Opinions & Interviews

Belarus views Serbia as reliable partner

MINSK, 19 February (BelTA) – Belarus views Serbia as a reliable partner and prioritizes the development of Belarusian-Serbian relations, Belarus’ Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Oleg Kravchenko said at a function held on 18 February to mark Serbia’s national holiday, Statehood Day, BelTA has learned.

According to the deputy minister, Serbia’s Statehood Day symbolizes not only the country’s century-long striving for independence but also the brotherhood of all Slavonic nations who were forced to protect their Fatherland through 19th-20th centuries.

“The rich historical past, which combined the periods of peaceful life with wars and ordeals, let us talk about such common features of our people as diligence, self-esteem, resistance to threats and love for the homeland. All these features were especially vividly manifested during the Second World War when Belarusians and Serbs fought bravely against the Nazis. We honor the memory of Belarusians who participated in the partisan movement on the territory of Yugoslavia. We also remember well the names of about 200 citizens of the former Yugoslavia who heroically fought against the common enemy as part of partisan units in Belarusian Polesie and Vitebsk Oblast,” said Oleg Kravchenko.

In his words, the friendly nature of the Belarusian-Serbian relations is reconfirmed during every meeting at the supreme and high levels. Oleg Kravchenko also emphasized the importance of the upcoming visits to Serbia this year. The deputy minister touched upon the Belarusian-Serbian cooperation in a multilateral format, mentioning that the countries work together on the development and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Serbia is Belarus’ major trading partner in the Balkans. Belarus and Serbia have a free trade agreement and a visa-free regime. “The results of the recent meeting of the intergovernmental economic and trade commission show that there is a large untapped potential in economic relations. Our goal today is to find additional opportunities and create the most favorable conditions for the successful realization of this potential,” said the deputy minister.

In turn, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Serbia to Belarus Veljko Kovacevic stressed the importance of Statehood Day for the Serbian people and spoke about the difficult period that Serbia had to overcome on its way to independence. The head of the diplomatic mission also pointed to the importance of developing comprehensive interaction between Belarus and Serbia.

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