Serbia, Tonga establish diplomatic relations

NEW YORK - The Republic of Serbia established diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Tonga on Thursday.

On the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly session in New York, Serbian caretaker FM Marko Djuric and Tonga's Minister for Infrastructure Tevita Fatafehi Puloka attended the signing of a Joint Statement on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the two countries.

"The document was signed at the United Nations Headquarters by Ambassador Radomir Ilic, Charge d’Affaires of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Serbia to the United Nations, and Ambassador Viliami Va’inga Tone, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Tonga to the United Nations," the Serbian MFA said in a statement.

"Minister Djuric emphasised that the establishment of diplomatic relations represents an important step towards bringing Serbia and Tonga closer together and formalising their bilateral ties, a process initiated during Minister Djuric’s visit to the Kingdom of Tonga, where he represented Serbia at the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting as a special guest and envoy of President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic.

The Serbian Foreign Minister noted that the visit marked an important step forward in strengthening Serbia’s presence in the Pacific region and paved the way for closer engagement with the countries of the region," it also said.