Kamal Ghorui
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NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar extended greetings to the government and people of Serbia on their Statehood Day during his visit to Munich for the 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC) on Sunday.The external affairs minister had earlier met Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Marko Djuric on the sidelines of the conference on Saturday. In a post on X, Jaishankar said, “Greetings to FM @markodjuric, the government and people of Serbia on their Statehood Day. Appreciate our long-standing partnership.”
In an X post, the Serbian foreign ministry said, “Happy #StatehoodDay of #Serbia, #Sretenje! Today, we remember the historic moments that laid the foundations of our modern state and affirmed the ideals of freedom and constitutionalism. Proud of our tradition, we continue to build Serbia’s future on the principles of peace, stability, and unity!”According to an official press release issued by the Serbian foreign ministry, on the sidelines of the MSC, Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Djuric met with Jaishankar, with whom he discussed issues important to improving relations and global issues in a changing world.The talks reaffirmed that India and Serbia share a traditional friendship dating back to the Non-Aligned Movement era and are committed to further strengthening comprehensive and mutually beneficial cooperation, the press release said. Djuric expressed satisfaction over the upcoming participation of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, highlighting the significance of high-level engagements in boosting ties. He also invited Jaishankar to visit Serbia in the near future.During the meeting, Djuric thanked India for its consistent stance on the non-recognition of Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence and briefed the Indian side on recent developments related to the EU-facilitated dialogue.The ministers agreed that there is scope to strengthen economic cooperation and collaboration in areas of mutual interest. Djuric also invited India to participate in Expo 2027 in Belgrade, expressing hope that India would be among the countries showcasing its culture and innovation at the international exhibition, according to the press release. The interaction marked another step in ongoing diplomatic engagement between New Delhi and Belgrade amid broader discussions at the Munich Security Conference.According to the MEA Brief, India and Serbia (as part of former Yugoslavia) have traditionally enjoyed deep friendship, as co-founders of the Non-Aligned Movement. The deep bond of friendship continued in subsequent decades, resulting in close and friendly ties between India and Serbia. In 2023, the two countries celebrated the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. India has given principled support to Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and has not recognised Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of Independence (UDI). India and Serbia share converging views on many global issues and support each other in international fora. To mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, a jubilee stamp was issued jointly by the Serbian Foreign Ministry and Serbia Post in December 2023 as a token of friendship between the two countries. The image on the postal stamp is of the Victor monument in Belgrade and the Statue of Unity in India.
