De Lozano: In Guatemala, we have "Canton Serbia," we do not recognize Kosovo and that will not change

The Honorary Consul of Serbia in Guatemala, Marcela Arzu de Lozano, states that her country supports Serbia and does not recognize Kosovo, its passports, or documents and that she is quite confident that the position of non-recognition of Kosovo will be maintained even after the formation of the new government, which is currently in progress.

"Serbia can be assured that it has the support of Guatemala; we want our friendship to be strong," de Lozano says in an interview with Kosovo Online.

De Lozano has been the Honorary Consul of Serbia for a full decade, inheriting the position from her father, who was the Honorary Consul of Yugoslavia since 1980 and of Serbia since 2007.

"When my father fell ill, I assisted him in the consulate. After his passing, the Serbian government asked me if I would continue his work. Of course, I accepted, so since 2013, I have been the Honorary Consul of Serbia," de Lozano explains.

She is currently in Belgrade for the Third Conference of Honorary Consuls of Serbia. This is her third visit to Serbia, and two years ago, she brought her family along.

"I wanted them not only to hear about Serbia but also to get to know the country I represent and its people. They fell in love. Serbia and Guatemala are similar. We are small countries that have gone through many problems and wars, so we identify a lot with Serbs. The people here are very kind and friendly, and we feel at home. The culture is very interesting, my children and husband really liked it. Belgrade is beautiful; when you see it, you wonder why we haven't been here earlier. We will come back to Serbia. My children love skiing, so we will visit a mountain," de Lozano says.

Although Serbia and this Central American country are geographically very distant, our interlocutor says that Serbia is becoming more known in Guatemala.

"Both countries have Nobel laureates in literature. We have Ivo Andric Street, and in Belgrade, there is a street named after our Nobel laureate, Miguel Angel Asturias. At the end of Ivo Andric Street in Guatemala, there is a large statue of our Nobel laureate, so the two writers are connected," she notes.

In Guatemala, she adds, two photo exhibitions were organized, one about Serbian monasteries and another about the cities and nature of Serbia. Her next project is an exhibition of Guatemala's photographs in Belgrade to introduce people in Serbia to this country, its tourist offerings, culture, gastronomy, etc.

Our interlocutor informs us that there is now a village in Guatemala called "Canton Serbia."

"It is a very poor mountain village that I visited with my family during the pandemic to bring them food. When I saw how they live in unhealthy conditions, I decided to help three families build new houses. I provided materials and workers. I don't know how they found out that I am the Consul of Serbia, so in gratitude, they named the village 'Canton Serbia.' So, in Guatemala, we have a small part of Serbia. They even painted the houses in blue, red, and white. About 25 families, or around 150 people, live there, and my wish is to help other families build houses. There is an idea, and perhaps the Serbian government will assist in building more houses. I hope we can do that. These people are very nice, humble, and very grateful," de Lozano says.

Although she only knows how to say the word "good" in Serbian, the Consul has a desire to learn the language.

"Serbia grants scholarships to three Guatemalan students studying in Serbia, and they are learning the Serbian language. We suggested to the Ministry of Culture to organize online Serbian language classes, and I think I will be the first student," de Lozano tells us.