Djuric: Serbia interested in advancement of its relationship with Israel

JERUSALEM - Serbian FM Marko Djuric said on Wednesday in Jerusalem Serbia was interested in advancement of its relationship with Israel and wanted to see growth and prosperity in that country.

At a press conference with Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa'ar, Djuric conveyed the best wishes of the people of Serbia and the Government and the president of Serbia to Israel.

He said the two sides were "working to advance our relationship, which is already very strong."

"Serbia has a good story to tell in this period. We are a country that has advanced economically very significantly," said Djuric, who began his address in Hebrew.

"We spoke, during our meeting, about cooperation in innovation, in the technology sphere. Serbia is at the forefront of economic growth in southeastern Europe, with a growth rate of about 4 pct. With a sprawling IT and software industry, Belgrade has become a hub for many hi-tech companies from the US, from elsewhere in Europe, and we want to partner with you in forging our future in this sphere. I believe that, in the economic sphere, there is so much we can do," he said.

"Serbia has had, and still has, a historic Jewish community, which is an incredibly valuable part and segment of our society, and I am proud to say that, upon the initiative of President Vucic, Serbia was the first county in Europe to adopt a law on restitution of heirless Jewish property," he said, noting that Serbia had been "the first country to do so, and that has delivered on that."

"We will continue to do everything to jointly commemorate, in this very important year - in which we mark the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazism and fascism - to commemorate the Holocaust, to commemorate all the victims of this totalitarian ideology, but also to make sure the ground is laid for the new generations to be aware so that mistakes from the past are not repeated and so that we jointly tackle the challenges of anti-Semitism, which is unfortunately, in our times, present in Europe and elsewhere. You can count on Serbia one hundred per cent on these issues, and more," Djuric said.

"Serbia wants to see growth and prosperity of Israel, and we want to see Israel present at the EXPO exhibition, and we want to thank you for agreeing to the presence at the EXPO exhibition, where your country will be able to showcase all the accomplishments to Europe and the world," he said.

"Belgrade will be a meeting place of countries from various regions and various continents. We are investing upwards of 17 bln US dollars in this project and invite you to be a part of it," Djuric added.

"We encourage the further influx of Israeli investments," he noted, adding that the meeting with Sa'ar had also addressed people-to-people exchange.

"We want to see a resumption of visits by Serbian tourists to Israel and Israeli tourists to Serbia," he said.

Djuric said he had also taken the opportunity to inform Israeli officials of the suffering and the plight of Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija, who he noted had faced "hardship and persecution."

He added that he had informed the Israeli FM of Belgrade's ambition to, "in a constructive way, keep maintaining stability in our region, which is essential for the safety of Europe."

Djuric said they had also discussed the situation in the Middle East, and reiterated that Serbia stood with and supported the people of Israel, adding that Serbia was especially sensitive to the hostage situation as many more people were still being held captive.

He appealed to all those who were able to to help the release of 24-year-old pianist Alon Ohel, a Serbian-Israeli citizen, and all other hostages kidnapped by Hamas.