Barre: Somalia ready to raise relations with Serbia to high level

BELGRADE - Somalian PM Hamza Abdi Barre said on Tuesday in Belgrade his country stood ready to raise the relations with Serbia to a high level.

At a press conference with Serbian counterpart Djuro Macut, Barre said he hoped the two countries would cooperate in a mutually beneficial way.

He said Somalia was hoping for a bright future and that, given its good strategic position, it wanted to become a business hub for entire Africa.

He said his country was committed to further advancement of ties with Serbia.

Barre said his delegation had had very fruitful discussions with Macut on several topics, including trade, security cooperation, development of human potential and cooperation in health care.

He said the relationship with Serbia was growing stronger every year and that its foundations had been laid as early as in the 1960s.

He said his visit would shape the cooperation and friendship with Serbia and that the two countries had signed a memorandum on cooperation in health care, a very important sector for Somalis.

Barre noted that Somalia, as a country with huge potential, was offering strategic economic cooperation, especially in view of its position and its vibrant and dynamic economy.

He added that agriculture and the natural gas and oil sector were some of the areas where Somalia could cooperate with Serbian institutions.