Koča Popović

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Koča Popović
March 14, 1908 – October 20, 1992 (aged 84)

Koča Popović as SFRJ Minister of Foreign Affairs
Place of birth Flag of Serbia Belgrade, Kingdom of Serbia
Place of death Flag of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Belgrade, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Allegiance Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Service/branch SFR Yugoslavia
Years of service 1941-1953
Rank Colonel General
Battles/wars Spanish Civil War, World War II
Awards People's Hero of Yugoslavia
Other work Foreign minister of Yugoslavia, Member of the Federal Executive Council

Konstantin Koča Popović (Константин Коча Поповић) (March 14, 1908 - October 20, 1992) was a communist volunteer in the Spanish Civil War, 1937-1939. In 1939 he was interned in France.

He joined the Yugoslav Partisans in 1941 as an expelled party member and commanded various units (e.g. 1st Proletarian Brigade).

After the establishment of a communist regime in Yugoslavia in 1945, he served as the Chief of the Yugoslavian General Staff from 1946-1953. In this function he also conducted negotiations with the representatives of Western powers associated with the modernisation of the JNA during the conflict with the USSR (i.e. Informbiro).

Consequently, he became the foreign minister of Yugoslavia in 1953 and held this office until 1965. As the Foreign Minister, he was the head of the Yugoslav delegation to the UN General Assembly sessions on several occasions.

From 1965 until 1972 he acted as a Member of the Federal Executive Council and the Vice-President of Yugoslavia.

He was decorated with the Order: People's Hero of Yugoslavia, and with other high Yugoslav and foreign decorations.


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Military offices
Preceded by
Arso Jovanović
as Chief of the General Staff of People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia		 Chief of the General Staff of Yugoslav People's Army
15 September 1948 - 27 January 1953		 Succeeded by
Peko Dapčević