English

Foreign Minister Makey staying in Serbia

 

Belarusian Foreign Minister Uladzimir Makey is visiting Serbia at the invitation of his Serbian counterpart, Ivan Mrkic.

On Thursday, Mr. Makey met with Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic. The implementation of agreements reached during Mr. Nikolic's visit to Belarus in March 2013 was discussed at the meeting, reported the press office of the Belarusian foreign ministry.

Mr. Nikolic noted the friendly nature of Belarusian-Serbian relations and confirmed his readiness to further develop them for the good of the two nations.

Mr. Nikolic promised to provide political support for joint projects that are being implemented or will be implemented in Serbia and Belarus, the press office said.

On the same day, Mr. Makey had a meeting with Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic to discuss the development of bilateral trade and review joint economic projects carried out in Serbia.

Mr. Makey proposed moving from mere trade to production cooperation and said that the establishment of assembly plants for Belarusian farm tractors and buses in Serbia had provided a good start for such cooperation. The Serbian prime minister supported Mr. Makey's proposal, the press office said.

Messrs. Makey and Dacic also discussed the Serbian prime minister's visit to Belarus in October 2013 at the invitation of Belarusian Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich.

The two prime ministers are expected to adopt a sort of "roadmap" for the implementation of joint projects, the press office said.

Messrs. Makey and Dacic expressed satisfaction that a direct air service between Minsk and Belgrade would be launched in September 2013.

Mr. Makey also held talks with Foreign Minister Mrkic. It was noted that that was the first official visit of a Belarusian foreign minister to Serbia in 19 years.

Messrs. Makey and Mrkic agreed that the foreign ministries had successfully cooperated since the establishment of diplomatic relations, and that the two countries should support each other’s initiatives and candidacies for election within the framework of international organizations.

Mr. Makey also met with the president of the National Assembly of Serbia, Nebojsa Stefanovic, and members of the Assembly’s group for cooperation with Belarus.

Mr. Makey and the Serbian MPs discussed measures to step up inter-parliamentary cooperation and agreed to support each other's initiatives within international parliamentary organizations.

The Serbian MPs accepted Mr. Makey's invitation to visit Belarus before the end of 2013.

At all the meetings, the Serbian side thanked Belarus for its consistent support of Serbia in its attempt to preserve the country's territorial integrity in the context of the Kosovo problem, the press office noted.

Mr. Makey also had three meetings with Serbian businesspeople, during which specific Belarusian-Serbian economic projects were discussed, the press office said.

On July 5, Mr. Makey is expected to hold talks with Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vucic, participate in the opening ceremony for an honorary consulate of Belarus in the city of Novi Sad, visit an assembly plant for Belarusian farm tractors, and meet with representatives of Serbian business circles, the press office said. //BelaPAN