First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic held bilateral meetings on the margins of the 71th Session of the UN General Assembly with his counterparts from Madagascar, Lebanon, Trinidad and Tobago, Kyrgyzstan, Cape Verde, Nepal, Cameroon, and the State Secretary in the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
At the meeting with Foreign Minister of Madagascar Béatrice Atallah, Minister Dacic underlined the importance of the deepening of cooperation, particularly in the fields of education, culture and economy. Minister Atallah invited Serbia to take part at the Francophonie Summit which is to be held in November in Madagascar. In addition, she invited the Serbian Foreign Minister to pay a bilateral visit to Madagascar and expressed her gratitude for the scholarships that Serbia grants to students from Madagascar through the programme “World in Serbia”.
Minister Dacic met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lebanon Gebran Bassil as well. During the meeting of the two officials, Minister Bassil emphasised that Lebanon understood the position of Serbia, since there were similar issues present in Lebanon, and in that context underlined that Serbia could always rely on the support of Lebanon regarding the issue of Kosovo and Metohija. The Foreign Ministers discussed the problems of terrorism and extremism, and assessed them to be the greatest threats to the Middle East and even beyond. The Lebanese Foreign Minister said that he was planning to visit Serbia, which he deemed to be a good opportunity to begin negotiations for the promotion of cooperation between the two countries. Minister Dacic particularly underlined the importance of the traditionally good relations between Serbia and Lebanon, and expressed his gratitude for Lebanon’s principled support regarding the issue of Kosovo and Metohija.
At the meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan Erlan Abdıldayev, Minister Dacic underscored the significance of the friendly relations between the two countries and thanked Kyrgyzstan for its strong support to all issues of great importance for Serbia. Minister Abdıldayev emphasised that their position was strong and it would not change. In addition, he suggested that Minister Dacic pay a bilateral visit to Kyrgyzstan, which would be an opportunity to further strengthen the traditionally good bilateral relations.
The Serbian Foreign Minister met yesterday with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nepal Prakash Sharan Mahat. In the talks, the Ministers agreed that the two geographically fairly distant countries are connected by their good bilateral relations, but that there was room for the further development of cooperation. Minister Dacic apprised his counterpart from Nepal of the current situation and the positive developments in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.
In the talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cape Verde Luís Tavares, it was agreed that there was significant room for the promotion of economic cooperation. Minister Dacic kindly requested from Cape Verde to remain consistent regarding its much appreciated position on the issues that matter greatly to Serbia. Minister Tavares thanked for the decoration that the Serbian President conferred upon the President of Cape Verde.
At yesterday’s meeting, Minister Dacic and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cameroon Lejeune Mbella Mbella agreed to realise bilateral visits in the near future, and to discuss on that occasion the possibilities regarding the promotion of cooperation in the fields of economy, education and culture. Minister Dacic thanked Cameroon for its understanding of Serbia’s issues and apprised the Minister of the progress in the EU facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.
In the dialogue with the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr. Mobashar Akbar, it was agreed that the good relations between the two countries dated from the time of the former Yugoslavia, particularly from the time when the Non-Aligned Movement was being established. The interlocutors underlined that, in addition to excellent cooperation, there was room for the promotion of economic relations and, as a good occasion for that, the Indian official suggested the possibility of Serbia taking part at the investment conference “Vibrant Gujarat”, which is organised by the Indian Prime Minister and in which Prime Ministers take part.
Minister Dacic conferred with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago Dennis Moses. The two officials agreed that it was necessary to work on the strengthening of bilateral relations, and on the deepening of cooperation within international organisations.
