Selaković: Serbia is seen in Egypt as a factor of peace and stability in the Balkans

The Minister stated that he had the honor of meeting with the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo and that in a great, open and friendly conversation, he personally handed him an invitation letter from Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić to attend the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Non-Aligned Movement in Belgrade.

"We had the opportunity to discuss the development of cooperation between Egypt and Serbia in the future, to see all the advantages of the decades-long, 113-years long tradition of diplomatic relations between Serbia and Egypt, which is an excellent basis for developing our relations in the future", said the head of Serbian diplomacy.

He said that at the meeting, they also remembered the great days of cooperation between SFRY President Josip Broz Tito and Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, but also stressed that the topic of conversation was economic relations between the two countries, which he said were significantly below Serbia's political relations with Egypt today.

Minister Selaković said that, on behalf of President Vučić, he asked the Egyptian President to visit Serbia and emphasized that this meeting of the two leaders is exactly what is necessary for us to unite the two business communities, both our societies, and to show in which direction in the future should our relations go.

"The meeting with President Sisi was just a guideline for the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Hassan Shoukry and me, to show us in which direction we should talk, and we used this day to discuss both our bilateral political relations and the need to develop economic cooperation", Minister Selaković said.

At the meeting with the Egyptian President, as Minister Selaković stated, regional issues were also discussed, and he added that our Egyptian friends informed the Serbian delegation about the situation in the Middle East and surrounding countries, about all the challenges they face and everything that is important for preserving peace and stability not only in the region, but on the global stage.

"From our side, we used the opportunity to convey to our friends what the situation is in the region of the Balkans and Southeast Europe, what are the challenges we are facing", said the head of Serbian diplomacy.

Minister Selaković emphasized that the Serbian delegation in Egypt received great respect, generous hospitality from our Egyptian friends and expressed a sincere wish that, after years of consolidation and a very successful recovery, we can plan the long-term development of our relations in the future.

He emphasized that at the meetings with the Egyptian President and the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, great respect was expressed for all reforms that have been implemented in Serbia in the last seven years since Aleksandar Vučić became the prime minister and later the President of the Republic.

"I can say that the recognition that was given to us is something that was really a real pleasure to listen to", concluded Minister Selaković.