Dacic meets with 18 foreign ministers on the first day of a visit to New York

18. Sep 2023.
On the first day of a visit to New York, Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic had bilateral meetings with foreign ministers of Cyprus, Nepal, Armenia, Burkina Faso and the United Arab Emirates, on the sidelines of the General Debate of the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly.

With Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos, Minister Dacic discussed further advancement of bilateral relations between the two friendly countries.

Dacic noted that Serbia attached special importance to intensifying and deepening the ties and cooperation with the Republic of Cyprus, which he said were based on firm friendship, mutual trust and historically proven closeness and solidarity between the two peoples.

The ministers reiterated their firm positions on support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia and Cyprus, as well as mutual satisfaction with the level of cooperation achieved in multilateral forums, especially in terms of the key foreign policy priorities of the two states. They expressed the expectation that political dialogue would be intensified further in the period to come through an exchange of high- and top-level bilateral visits.

Minister Kombos underlined that Cyprus supported Serbia's European path and that they were ready to provide technical and practical assistance in EU accession.

In the talks between the Head of Serbian diplomacy Dacic and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nepal Narayan Prakash Saud, the ministers agreed that the bilateral relations between the two countries were characterized by traditionally good relations and cooperation based on UN principles, as well as by long-standing friendly ties dating back to the Non-Aligned Movement.

Dacic expressed his gratitude to Nepal for its support on issues that were of the utmost importance for Serbia, above all for the principled position on non-recognition.

They agreed to organize bilateral visits in the near future and that the possibilities of promoting cooperation in the fields of agriculture, economy and investments, as well as cooperation between chambers of commerce, would be considered.

Furthermore, Minister Dacic had a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan, and the interlocutors discussed issues on the bilateral agenda.

Both sides noted the importance of high-level mutual visits, the continuation of discussions on issues of common interest with the aim of strengthening political dialogue and developing mutually beneficial ties.

Ivica Dacic and Ararat Mirzoyan also discussed regional stability issues.

The Head of Serbian diplomacy Dacic met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso Olivia Ragnaghnewendé Rouamba, on the sidelines of the general debate of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly.

The officials emphasized that the two countries were bound by traditional friendship and expressed their readiness to work on promoting cooperation in areas of common interest.

The ministers affirmed their interest in intensifying the political dialogue in the coming period, including through exchanges of high-level visits. They also agreed that there was significant room for enhancing cooperation in the fields of economy, industry, agriculture, education and culture, as well as for continuing cooperation on a multilateral level.

Minister Ivica Dacic also met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the margins of the general debate of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly.

The interlocutors agreed that the friendly and strategic ties between the two countries were developing very well, and expressed the hope that this positive momentum in relations would continue, especially through the exchange of visits at the high and top levels.

They also underlined that it was important that the promotion of bilateral relations at the political level be accompanied by a trend of intensifying economic and investment cooperation, which would be given additional impetus by the start of negotiations on the conclusion of a Free Trade Agreement. 

The two foreign ministers expressed their satisfaction with the successful cooperation at the multilateral level, through the exchange of support in international organizations, and in this context the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE congratulated Serbia on its selection as the host of the Specialized Exhibition EXPO 2027.

On the fringes of the general debate of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Minister Dacic also met with the foreign ministers of Hungary, Luxembourg, Palestine, Venezuela and Nicaragua.

Earlier, Minister Dacic attended a working breakfast with the heads of diplomacy of the countries of the Western Balkans, which was hosted by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy Antonio Tajani.

In addition to Minister Dacic, the working breakfast was attended by the heads of diplomacy of Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Croatia and Slovenia.

At the end of the first day in New York, the Head of Serbian diplomacy attended the receptions hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the Head of German diplomacy Annalena Baerbock, which was a good opportunity for constructive discussions.