Ragus receives Tunisian parliamentary delegation

BELGRADE - Serbian Deputy Parliament Speaker Marina Ragus met on Monday in Belgrade with a delegation of a Tunisia-Serbia friendship group in the Tunisian parliament to discuss continued strengthening and advancement of bilateral relations, the international EXPO 2027 and the current situation in Serbia's Autonomous Province of Kosovo-Metohija.

The parties agreed there was significant space to step up the cooperation further, especially in digitalisation, information technologies, the economy, education and other areas, an official statement said.

At the same time, they expressed readiness for continued dialogue and concrete cooperation at all levels with a view to strengthening mutual understanding and advancing the relations.

Ragus thanked Tunisia for supporting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia as well as for its consistent position of non-recognition of the unilaterally declared independence of the so-called Kosovo.

She also briefed the Tunisian delegation on the difficult situation of Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija, who she noted faced frequent violations of human and civil rights, and added that, for 13 years, Pristina had been failing to meet its international obligations from the Brussels Agreement, such as establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities.

In spite of the injustice it is suffering even today, including ghettoisation of Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija, Serbia remains committed to preservation of peace and stability and to respect for international law, the UN Charter and valid international resolutions and conventions guaranteeing peace and security in the region, Ragus said.

She noted that the 1999 aggression on the FR Yugoslavia had set a precedent in international relations that had led to a part of Serbian territory being de facto taken away from Serbia, leaving lasting political consequences.

Ragus pointed out that the friendly and close relations between the two nations dated back from WWI and noted that this year marked 70 years of Serbia-Tunisia diplomatic relations and 110 years since the landing of Serbian army troops in Bizerte.

Najla Lahiani, who heads the Tunisian delegation, thanked Ragus for the cordial hospitality and conveyed the regards of the Tunisian parliament speaker.

She welcomed positive trends at the level of parliamentary visits and expressed the belief the successful cooperation would be continued and advanced further, not only through more intensive political and parliamentary dialogue, but also through strengthening of ties between the two nations.

She highlighted the significance of bilateral agreements and expressed the expectation work on implementing and advancing them would be done in the coming period to provide additional benefits to citizens of both countries.

Lahiani confirmed her country's participation in EXPO 2027 and said she was confident the event was an exceptional opportunity for further strengthening of bilateral relations, advancement of economic and investment cooperation, as well as for forging more intensive ties between the institutions and the citizens of the two countries.

The meeting was also attended by Tunisian Ambassador to Belgrade Imen Lazili Amari.