Israel, Serbia discuss 'launch of strategic dialogue' during meeting in Belgrade

Belgrade [Serbia], October 1 (ANI): Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar met with Serbian counterpart Marko Djuric on Tuesday (local time) in Belgrade, as per a release by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Djuric thanked Saar for his significant contribution to improving relations between the Republic of Serbia and the State of Israel, which, he assessed, is also evident in this visit at a critical historical moment.

"Relations between the Republic of Serbia and the State of Israel are founded not only on decades of good cooperation between our two countries, but also on centuries of close, friendly and fraternal relations between the Serbian and Jewish people, bound by shared suffering, values and a shared unwavering faith in the future. Serbia views Israel as one of its greatest friends and key strategic partners, and therefore it is with great pleasure that we are discussing bilateral and economic, as well as political cooperation here today," emphasised Djuric.

The Serbian Foreign Minister reported that during today's meeting, the launch of a strategic dialogue between the two countries was also discussed, with the aim of improving economic cooperation through interagency cooperation and a future joint mixed economic committee.

"I would like to remind you that the Israeli economy is one of the most dynamic, innovative economies in the world, and that the Serbian economy is one of the most dynamic, innovative and fastest growing economies in this part of the world, given the fact that we have doubled our gross domestic product in just over a decade," said Djuric.

Serbia and Israel, he emphasised, also share the issue of attitudes towards historical topics - towards the Holocaust, the Jewish community, cultural heritage and the preservation of memory of the places of suffering of the Jewish people.

"This is something that Serbia has always paid great attention to and will continue to do so in the future. The issue of historical revisionism is something that both countries face and we have a common goal to resist this effort," the minister said.

Djuric also discussed the current situation in Kosovo and Metohija with his Israeli counterpart and informed him of the difficult position the Serbian people find themselves in in this area.

"Our overall bilateral relations continue to progress during this period. This meeting took place just a few hours after the President of the United States of America, Trump, held an important meeting with the Prime Minister of the State of Israel, Netanyahu, which is of enormous historical significance," said Djuric.

On this occasion, the head of Serbian diplomacy also presented our country's position on the topics discussed at that meeting.

"Serbia welcomes and supports President Trump's peace initiative and demands that Hamas release all hostages without delay and that the proposed provisions of this agreement be fully implemented. I would like to remind you that Serbian-Israeli citizen Alon Ohel has been held captive for more than 800 days in conditions that are incredibly difficult and terrifying for any human being, and there is absolutely no justification for not releasing all hostages immediately," concluded Minister Djuric.

Djuric thanked the guests from Israel for their friendship, cooperation, and everything that has been done so far.

"I believe that Serbia and Israel share much and will share many successes in the future that will bring good to our citizens, but also that will do justice to all the sacrifices that we as nations have made throughout history and that will ensure that future generations in both our countries can look to the future with confidence and security. Dear friends, once again, I wish you to feel at home in Belgrade and Serbia, and I look forward to working on further improving our relations," said Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric.

Minister Gideon Saar thanked Minister Djuric, the Government of Serbia, and President Vucic for their strong and true friendship.

According to him, over the past decades, partnerships have been built between our countries in many areas.

Speaking about the painful and glorious history that connects our two peoples, the Minister said that he particularly values the preservation of the Jewish community in Serbia and the culture of Holocaust remembrance. He said that he sees Serbia as a strategic support for Israel in the Western Balkans and that further strengthening of the friendship between our peoples is of the utmost importance to him.

Ministers Djuric and Saar also signed today the Memorandum of Understanding between the two ministries on bilateral consultations and diplomatic training and the Cooperation Program between the governments of Serbia and Israel for the period 2025-2028 in the fields of education, science, culture, youth and sports, and Minister Djuric also signed the Declaration on Survivors. (ANI)

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