Brnabic: Serbia to open embassy in Tanzania

BELGRADE - Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Tanzanian counterpart Mussa Zungu, Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic said on Monday there was great potential for cooperation with African nations, including Tanzania, which she said was an important factor of stability in eastern Africa, and added that Serbia would soon open an embassy in that country.

Brnabic said she was pleased Zungu had honoured her invitation to come to Serbia and added that, during a three-day visit to Belgrade, he would also meet with the president, the PM and the FM of Serbia, as well as with representatives of the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs and other committees.

"Thanks to that, we will be able to use this historic visit as a kind of a landmark in further development of our bilateral relations," Brnabic noted.

She added that Zunga was visiting Serbia in a year that marked the 65th anniversary of Serbia-Tanzania diplomatic relations, and noted that, besides the bilateral ties, Serbia attached great importance to developing and revitalising its relations with all African states, to which it was connected by cooperation from the era of the Non-Aligned Movement.

"Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is planning to pay an important visit to the African continent. We believe there is great potential for cooperation between Serbia and African states, and Tanzania is a country that is an important stability factor in eastern Africa and an active actor in the UN, as well as in the African Union and the East African Community. So, the cooperation we are reestablishing and strengthening is a way we are paving today through parliamentary cooperation, but it is cooperation that will be expanded through parliamentary cooperation. That cooperation is important not only for our bilateral relations, but also for our overall relations with the East African Community," Brnabic said, adding that establishment of parliamentary friendship groups had been agreed at the meeting.

She said the Serbian government had completed the formal procedure for opening a Serbian embassy in Tanzania, which she noted would restore bilateral cooperation to previous levels.

"The formal procedure has been completed and the Government of Tanzania has given the agrément for the Serbian ambassador," Brnabic said.

She also thanked Tanzania for confirming its participation in EXPO 2027 in Belgrade.