav orientation for the development of closer relations with Arab countries. In this period, political, economic and military relations with Arab countries began to develop faster. The improvement of relations with Arab countries led to aggravation of contacts with Israel. Nevertheless, the two countries have not completely alienated during that period. The Suez crisis and Yugoslav full support to Egypt during this crisis profi led the Yugoslav policy in this region and connected Yugoslavia with Arab countries and, on the other hand, distanced Yugoslavia from Israel. This marked the beginning of Yugoslavia’s Middle-Easterm policy, which henceforth represented one of the determining characteristics of its foreign policy.

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