12. July 2021.

Selaković: India is a great friend and an important partner of Serbia

Today, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Nikola Selaković, received the Ambassador of India, Subrata Bhattacharjee, for a farewell visit.

Minister Selaković said that Serbia sees India as a great friend and important partner and that we are proud of the fact that the two countries have a decades-long tradition of friendly ties and cooperation, based on full mutual respect and understanding.

Selaković also expressed satisfaction with the exchange of visits at a high and highest level, expressing hope that the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, will soon have the opportunity to visit Serbia, as well as that the visit would be of historical significance.

The head of Serbian diplomacy thanked India for its principled position on non-recognition of the unilaterally declared independence of the so-called Kosovo, and underlined that this position shows India's firm commitment to respecting the basic postulates of international law. Also, Selaković thanked for the support that India provides to us in international organizations.

Speaking about economic cooperation, the Minister pointed out that the corona virus pandemic did not affect the trade exchange, which in 2020 amounted to around 175 million euros.

Also, Selaković said that the Joint Committee for Economic Cooperation between the two countries, whose fourth session we expect in the coming period, is of great importance for the further development of economic relations.

When it comes to the fight against the corona virus, Minister Selaković thanked India and its leadership for the quick response to the request of Serbian officials to enable the procurement of vaccines produced by India, thanks to which Serbia already received the first doses of AstraZeneca vaccine in February.