Glamocic receives Slovak ambassador to Belgrade

BELGRADE - Serbia's caretaker Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Dragan Glamocic received Slovak Ambassador to Belgrade Michal Pavuk on Wednesday to discuss further advancement of bilateral agricultural cooperation, connecting producers and companies, strengthening institutional cooperation and carrying out joint projects.

Serbia and Slovakia maintain traditionally close and friendly relations based on firm cultural and historical ties, mutual respect, trust and good political cooperation, Glamocic said.

He noted that Serbia's sizable Slovak national community represented special value and an important connection between the two nations.

"Today, Serbia-Slovakia relations have a strong political foundation, above all, thanks to the close relations and mutual trust built by Aleksandar Vucic, until recently president of Serbia, and Slovak PM Robert Fico. Our task is to strengthen that friendship and partnership further and transform it into new concrete results for the citizens and the economies of the two countries. We especially appreciate the principled support Slovakia is providing to Serbia, as well as PM Robert Fico's clear position when it comes to our country's European perspective," Glamocic said.

"Particular attention during the discussion was paid to directly connecting Serbian and Slovak agricultural producers, companies and experts, with the aim of opening up new opportunities for business cooperation, investment and increased trade in the agriculture and food industries.

Discussions also covered Slovakia’s experience in utilising European funds and opportunities for exchanging expertise and cooperating within the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance for Rural Development (IPARD) programme, as well as further improving cooperation in the fields of veterinary medicine and food and feed safety, particularly regarding the implementation of European standards," a government statement said.