Djuric: Israel one of Serbia's greatest friends and key strategic partners

BELGRADE - Serbian FM Marko Djuric met with Isreali FM Gideon Sa'ar in Belgrade on Tuesday, noting that Serbia saw Israel as one of its greatest friends and key strategic partners.

Addressing a press conference in the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Djuric said good relations between Serbs and Jews were based on decades of good cooperation, as well as on centuries of joint suffering, values and unwavering faith in the future.

He said his meeting with Sa'ar had addressed bilateral, economic as well as political cooperation.

"Today, we agreed to launch strategic dialogue between our two countries and to advance economic cooperation further through interagency cooperation and a future joint economic committee," Djuric said.

Sa'ar said Serbia was an important friend and a strategic pillar for Israel in the Western Balkans.

"Further strengthening the friendship between our nations is an important goal for me. That is why I am here today. This friendship is rooted in common history. The Jewish community of Serbia is an ancient one. Most of it was brutally wiped out in the Holocaust. Both the Jews and the Serbs were victims of the evil Nazi regime," Sa'ar said.

After the meeting, the ministers signed MoUs on bilateral consultations and diplomatic training, as well as a 2025-2028 programme of cooperation in education, science, culture, youth and sports.

Also, Djuric signed the Survivors' Declaration.