Serbian NATO Ambassador Branislav Milinkovic Jumps To Death

Serbian NATO envoy Branislav Milinkovic, 52, died on Tuesday after jumping to his death from a multi-story parking garage in at the Brussels airport.

Emergency services were called to the scene, but they were not able to revive Milinkovic. Prosecutors in Brussels have said that they are treating the diplomat’s death as a suicide, reports The BBC.

Milinkovic is thought to have been at the airport to greet Serbia’s deputy foreign minister, as well as other foreign officials, who arrived in the city for diplomatic talks. After he spoke and laughed with colleagues, the NATO envoy suddenly walked to a barrier, climbed over, and jumped to the ground below, according to a diplomat at the scene.

A Serbian journalist in Brussels stated that earlier in the Day, Branislav appeared “completely normal, talking to journalists in the corridors of Nato.” NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen stated that he is “deeply saddened” by the news. Rasmussen added:

“Ambassador Branislav Milinkovic was a highly respected representative of his country and will be missed at Nato headquarters.”

While Serbia is not a member of the NATO military alliance, they do have a mission in the headquarters complex, notes The International Business Times. The country belongs to the Partnership for Peace program, which helps countries work together on defense and security issues.

Branislav Milinkovic, who jumped to his death on Tuesday, had been an ambassador since 2009. Before that, he was a journalist and an active opponent of Slobodan Milosevic, Serbia’s former leader. Milinkovic is survived by his wife and six-year-old son.