WHILE Benidorm was celebrating its September Pride week, Ana Brnabic, the first openly gay Prime Minister in the Balkan region and the first Serbian woman in the top job, joined about 1,000 gay activists at Belgrade’s Pride parade.

It was the first time that a Serbian Prime Minister joined the annual Pride parade, which had been marred by violence in the past.

“The government is here for all citizens and will secure the respect of rights for all citizens,” Brnabic told reporters.

“We want to send a signal that diversity makes our society stronger, that together we can do more,” she said.

Labour Minister Zoran Djordjevic, Minister of State Administration Branko Ruzic, and Belgrade Mayor Sinisa Mali also participated in the – the culmination of the 2017 Pride Week.

“My message to the citizens of Serbia is that the government will respects the rights of all citizens, both the majority and minorities,” Brnabic told reporters. “We want to send a signal that diversity can contribute to making our society even stronger.”

Ahead of Pride, Mali, the mayor of Belgrade, said he expected that “everything will go fine and that Belgrade will once again show that it is a city in which everyone has equal rights.”