Оn the occasion of the tragic event at the train station in Novi Sad on November 1, 2024, where fourteen people lost their lives and three were seriously injured, by the Decision of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, November 2, 2024 was declared a Day of Mourning throughout the territory of the Republic of Serbia. The Embassy also informs that in its premises, at the address Veliko Tarnovo 3 in Sofia, a Book of Condolences will be opened in the following terms:

Sunday, November 3, 2024, from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Monday, November 4, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Statements of condolence can also be sent electronically to: srb.emb.bulgaria@mfa.rs

On 8 of July, an event was organized at the Embassy of Serbia in Sofia in honor of Ambassador Jović and thanks for the many years of fruitful cooperation with the Embassy of Serbia in Sofia. The event was organized by the managers of the Center for Social Rehabilitation and Assistance to Children with Special Needs from Elin Pelin, KUD Kremikovci, Association "Mladi gvardejci", Association "Touch the rainbow", as well as Vocational High School "Princess Marija Lujza".

Through a mix of songs and dances, and an appropriate fashion show by young designers of the mentioned school, the participants thanked Ambassador Jović and the Embassy of Serbia in Sofia for the many years of cooperation. In his address to the audience, Ambassador Jović emphasized the importance of continuous care for young people and further investment in young people, because without them there is no future for our region. He also welcomed the efforts to actually expand the relations between the two countries and the two peoples through cultural cooperation between the youth.

During the mentioned event, the attendees were addressed by Denislava Angelova, head of the "Touch the rainbow" Association, Eli Cvetanova, director of the Center for Social Rehabilitation and Assistance to Children with Special Needs, and Mila Zaharijeva, former president of the "Business Lady Club" organization.

During his visit to Plovdiv, Ambassador Jović also met with Metropolitan Nikolaj of Plovdiv. This meeting was also attended by the honorary consul of the Russian Federation, G. Gergov, and of the Czech Republic, I. Sokolov.

Ambassador Jović, whose diplomatic mandate is coming to an end, expressed his respect for the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, thanked Metropolitan Nikolay of Plovdiv for all joint initiatives during his work in Bulgaria and expressed hope that relations between the two countries and peoples will continue to deepen.
 

In front of 3,000 people, representatives of public and political life in the Republic of Bulgaria, and representatives of the Diplomatic Corps, the Opera Carmen was performed at the Plovdiv Ancient Theater. The Plovdiv Symphony Orchestra was conducted by the maestro, Bojan Suđić, and the main role was bravuraly performed by our Ljubica Vraneš.

In addition to attending the opera, Ambassador Jović personally thanked maestro Suđić and Mrs. Vraneš for the energy and skill they showed, and for the worthy representation of the Republic of Serbia, and for the efforts to recognize culture as one of the key bridges between the two nations.
 

Ambassador Željko Jović gave an interview to the Bulgarian daily "24Chasa".
The aforementioned interview was also published on the internet presentation of the daily newspaper "24Chasa" and is available by clicking here.

After the procedures carried out and the final vote of the delegates of the great Church-People's Assembly, the new patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the recent bishop Danil of Vidin, was elected today in Sofia. The solemn ceremony was attended by numerous church delegations from all over the world, including Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the Serbian Orthodox Church was represented by Metropolitans of Niš, Arsenij and Hilarion of Timok.

At the final cocktail, Ambassador Jović personally congratulated the new patriarch, with the wish to promote the development of overall relations between the two countries and the two peoples through Christian love and deepened cooperation between the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the Serbian Orthodox Church.
 

In the presence of citizens of the Republic of Serbia who live and work in the Republic of Bulgaria, Vidovdan was solemnly celebrated at the Embassy of Serbia in Sofia. This was an opportunity for the ambassador to once again thank our diaspora for the fact that they, with their work, commitment, professionalism and behavior, represent Serbia in the best way in Bulgaria and that they are actually the best bridge between the two countries.

Among the numerous guests at the reception at the embassy were former Partizan football player Predrag Pažin and Miloš Jović, better known as Leo Martin. The reception itself was actually Ambassador Jovic's farewell meeting with our diaspora in Bulgaria.

The Balkan Wine Festival was traditionally held in Sofia, in which numerous wineries from the Balkans and the wider region took part, including those from Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, North Macedonia, Greece and Turkey.
As in previous years, Serbian wineries and Serbian wines had a prominent place, and their quality was recognized and verified through specific awards. The prize for the best dry white wine and the main prize of the festival went to the "Vinum" winery from Sremski Karlovci, the "Dumo" winery from Fruška Gora, for the best dry red wine and the "Despotika" winery from Smederevska Palanka for the best semi-dry wine. Ambassador Jović presented the awards to representatives of Serbian wineries.

In addition to numerous designers and participants from the region, their collections presented well-known Serbian creators Suzana Perić and Bata Spasojević. Suzana Perić opened the event with her new collection called "Posh Intelligence". The event that brought together designers from all over the Balkans was organized by "International Fashion Connection" (IFC).

As part of the event, Ambassador Jović presented awards to the mentioned Serbian creators. Suzana Perić received the prestigious award "VIP Brand International Fashion in Dubai", while Spasojević, who presented himself with the spring/summer collection "Art Must Go On", received an award for 30 years of successful work.
 

On the initiative of the students of the High School of Transport from Slivnica, a municipality located near the Serbian border, „Serbian Day“ was organized, which was attended by Ambassador Jović, the President of the Municipality of Slivnica, Vasko Stoilkov, the President of the Assembly of the Municipality of Slivnica, Milka Milanova, the principal, teachers and students of the mentioned school, and pupils from Pirot „Vocational High School“, led by the director Marija Ćirić.

During the event, the students of the Bulgarian school prepared a short cultural and artistic program, as well as an impressive presentation of Serbia and its sights and beauties. Addressing the audience, Ambassador Jović thanked for the wonderful initiative and the opportunity for children from two schools, two different countries, to meet and create conditions for further socializing and joint activities. The ambassador pointed out that he is particularly happy because such a manifestation is exactly what should happen every day, pointing out that the connections between people, between peoples, and especially between young generations of different nations, are perhaps the most important for the bright future of our region.

The ambassador pointed out that "our goal, both of the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Bulgaria, is for you to stay here, in Serbia, Bulgaria. Travel, get educated at universities, but come back. Without you, we have no future. It is very important to establish ties between the young people of the two countries, because that way you will understand each other better, you will learn from each other, you will break the prejudices that still exist much easier. Now, with the new highways in Serbia and Bulgaria, you can get from Sofia to Niš in three hours and 45 minutes. By the end of 2027, you will have the best conditions to travel, and to get to know each other. You just have to find reasons that will bring you together here and in Serbia. Make friends, learn, and above all be good people, because that's the most important thing in life."

On the tenth anniversary of the "Company of the Year" event, in the presence of numerous dignitaries from the public life of Bulgaria, as well as business representatives not only from Bulgaria but also from the wider region, awards were given to the companies that were the best in the field of marketing, management and innovation in the past year.

On that occasion, Ambassador Jović presented the awards to the director of the "Mercedes" company, Negovan Josifović, a Serbian citizen who has lived and worked in Sofia for several years, and the representative of the "Zepter Bulgaria" company, Milica Radulović.

The ambassador thanked the attendees and organizers for recognizing the qualities of Serbian companies and Serbian citizens who live and work in Bulgaria, and who thus contribute in the best way to spreading the reputation of Serbia and creating conditions for an even stronger connection between Serbia and Bulgaria.

In the presence of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Bulgaria, other high-ranking officials, numerous foreign delegations and representatives of Diplomatic Corps, the 16th International Fair "Hemus - Defense, Anti-Terrorism and Security" was officially opened today in Plovdiv.

The fair was also attended by Ambassador Jović and the defense attache of the Republic of Serbia, Lt. Col. Željko Simić, who through numerous contacts during the event presented the capacities and potentials of the Serbian defense industry and invited specific delegations to visit Serbia and establish closer contacts with our manufacturers.

At the 21st International Children's Ethno Festival "Children of the Balkans with the Spirituality of Europe" held in Haskovo, Bulgaria, the Choir and Ballet Studio of the Children's Cultural Center Belgrade won four medals - two special awards and third place in the categories Vocal ensembles pop, rock, jazz and Modern Ballet. The Ballet Studio presented itself with two choreographies, and the Choir with two choral numbers and one solo composition performed by Ljubica Stojkić.

The festival, which is held on the occasion of the celebration of June 1 - International Children's Day, is traditionally held on the Summer Theater Stage in the green oasis of the Mineral Spa near Haskovo.

The competition of vocal and dance groups from the Balkans - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Romania, North Macedonia, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Montenegro and from all regions of Bulgaria was followed by the Bulgarian national television, which recorded the Gala concert and the music competition of children from the Balkans. singing and dancing.

After an extremely successful performance at the festival in Haskovo, the young ambassadors of culture from the Children's Cultural Center Belgrade were honored guests of the Embassy of Serbia in Sofia.

In order to defend the interests of the Republic of Serbia, the delegation of the Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, led by acting head of the permanent delegation of the National Assembly of Serbia to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, MP, Nataša Jovanović, will participate in the spring session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Sofia. The Serbian delegation, which also includes MPs, prof. Phd. Zoran Dragišić and Goran Rakić, who was joined by the Ambassador of Serbia to NATO in Brussels, Branimir Filipović, also visited the Embassy of Serbia on that occasion.

Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia in Bulgaria, Ž. Jović introduced the parliamentarians to the most important activities of the Embasy of Serbia in Sofia, and aspects of the work and activities of the Serbian diaspora living and working in Bulgaria.

On May 15, 2024, in the organization of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia and the Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of Serbia, a presentation of brandy producers from the Republic of Serbia was held.

The presentation, held at the premises of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia, beside the representatives of the Agency for the Promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises of the Republic of Bulgaria (BSMEPA), was attended by the largest importers of alcoholic beverages in Bulgaria, owners of restaurants and retail establishments, who had the opportunity to meet with the most eminent brandy producers from the Republic of Serbia. 15 distilleries were presented at the presentation, including representatives of the following companies: "Gorda", "Stara Sokolova", "Zarić", "Lazar", "Bosiljčić", "Sena Spirit", and others.

During the presentation, B2B meetings were held where the possibilities of future cooperation between representatives of the companies of the two countries were discussed, after which the guests were invited to join a cocktail.

Ambassador Jović, like every year for Easter, visited the children at the Center for Social Rehabilitation and Integration in Elin Pelin, and presented them with special gifts.

Ambassador Jović was informed about the numerous activities that the management and employees of the Center have conducted, and also about the new equipment that will enable the key goals of this institution to be carried out in a professional manner for the maximum benefit of the children, in the forthcoming period.

Also, in honor of the ambassador, children performed a short cultural and artistic program.

On a school day, Ambassador Jović visited the 102nd Primary School "Panajot Volov" in Sofia, and great friends of the Embassy of Serbia and the ambassador himself. From 2022 in this school, the Serbian language is studied on an optional basis. Serbian classes are taught from the sixth grade, and the trend of interested people is increasing.

In addition to other topics, the ambassador spoke with the school director, as well as with other managers and teachers, on the topic of cross-border projects, and in the context of the possibility that this school, together with a similar school from the border municipalities of the Republic of Serbia, apply for funding for a specific project, which would improve the conditions in which children are educated in this school. In addition, the possibility of connecting this school with the primary school in Dimitrovgrad and some of the primary schools in Belgrade was considered, with the aim of bringing children together and further strengthening the ties between the two nations.

As part of the activities of the Club of Ambassadors who speak the Bulgarian language, Ambassador Jović visit the Saxoburgotic Royal Family yesterday.

The meeting was held in the Crow Palace, the royal residence where the heritage and memories of the Saxoburg royal family are kept. The ambassadors were hosted by Simeon II of Saxe-Coburg and his wife, Margarita Gómez Asebo.

Among the very interesting exhibits, a special place is occupied by the photographs of Simeon's father, Tsar Boris III, during his visits to Belgrade and meetings with representatives of the Serbian (Yugoslav) royal family.

As part of Francophonie Days, on March 23, 2024, the 30th anniversary of the French Faculty "ESFAM" was marked in Sofia.

On that occasion, the ballerinas of the "Ruzica" Ballet Studio introduced themselves to the audience with the performace "Podibarski zal", which was also attended by Ambassador Željko Jović.

On March 23, 2024 organized by the Municipality of Svoga and the Ambassador of Mongolia, in the presence the representatives of the diplomatic corps, the Parliament of the Republic of Bulgaria and public figures, St. Theodore’s Day was celebrated.

Namely, St. Theodore is considered the patron saint of livestock, especially horses, and horse races are traditionally organized from there in Bulgaria on that day. Bearing in mind the importance attached to horses in Mongolia, this time the race was organized with the cooperation of the Ambassador of Mongolia and the President of the Municipality of Svoga. Considering the long-term cooperation and friendship of the Embassy of Serbia with the Municipality of Svoge and the President of the Municipality, Emil Ivanov, the event was also attended by Ambassador Ž. Jovic.

On March 21, in Sofia, the political party „ABV“, organized a Conference "25 years since the bombing of Yugoslavia“. On that occasion, the ABV party leader, Rumen Petkov, Professor Ljubomir Halačev, journalists Velislava Dareva and Tatjana Dončeva, Bulgarian parliamentarian in 1999, (both speakers visited Serbia at the time of the bombing and personally participated in the protests in Serbia and Bulgaria, against the aggression against the FRY), as well as the former president of Bulgaria, Georgi Prvanov, and the ambassador of Serbia, Željko Jović, attended the event.

All the speakers pointed to the enormous destruction of infrastructure and a large number of civilian victims, including children, as well as the negative effects that the aforementioned aggression, without a foothold in international public law, still has today. Ambassador Jović thanked the organizers and attendees for their initiative, for the support of the majority of attendees during the period of aggression against our country, as well as for remembering and honoring all our victims, especially innocent civilians and our children.

The Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia sends:

CALL FOR OFFERS
in the process of procurement of high value - Implementation of Phase II of the Reconstruction and Restoration Project of the Serbian Military Cemetery 1912-1919 in Sofia

For more information please click here.
 

On March 13th the jubilee 40th International Tourism Fair "Holiday and SPA Expo 2024" was officially opened in Sofia. After the ceremonial opening, Ambassador Jović, accompanied by the Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria, Zarica Dinkova, visited the Serbian stand, where Tourist Organisation of Serbia, Tourist Organisation of Belgrade and numerous municipalities, cities, and interesting and receptive tourist destinations in Serbia were presented with their diverse offer.

By the end of the fair, it is planned to present the advantages, beauty and interesting things of Serbia to interested Bulgarian citizens as well as local tourist organizations through direct contact, with the aim of attracting an even greater number of Bulgarian tourists and their determination to visit the Republic of Serbia, which they traditionally and very favourably consider as a tourist destination.

On March 6, 2024, in cooperation with the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Commerce (BCCI), and in the organization of the National Industrial Club and the Bulgarian Defense Industry Association, a business forum was held with representatives of business entities from the Republic of Bulgaria.

The forum was opened by the president of BCCI, C. Simeonov, and ambassador Ž. Jović. The co-chairman of the Nišava Euroregion, V. Tošić, held a presentation on the implementation of the Dual Professional Training program, with a special focus on cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Bulgaria. Also, the representatives of Chamber of Commerce from Pirot and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Niš participated in the forum.

Ambassador Ž. Jović presented the current business climate in the Republic of Serbia, and particularly emphasized the results in terms of the development of road and other infrastructure, as a prerequisite for further investments and even faster economic development. Ambassador Jović also pointed to the openness and willingness of the Embassy to provide assistance to interested Bulgarian companies within its competences and capabilities, with the aim of achieving possible cooperation with Serbian companies. First counsellor, M. Sekulić, presented to the economic cooperation between the two countries, as well as the current legal regulations and all the potential benefits that can help foreign investors to opt for the Republic of Serbia in their business concepts. In this context, he presented the trends of the Serbian GDP over the past few years, and the international assessment of the credit rating and other indicators of the success of the Serbian economy.

On February 28, in the organization of the "Touch the Rainbow" Association, which deals with humanitarian work for children and young people, an exhibition of the young artist Kalojan was organized in the Parliament of the Republic of Bulgaria, called "Endless Fantasy".

The exhibition was attended by the Vice-President of the Parliament, Rosica Kirova, who addressed the audience. The key message of the gathering was that will and strength of mind conquer everything and that there are no diseases and problems that can overcome smile and joy, as well as that together we must pay more attention to the education and support of the generations to come.
 

Under the auspices of Mariya Gabriel, Deputy prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and organized by the NGO "More Women in Politics", on February 28, in the residence of the ambassador of Morocco and the dean of diplomatic corps, an event on the topic "Women, peace and security" was held.

In the company of M. Gabriel and representatives of the public life and business community in the Republic of Bulgaria, the event was also attended by Ambassador Željko Jović.

In addition to the emphasis on the further struggle for women's rights and their greater presence in politics and in important leadership positions in the state system, students from the University of Sofia, participants in the "Ambassador for a Day" project, presented themselves to the audience.

In the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia, on February 15, 2024, a formal reception was held on the occasion of the Statehood Day of the Republic of Serbia.

The reception was attended by representatives of almost all institutions of the Republic of Bulgaria, representatives of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, as well as presidents of numerous Bulgarian municipalities, heads of districts, directors of public companies, prominent figures from public life, as well as citizens of the Republic of Serbia who live and work in the Republic of Bulgaria. Ambassador Ž. Jović addressed the guests in an appropriate speech.

Representatives of tourist organizations from Leskovac, Babušnica, Pirot and Dimitrovgrad were also present at the reception, who presented products characteristic of their municipalities, primarily food and drinks.

Today, Ambassador Jović visited the Municipality of Samokov. On that occasion, he visited several companies that already have cooperation with international companies and are present on Serbian market, or are interested in establishing business contacts with interested business entities from Serbia.

Also, the ambassador held a meeting with the new mayor of the municipality, Angel Djorgov, with whom he discussed the possible improvement of cooperation in the field of tourism, as for Serbian tourists, the Borovec ski center is one of the favorite destinations. In addition to the above, possibilities for expanding cooperation in the field of business as well as sports and education were discussed, and Djagarov expressed his interest in twinning with one of the similar Serbian municipalities.

Ambassador Željko Jović has again this year traditionally presented New Year's packages to the children of the citizens of the Republic of Serbia who live and work in Bulgaria. The children and their parents were guests at the Embassy of Serbia in Sofia, which organized the distribution with the support and donation of the Zepter Company in Bulgaria.

From the 17th  - 20th   January, Ambassador Jović visited the Rhodopes, one of the largest mountain massifs in the Republic of Bulgaria. During his visit to this region, he held several meetings with the leadership of local administratives, primarily with the presidents of the Municipality of Chepelara, Boran Hadjiev and the Municipality of Smolyan, Nikolay Melemov. Also, together with the Minister of Sports of the Republic of Bulgaria, Dimitar Iliev, and the Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria, Zarica Dinkova, ambassador Jovic attended the ceremonial opening of the world cup in snowboarding, which took place in one of the three largest winter centers in Bulgaria, Pamporovo.

In addition to the above, in the organization of the Embassy of Serbia in the Republic of Bulgaria, the commemoration of the Epiphany and the traditional swiming were also organized this year. In addition to Defense attache, Lt. Col. Željko Simić, and dozens of Serbian citizens who entered the River Smolyan with the ambassador, the event was attended by the crew of the Triangl production company, Tamara Grujić, as well as the hosts of the new show "Skiing the Balkans", Tijana Dapčević and Igor Lazić Nigor.

Minister of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Bulgaria, Dimitar Iliev and the director general of the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA), Kiril Valchev, today presented the "Sportsman of the Balkans" award, which was won this year by Serbian tennis player Novak Djoković. The award is in the name of N. Djoković was received by Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia, Željko Jović.

After the awards ceremony, in front of the gathered media from the whole region, Ambassador Jović thanked on behalf of Novak Djoković and the Djoković family, as well as on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the citizens of Serbia. Also, the ambassador thanked BTA and media representatives for their efforts, work and attention, which are focused on the promotion of sports, as one of the key prerequisites for the development of a healthy nation and the education of young people on the right values.
 

In the company of Deputy Minister for Regional Development, Angelina Todorova Boneva, Ambassador Jović participated on 20.12. at the Conference "Europe in the Balkans: Common Future". The event itself was organized by the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA) and supported by the European Commission. During the Conference numerous topics related to regional cooperation, as well as the role and modalities of further, stronger and better engagement and presence of the EU in the Balkans were discussed.

In his address to the audience, Ambassador Jović emphasized the necessity of further development of road and other infrastructure, in order to provide citizens of the region not only a better life, but also the opportunity to travel and get to know each other, as a prerequisite for breaking certain prejudices and creating a basis for the further accelerated development of each individual Balkan state.

In this sense, the ambassador particularly emphasized the negative effects of the demographic fall and depopulation of the Balkans, and the importance of maintaining political and economic stability and maximum security of the entire region, as a prerequisite for retaining young people and returning the demographic scale to a positive level.

The ambassadors of the Republic of Bulgaria in Romania and North Macedonia, as well as numerous high-ranking officials of several ministries of the Republic of Bulgaria, took part in the Conference.

Today, Ambassador Jović attended a working breakfast with the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, which was organized for Bulgarian-speaking ambassadors.

In addition to the possibility of helping to spread the Bulgarian culture and language, as a bridge with other, primarily Slavic nations, the current political situation in the Republic of Bulgaria and the security situation on the global level were discussed at the meeting.

On December 1, 2023, in Sofia, the Tourist Organization Belgrade - TOB, in cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia, presented the tourism potential of Serbia and Belgrade, with a special emphasis on cultural manifestations and events.

The event was opened by Ambassador Željko Jović, assistant director of TOB, Slobodan Unković, and the owner of one of the largest travel agencies in Bulgaria, "Bohemia", Bajko Bajkov. Ambassador Jović pointed out the importance of cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Bulgaria, especially in the field of tourism, and stated that it is precisely through high-quality and strong ties between the citizens of the two countries, which promote tourism, that overall bilateral relations between of the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Bulgaria are developing.
Also, Ambassador Jović pointed out that the excellent road infrastructure, the fact that you can get from Belgrade to Sofia (and vice versa) in less than 4 hours, is of great importance in the obviously visible increase in the number of Bulgarian tourists in Serbia. In this regard, he noted that with the strategic determination and efforts of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, and with the support of the President of Serbia, A. Vučić, the Republic of Serbia has built over 400 km of highways and expressways since 2012.

Ambassador Jović expressed his expectations and hope that in the coming period an even greater number of Bulgarian brothers and friends will visit Serbia and come to enjoy good food, music, the beauty of our country and the hospitality of our people.

The promotion of Belgrade in Sofia was joined by the tourist organizations of Niš, Sokobanja and Dimitrovgrad, as well as numerous representatives of hotels and spa centers from Serbia.

After the presentations, the representatives of the tourism business entities of the two countries held individual (B2B) meetings and exchanged information of mutual interest, with the aim of achieving possible future business cooperation. The structure of the companies was primarily from the domain of hotels, catering and spa tourism.

On November 24, 2023, Ambassador Željko Jović met with the Minister of Innovation and Development of the Republic of Bulgaria, Milena Stojcheva. During the meeting, the ambassador presented the past successes of the Republic of Serbia in the field of digitization, innovation and development of science, and emphasized the firm commitment of the Republic of Serbia and its competent institutions to base their strategy of further development on a strong and dedicated engagement in the field of science, the development of innovative technologies and their connection with key spheres of society.

Minister Stojcheva expressed similar views and pointed to the activities of the Republic of Bulgaria and its ministry, and highlighted her personal initiative to organize a regional conference in Sofia in mid-February next year, at which the possibilities of establishing concrete cooperation in the mentioned areas would be considered, among related ministries and competent institutions of regional states, in order to create a stronger competitive ability of our region and opportunities for further, stronger and faster development.

On November 12, 2023, in the premises of the Embassy, the St. King Milutin`s Day was celebrated, in the presence of a large number of Serbs who work and live in the Republic of Bulgaria, guests from the Serbian Orthodox Church and Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

Previously, the ambassador and employees of the Embassy attended the Holy Liturgy in the St. Nedelya Church in Sofia, after which wreaths were placed by Ambassador Jović and State Secretary from the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Veterans of the Republic of Serbia, Dejan Antić.

On November 11, 2023, at the Serbian Military Cemetery in Sofia, wreaths were laid to honor fallen Serbian heroes from the First World War and the Armistice Day the was marked.

The commemoration of Armistice Day and the laying of wreaths were attended by employees of the Embassy of Serbia in Sofia, representatives of Serbian citizens who live and work in Sofia, as well as members of the Society for Preserving Serbian Traditions from Nis. This year's commemoration of this important day was held without the presence of other representatives of the diplomatic corps, due to the commensing of work on the reconstruction of the cemetery and arrangement of the plot, done in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Veterans of the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

Also, on November 12, the state secretary of the aforementioned ministry, Dejan Antić, visited the cemetery with Ambassador Jović, paid homage to the fallen Serbian heroes, and got an insight into the ongoing reconstruction works.

This year also in the Sofia Church of Saint Nedelya, the relics of St. King Milutin are traditionally dressed, the relics are in the area of the city of Sofia for more than 550 years. Around 1460, the body of the Serbian king was transferred from the Banjska monastery, first to Trepča and then to Sofia, in order to prevent it from being physically endangered before the onslaught of the Ottoman Empire's army.

In the organization of the Embassy of Serbia and the Holy Metropolis of Sofia, led by the Vicar of Sofia and Bishop of Belogradchik, Polikarp, as in the past three years, after the changing of the dressing, a lithic with the relics of St. King Milutin, passed through the central streets of Sofia. In addition to numerous believers from Serbia, Republika Srpska, Montenegro and Bulgaria, the event was also attended by children from the „Babušnica“ Ensemble from Babušnica. Last year's clothes were taken to the church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Nemenikuće on Kosmaj.
 

In the period from October 27 to 28, the international conference "Balkans after 1204" was organized in Sofia, in cooperation with the Institute of History BAN and the Department of Byzantine History of the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade. On the Serbian side, the conference was attended by prof. Dr. Jelena Erdeljan, prof. Dr. Vlada Stanković, Assoc. Dr. Dragoljub Marjanović and Assoc. Dr. Dejan Gašic. On October 28 the official opening of the conference was also attended by Ambassador Ž. Jović.

In addition to the opportunity for the professional as well as the general lay public to become familiar with the specific details of the mentioned period of Balkan history, this was an opportunity to further strengthen the ties between the prestigious Serbian and Bulgarian scientific institutions, and in this way to contribute to the strengthening of the overall ties between two states and two peoples.
 

On October 26, Ambassador Željko Jović met with the Minister of Interior of the Republic of Bulgaria, K. Stoyanov. On that occasion, issues related to bilateral and regional cooperation were discussed, as well as joint measures to secure the common border and combat illegal migration.

In this sense, the interlocutors stated readiness to strengthen operational cooperation and intensify direct communication between specific organizational units of the two ministries. Also, possibilities for facilitating traffic across the common border were considered, especially during the summer months when it is the most intense.
 

On October 15th, ambassador Ž. Jović, in the company of the legendary ex-football player of Real Madrid, Emilio Butragen and Angelina Nikolova, former Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria, attended a humanitarian dinner, organized by the "Real Madrid" Foundation and the "Friends of Sport" Foundation, with the aim of supporting the social school of sports in Vidin.

Social sports schools of the "Real Madrid" Foundation are implemented through an international cooperation program, and are focused on supporting the education and spiritual development of minorities living in difficult conditions around the world, as well as promoting the development of cooperation on all continents, in cooperation with leading NGOs and specialized organizations.

On October10 2023. representatives of delegations from the Republic of Serbia, State Secretary of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, Miodrag Ivanović and Head of the Sector for Contemporary Creativity, Mladen Vesković held a meeting with the Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of Bulgaria, Chavdar Georgiev and members of the Bulgarian delegation.

The Serbian side, in addition to the continuation of cooperation within the framework of the protection of cultural heritage, also proposed the intensification of cooperation in the areas of: Cinematography, through the incentive program for the production of audio-visual works, the Forum of Slavic Cultures, etc. They also proposed to intensify cooperation in the field of visual arts (exhibitions of contemporary artists) as well as in the field of combating illegal trade of art works. Two sides agreed that in the following period, a new proposal for the "Program of cultural cooperation“ between the two Ministry`s for the period 2023-2025 will be signed.

The aforementioned meeting was also attended by Amb. Z. Jović, who proposed several topics to the Bulgarian side, which could be realized by joint efforts by the end of this year.
 

Ambassador Željko Jović attended the opening ceremony of the "Trebenishte" exhibition, which was held at the National Archaeological Museum in Sofia on October 9, 2023. year, on the occasion of marking the 105th anniversary of the Necropolis.The representatives of the National Museum of the Republic of Serbia, the Archaeological Museum of the Republic of Serbia and the National Archaeological Institute and Museum of the Republic of Bulgaria actively participated in the organization of the exhibition, which was held in the Republic of North Macedonia last year, and which will be held in the Republic of Serbia next year. The three parties signed an Agreement on the rental of exhibits, which are used at exhibitions in order to provide the opportunity for the citizens of their country to become familiar with exceptional historical and cultural values.

The exhibition was opened by the deputy Presdinet of the Republic of Bulgaria, Iliana Jotova, and the director of the National Archaeological Institute and Museum of the Republic of Bulgaria, Hristo Popov, and the guests were addressed by the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Bulgaria, Krstyu Krstev, the President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Julian Revalski, the Deputy Minister of Culture Republic of North Macedonia, Daim Luchi, State Secretary of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, Miodrag Ivanović, Director of the National Museum of the Republic of Serbia, Bojana B. Brešković and Director of the Archaeological Museum in Skopje, Slavica Babamova.

In her address, I. Jotova thanked the scientists and museum experts for their efforts and dedication in order to realize the exhibition, and pointed out that it is proof of how good neighborly relations are built through science, and which are left to future generations, adding that "the world needs them lessons of the past to know how to build the future".

The event was attended by members of the Republic of North Macedonia and Republic of Serbia delegations, numerous representatives from accredited Diplomatic corps in Bulgaria, representatives of scientific institutions of the Republic of Bulgaria, and on behalf of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia, the event was attended by the ambassador, Željko Jović and first counsellor Miodrag Sekulić.

On September 23, ambassador Ž. Jović attended the "Gardens of the World" event, which was officially opened by the Mayor of Pazardzik, Todor Popov and the legendary Bulgarian football player, Hristo Stoichkov.

The project was implemented under the auspices of the Municipality of Pazardzik, the organization "Peace Run", the association "Touch the rainbow" and the association "Youth Sports Club Pazardzik", and carries a message of peace and solidarity. Also, the project aims to present the world's regions through trees, plants, etc. Each participating country is assigned a part in the "Freedom" park-island, on which, in addition to state symbols (flag and map), specific vegetation of that country is planted. Apart from the Republic of Serbia, the event was participated by Morocco, Greece, Georgia, Turkey, the Vatican, Italy, Palestine, Iraq and other countries.

After the official opening ceremony, the organizers and participants visited the "gardens" of all countries, and Amb. Z. Jović, together with the vice-president of the Nationa Assebmlz of the Republic of Bulgaria, R. Kirova, the Mayor of the city of Pazardzik, T. Popov and the football player, H. Stoičkov, opened the Serbian garden (which was planted with the logistical support of the Honorary Consuls, Mitko and Anastasia Solakov).

On September 20, 2023, in the organization of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia, the Regional Agency for the Development of Eastern Serbia - RARIS from Zaječar and the Rural Tourism Cluster "Magic of the East", a presentation of the tourist offer and potential of Eastern Serbia was held.

The presentation, which was held at the premises of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia, was attended by the director of the Agency for the Promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises of the Republic of Serbia (BSMEPA), Bojko Takov, in addition to representatives of travel agencies from the Republic of Bulgaria. Also, the event was attended by numerous media, among others the Bulgarian National Television (BNT), which broadcasted a program on the tourist offer of Eastern Serbia in the evening edition of its daily news.

The event was opened by Ambassador Z. Jović, where he pointed out that tourism is a very important factor in international relations, especially when it comes to neighboring countries, like the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Bulgaria. In this regard, he added that a large number of Bulgarian tourists visit Serbia and vice versa, and that this is the best way "how the two peoples get to know each other even better". Amb. Jović added that it is expected that another border crossing (Kadibogaz, the passage between Belogradchik and Knjaževac) will be opened by 2025, which will contribute to the development of tourist and economic potential for the border regions.

After the presentation of the tourist offer of Eastern Serbia, the municipalities: Majdanpek, Kladovo, Negotin, Sokobanja, Knjaževac, Boljevac and the cities of Bor and Zaječar, series of bilateral meetings of representatives of the tourism industry of Eastern Serbia and travel agencies from Bulgaria were held, where they discussed the future cooperation.

On September 16, 2023, Ambassador Jović attended a basketball tournament in Pleven, in which basketball players from the "Čačak 94" team participated. In addition to attending the tournament, the ambassador met with the mayor of Pleven, Georgi Spartanski.

In the company of the former mayor and former minister of internal affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, and today the leader of the ABV party, the ambassador visited the monument Panorama "The Epic of Pleven in 1877", where he signed the book of impressions and paid tribute to the fallen Bulgarians, Russians and Romanians, who fought against the army of the Ottoman Empire in the famous Battle of Pleven in 1877.

On September 14, at the Plovdiv International Fair, the 77th International Technical Fair was officially opened, in which, in addition to numerous exhibitors from the Republic of Bulgaria, the region and the world, representatives of the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia also participated. After the fair was officially opened by the Minister of Economy and Industry of the Republic of Bulgaria, Bogdan Bogdanov, in the presence of the mayor of Plovdiv and representatives of diplomatic corps, the guests of the fair were introduced to the exhibitors and their stands.

Ambassador Jović, at the Serbian stand, in the company of the honorary consuls of Serbia in the Republic of Bulgaria, Mitko and Anastasia Solakov, as well as the director of the Niš Regional Chamber of Commerce, A. Milićević, introduced to Minister Bogdanov the potential of the Serbian economy and areas where further and better development of cooperation is possible.
 

Under the auspices of Mariya Gabriel, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, in the Roman Amphitheater in Plovdiv, a big concert was held by the Bulgarian singer Krasi Avramov, in which several famous world and Bulgarian stars took part, as well as the BNR symphony orchestra.

In the company of several ministers and high-ranking officials of the Republic of Bulgaria, the concert and celebration after it was attended by Ambassador Jović. During the ambassador's cordial conversation with K. Avramov, the possibility of organizing the same concert in Niš or Belgrade with the assistance of the RTS symphony orchestra was also discussed.
 

On September 12, Ambassador Jović, in the company of Stefan Stojkov, President of the Council of the Bulgarian National Minority in Serbia, attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition entitled "Shadows" by the painter Velchо Velchev in the "Stubel" Art Gallery in Sofia. Velchev is a citizen of the Republic of Serbia from Dimitrovgrad, and has been living and creating in Spain for years.

On this occasion, Ambassador Jović emphasized the importance of culture as one of the most important bonds between the Bulgarian and Serbian people, and thanked the owners of the aforementioned gallery for the opportunity for the citizens of Sofia to see the beautiful works of Velchev.

Ambassador Jović, as a special guest of the Mayor of the Municipality of Chepelare, Boran Hadjiev, attended the 10th Congress of Balneology and Spa Tourism, which was held in Pamporovo, one of the three largest ski centers in Bulgaria.

The congress was held under the motto "The growing potential of health tourism - a priority in the national policy of Bulgaria". On that occasion, with the Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria, I. Georgiev, and the president of the European SPA Association, P. Dubois, noted the significant presence of Serbian tourists in the Republic of Bulgaria, Ambassador Jović discussed the possibilities of joint action between Serbia and Bulgaria, towards third parties, in the field of health and spa tourism.

On July 22 Ambassador Jović and Defense attache, Lt. Col. Željko Simić, attended the traditional people's assembly at Kadibogaz, a pass between the Bulgarian Municipality of Belogradčik and the Serbian Municipality of Knjaževac. This assembly, in addition to its tourist significance for the entire region on both sides of the border, which inherits this tradition for almost 100 years, is, above all, important because every year it makes visible the bonds that grow between Serbian and Bulgarian citizens. On that day, a temporary border crossing opens and people move from one country to another without restrictions, enjoying good food, specific specialties of this region, products of folk handicrafts, folk music, songs and joy.

This year, at the ceremonial opening of the Parliament, the present citizens were addressed by Ambassador Jović, Deputy President of the Knjaževac Municipality Assembly, Igor Stevanović, Head of Vidin District, Ivo Atanasov and President of Belogradčik Municipality, Boris Nikolov. In his speech, Ambassador Jović highlighted the efforts made by both sides to open a permanent border crossing, Novo Korito - Salaš, in the following period.
 

After the recent appointment of M. Gabriel to the position of Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, Ambassador Jović realized a courtesy meeting with the appointee. During the meeting, ambassador conveyed to M. Gabriel the congratulations and greetings of the highest Serbian officials and wished her luck and success in her further work.

Modalities for further development and improvement of the existing cooperation were also discussed. The interlocutors agreed that there are numerous areas that, in addition to existing and planned joint projects, can contribute to the development of relations between two states and two peoples, but also to better involvement of Serbia in specific EU projects, primarily in the field of digitization and education.
 

Paratroopers of the 63rd Parachute Brigade from Niš participated in the second round of the regional parachute competition, called "Eastern European Target Jump Cup", in the period from July 6 to 9, 2023, at the Erden Sports Airport. The immediate organizer and host of the competition was Aeroclub Montana and its president Angel Stamenov, with the support of the company "AVA Sky Ltd". Eight teams from the Republic of Bulgaria, the Republic of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, the Republic of Hungary, and the Republic of Poland took part in the competition.

On Saturday, July 8, the members of the Serbian Armed Forces participating in the competition were visited by the ambassador, Željko Jović, accompanied by the defense attache, Lieutenant Colonel Željko Simić. Members of the Parachute Team of the Serbian Armed Forces introduced the ambassador to the aviation sports discipline "jump to the target", the purpose and importance of participating in the competition. After the end of the competition day, the ambassador performed his first jump (tandem) with members of the Parachute Team of the 63rd Brigade, symbolically becoming a member of this great family. By the way, our paratroopers won the individual first place and the second place in the group competition at this competition.

Ambassador Jović visitet Bosilegrad on 07 July, where he, accompanied by the Minister of Health of Serbia, D. Grujičić, and the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China, Chen Bo, attended the ceremony of handing over ten ambulances for eight health institutions, including the Health Center in Bosilegrad. This donation will greatly contribute to a higher level of health care for all citizens of Bosilegrad, most of whom are of Bulgarian origin.

In addition to the above, Ambassador Jović and Minister Grujicić also considered some concrete possibilities for the development of cooperation between the Ministry of Health of Serbia and the Ministry of Health of Bulgaria, with the aim of creating even better conditions in healthcare in the Bosilegrad area.
 

Less than a year after the unfortunate event and the big traffic accident in which many children from Serbia were injured last year, and when great help and support was provided by doctors, the municipal administration and ordinary citizens of Stara Zagora, ambassador Željko Jović visited the UMBAL hospital. Prof. Dr. Stojan Kirković" in Stara Zagora, where he met with the director of the hospital, Dr. Jovčo Jovčev.

During the visit and tour of the hospital, the ambassador expressed his deep gratitude to all the doctors and medical workers who provided emergency medical assistance and treatment to the victims of the accident, which happened in August last year on the "Trakia" highway.

On July 6, Ambassador Ž. Jović visited Stara Zagora, where, during the summer musical evenings, he met with the director of the mentioned opera, Ognjan Draganov, and the great Serbian and world-famous baritone, Željko Lučić, who, on the same day, performed in the main role, in the opera "The Troubadour". During the meeting, Ambassador Jović pointed out the importance of culture and art, as the best foundation for further deepening of relations between Serbia and Bulgaria.

In this sense, the ambassador expressed great satisfaction that the Republic of Serbia and its culture will be presented by Mr. Lučić, who is a welcome guest in Bulgaria.

Yesterday, in Sofia in front of the National Palace of Culture, an award ceremony for the best wines was held on the occasion of the 12th Balkan wine festival "The Balkans International Wine Competition and Festival 2023" (BIWCF).

This year, wine producers from the Republic of Serbia won two awards. Despoika winery "Nemir 2022" won the best semi-dry wine, and Vinčić winery "Grand Fru 2020, Grašac, Fruška Gora" won the award for the best white wine.

The event was also attended by Ambassador Ž. Jović, who expressed his gratitude to the organizers for the invitation and emphasized the importance of the mentioned event, primarily in terms of strengthening economic relations between the countries of the Western Balkans. On this occasion, Ambassador Jović also invited all present wine producers and distributors to register and actively attend the Second International Wine Fair "Wine Vision Open Balkans", which will be held in the period from November 16 to 19, 2023, in Belgrade, and visited the stands with the exhibitors.

On June 22 of this year, Ambassador Ž. Jović attended the 29th Congress of the European Rhinology Society, which was held as part of the 40th Congress of the International Society for Inflammation and Allergy (ISIAN).

Within the scientific program, new knowledge and practical clinical applications were presented, primarily in the domain of the use of diagnostic and therapeutic devices. In this regard, the congress participants exchanged experiences from the field of rhinology in working sessions, and lectures were held in otorhinolaryngology and related specialties (allergy, immunology, oncology), where surgical and technological innovations were also presented.

The event was attended by representatives from the Republic of Serbia, who after the congress visited the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia.

On June 17, Ambassador Z. Jović attended the 14th National Hunting Assembly dedicated to the 125th anniversary of the National Hunting and Fishing Society "Union of Hunters and Fishermen in Bulgaria", which was held in "Kabijuška Korija", near the town of Shumen.

The meeting, which was visited by about ten thousand people, was opened by the president of the Shumen municipality, Ljubomir Hristov, and the welcoming speeches were made by the ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the Republic of Bulgaria, Ž. Jović, Tamaš Margescu, representative of the International Council for Hunting and Protection, Sai Griffin, representative of the Federation of European Hunting Associations, Lado Bradac, President of the Hunting Association of Slovenia, Srećko Žerjav, Vice President of the Hunting Association of Slovenia, Ivica Budur, President of the Croatian Hunting Association, Imrich Shuba, Executive President of the Hunting Association of Slovakia, Vlatko Aleksovski, President of the Republic of North Macedonia Hunting Association, Bratislav Ćirković, President of the National Hunting Organization of Serbia and Zoran Aleksić, President of the Pirot Hunting Association. Also, during the opening ceremony of the assembly, Metropolitan Joan of Varna and Veliko Preslav consecrated the flags of hunting associations.

The Parliament was also attended by numerous representatives of the state institutions of the Republic of Bulgaria, including the Vice-President of the National Assembly, Rosica Kirova. Congratulations were also sent by the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rosen Želyazkov, District Chief of Shumen, Hrista Hristova, Member of the European Parliament, Iskra Mihailova, Commander of the Joint Command Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria, General Valery Colov, as and managers of state forestry organizations.

In Sofia, from June 14 to 16, 2023, the Workshop "Resolving Labor Disputes - Partnership for Knowledge of Best Practices" was organized by the National Institute for Conciliation and Arbitration of the Republic of Bulgaria (NIPA), which was opened by Ambassador Ž. Jović. Representatives of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes of the Republic of Serbia took part in the working meeting with representatives of NIPA.

The main topic of the workshop was focused on the identification of similarities and differences in dispute resolution procedures and opportunities for cooperation in a potential joint project within the program INTERREG VI-A IPA Bulgaria-Serbia, 2021-2027.

Given that the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Bulgaria have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the prevention and resolution of labor disputes, the mentioned event provided another opportunity to strengthen long-standing inter-institutional cooperation and friendship.

The final of the open programming competition "CodeIT" was held in Sofia in the period June 10-12, and was organized by the Bulgarian software company "Musala Soft", in which elementary school and high school students from Sombor, Republic of Serbia participated.

In the final ranking list of winners, participants from the Republic of Serbia placed from fourth to eighth place: 4. Aleksandar Gubica, student of the "Veliko Petrović" high school from Sombor, 5. Viktor Lučić, student of the "Avram Mrazović" elementary school from Sombor , 6. Nemanja Maiski, 7. Vedran Baić, students and 8. Duško Obradović, teacher of the "Veljko Petrović" high school. In the junior class, the fourth place was won by Veljko Galović, a student of the "Avram Mrazović" elementary school from Sombor.

Representatives from the Cabinet of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, and the Polish Embassy in Sofia were present at the ceremony announcing the winners, and our participants were congratulated by the Ambassador of Serbia in Sofia, Željko Jović.

On June 8, 2023, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to Bulgaria Željko Jović and the Defence Attaché of the Republic of Serbia in Bulgaria Željko Simić, attended this year's live shooting of targets in the airspace at the training ground "Shabla" in the Republic of Bulgaria "Shabla-2023", which was, after training, carried out by members of the Serbian Armed Forces and the Bulgarian Army.

The official delegation of the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Army, which attended the event, was led by the State Secretary in the Ministry of Defense, Nemanja Starović.

The demonstration combat shooting was preceded by the preparations of combat units for anti-aircraft operations at the "Shabla" training ground and members of the aviation units at the "Balchik" airport, with the aim of improving the overall ability of the Air Force and Air Defense units to protect the airspace of the Republic of Serbia and the opportunity for members of these units to be familiarized in practice with the possibilities of the military equipment and weapons of the Serbian Armed Forces. Target shooting was carried out from the "Neva" and "Kub" missile systems, as well as with Mi-17 and Mi-24 combat helicopters, and "Mig 29" combat aircraft from the Air Force and Air Defense Forces of the Serbian Army.

The successful shooting of targets by members of the Serbian and Bulgarian army was congratulated by the Chief of Defense of the Bulgarian Army, Admiral Emil Eftimov, State Secretary in the Ministry of Defense, Nemanja Starović, Assistant Minister for Defense Policy Predrag Bandić and the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the Republic of Bulgaria, Željko Jović.

At the 20th International Children's Ethno Festival "Children of the Balkans with the Spirituality of Europe" held in Haskovo, Bulgaria, the Choir of the Children's Cultural Center Belgrade, headed by conductor Nevena Ivanović won a special award in competition from one hundred and fifty artistic groups. The festival, which was held on the occasion of the celebration of June 1 - International Children's Day, it is traditionally held on the Summer Theater Stage in the green oasis of the Mineral Spa near Haskovo.

The competition of vocal and dance groups from the Balkans - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Romania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro and from all regions of Bulgaria was followed by the Bulgarian National Television, which recorded the Gala concert and made a special show dedicated to the twentieth anniversary gathering of the children of the Balkans.

After a successful performance at the festival in Haskovo, the following day the Choir of the Children's Cultural Center Belgrade continued its musical performances with the children's choir from the National Children's Palace in Sofia, holding a joint evening concert in this institution for the children in Sofia.

Participants from the Belgrade Children's Cultural Center were also guests at the Embassy of Serbia in Sofia, where the most beautiful children's voices and songs, "This is Serbia" and "Kolovodja", could be heard that day.

Ambassador Jović traditionally attended the celebration of the day of the City of Montana, St. Spirit.

The mayor of Montana, Zlatko Zhivkov, this time hosted 13 delegations from all over the world, including representatives of the municipalities of Pirot, Babušnica and Medijana (Nis). After the festive celebration and the session of the Municipal Council, special meetings of each delegation were held with the mayor and representatives of the municipal administration.

When it comes to Serbian municipalities, the key goal was the establishment of even closer ties and a concrete agreement within the ongoing process of cross-border cooperation. Montana has been one of the most reliable partners of Serbian municipalities for many years, and with Pirot alone in the previous period, it implemented 15 projects, which contributed to the development of local infrastructure and a better life for citizens.

Ambassador Jović promised the continuation of the dedicated and active presence of the Embassy of Serbia in Sofia, in order to monitor all future projects and bring them to full realization.

At the 68th meeting of the Commission for Europe of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), which was held in Sofia, Minister of Tourism and Youth of the Republic of Serbia, Mr. Husein Memic represented the Republic of Serbia, as a permanent member.

During the meeting, the results of the growth dynamics of international income and tourist arrivals for member countries were presented for the first quarter of this year compared to the period before the pandemic, where the Republic of Serbia was at the very top of the scale in Europe. In the first quarter of 2023. Serbia placed second in Europe in terms of the growth of international revenues from tourism, and is in third place in terms of the growth dynamics of foreign tourist arrivals, compared to the first quarter of 2019.

The Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization, Zurab Pololikashvili, expressed the expectation that European tourism will return to the pre-pandemic level by the end of the year and that this time should be used for the transformation of the sector in the direction of strengthening human resources and new investments.

At the meeting, in which representatives of 40 countries participated, the current state of tourism was discussed, with a special focus on the further development of education, human capital, investments and sustainability.

On May 19, 2023, in the presence of representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Bulgaria and other Bulgarian institutions, the President of the Municipal Council of Blagoevgrad, R. Taskov, representatives of the BPC, honorary consuls accredited in Bulgaria, as well as a large number of residents of the mentioned city, the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Serbia was officially opened, headed by the Honorary Consul, Mr. Mitko Solakov.

The Consulate was officially opened by Ambassador Željko Jović, Mayor of Blagoevgrad, Ilko Stoyanov and Honorary Consul, M. Solakov. In his speech, Ambassador Jović expressed his great satisfaction for the opening, adding that the Honorary Consulate was opened with the joint engagement of both parties, and that this is the proof of the firm commitment of the two countries to continue in the same direction, to deepen their ties even more, promote cooperation and contribute to the creation of a stable, safe and economically prosperous region through joint efforts. He assessed that the work and dedicated engagement of the Honorary Consul will contribute to the development and strengthening of cooperation, primarily in the fields of culture, economy and tourism.

In addition to the above, the Ambassador conveyed to those present the expectation that the premises of the consulate will be accessible to everyone, not only to friends from the world of politics and business, but also to ordinary people. After the ceremonial opening, a cultural and artistic program was performed by the Pirin folklore ensemble.

Following the tragic loss of lives at the “Vladislav Ribnikar” Elementary School shooting in Belgrade on 3 May 2023, the Government of Serbia has declared three days of national mourning, from 5 May to 7 May 2023.

The Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia is grateful for all the messages of support we have received.

A book of condolence will be opened at the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia, Veliko Tarnovo Street 3 as, follows

Members of the public who wish to leave written tributes can do so during the following opening hours:

Friday, May 5 2023 – from 13:00 to 16:00 hrs
Saturday, May 6  2023 - from 12:00 to 14:00 hrs
Monday, May 8 2023 – from 14:00 to 17:00 hrs
Tuesday, May 9 2023 – from 12:00 to 14:00 hrs

For those unable to attend in person, an online Book of condolence can be signed at: srb.emb.bulgaria@mfa.rs

On April 25, 2023, Ambassador Z. Jović hosted children from the Center for Social Rehabilitation and Integration "St. J. Rilski" from Gornya Malina, as well as the director, Eli Cvetanova, and the employees of this institution. The event was also attended by managers and teachers of the kindergarten "Fate, Hope, Love" from Gornya Malina.

The children aged 5 to 7, recited several songs and performed a short cultural and artistic program, after which they socialized with the ambassador and the employees of our Embassy.

The representatives of the mentioned center thanked for the cooperation and care shown and Amb. Z. Jović presented the children with sweets.

On April 25th, 2023, Amb. Mr. Željko Jović handed over the exequatur to newly appointed Honorary Consul of the Republic of Serbia in Bulgaria, Mr. Mitko Solakov.

The Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Serbia in the city of Blagoevgrad will after opening, cover the consular area that includes the regions Sofia, Kyustendil, Pernik, Blagoevgrad, Vraca, Montana, Vidin and Pleven.

Today in Sofia, in the presence of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, R. Radev and the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, I. Aliyev, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed for the improvement of cooperation between the gas transmission system operators of Bulgaria (Bulgartransgaz), Romania (Transgaz), Hungary (FGSZ), Slovakia (Eustream) and the Azerbaijani SOCAR. Prepared within the framework of the joint initiative "Solidarity Ring" (STRING), proposed by Bulgaria and supported by the European Commission, the MoU aims to increase the security of natural gas supply for the EU, and above all for Central and SEE. The project envisages the transfer of additional volumes of Azerbaijani gas to Europe using the existing infrastructure of gas pipeline networks of four European countries.

The MoU was signed by the Bulgarian Minister of Energy, Rosen Hristov, the Romanian Minister of Energy, Virgil-Daniel Popescu, the Hungarian MFA and the Minister of Trade, Peter Sijarto, the Slovak Minister of Economy, Karel Hirman, and the Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan, Parviz Shahbazov.

After the memorandum signing ceremony, the two presidents officially opened the SOCAR (Azerbaijan State Gas Oil Company) office in Sofia. The agreement on the opening of the office was reached between the two heads of state in September 2022, when the PR of Azerbaijan, I. Aliyev, was on an official visit to Bulgaria.
On behalf of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia, the event was attended by Amb. Z. Jović, and the delegation from the Republic of Serbia was led by the director of "Srbijagas", D. Bajatović.

Today, not far from border crossing "Kalotina", a solemn ceremony was held to put into use 6.5 kilometers of highway, on the first section of the highway "Europa", border crossing Kalotina - Dragoman. This act was attended by Ambassador Ž. Jović, Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria, G. Donev, Minister for Regional Development and Public Works, I. Shishkov, director of the "Customs" Agency, P. Gerenski, as well as numerous other dignitaries and public figures.

The entire section on the Dragoman - Kalotina section will be put into traffic by the end of May this year, while the construction of the last section of the highway between Sofia and Slivnica should begin in about twenty days and be completed by the end of 2024.

In a statement to the Bulgarian media, Ambassador Jović pointed out that he is particularly happy as the Serbian ambassador, because this highway directly connects Serbia and Bulgaria. He also expressed his belief that the highway itself will contribute to the further development of bilateral relations between the two countries in all spheres, as well as to the strengthening of social ties between Serbian citizens, including Serbian citizens of Bulgarian origin, with Bulgaria and the citizens of Bulgaria.

Ambassador Jović met with the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works of the Republic of Bulgaria, Ivan Shishkov, with whom he discussed the upcoming opening of the "Europa" highway section, which connects the city of Sofia and the Bulgarian-Serbian border. Announcing the release to traffic of the 7 km long section of the road between Dragoman and border crossing "Kalotina", Minister Shishkov sent an invitation to the Ambassador and representatives of the Government of the Republic of Serbia to attend this event on April 13th.

Stating that "the more infrastructure facilities are built between Bulgaria and Serbia, the better for the two nations", Minister Shishkov pointed out that the entire Dragoman - Kalotina section will be open to traffic by the end of May this year, while the construction of the last section of the highway between Sofia and Slivnica was supposed to start in about 20 days and be finished by the end of 2024.

During the conversation, Minister Shishkov, informed the Ambassador that the extension of GP "Kalotina" is expected to be completed by the end of August this year.

Deputy Minister for Regional Development and Public Works Nikolay Shushkov and director of the "Customs" Agency Pavel Gerensky also participated in the meeting.

On March 23, 2023, Ambassador Željko Jović traditionally visited the Center for Social Rehabilitation and Care of Children without Parents and Children with Special needs in Gornya Malina. In anticipation of Easter, the ambassador gifted the children packets of sweets, clothes and shoes, after which he attended a cultural and artistic program, which the children from the institution performed in his honor.

The representatives of the center thanked the Serbian Embassy for the cooperation and shown care, and it was agreed that after the Easter holidays, the children from the center will visit the Embassy of Serbia in Sofia, where they will make a performance.

On the 20th of March, in the vicinity of the town Dobroslavci in Bulgaria, an inspection of the works on the construction of the gas interconnector Bulgaria-Serbia (IBS) was carried out, led by the Minister of Energy of the Republic of Bulgaria, R. Hristov, and attended by Ambassador Ž. Jović.

On the Bulgarian side, the inspection of the works was attended by the executive director of "Bulgartransgaz", Mr. V. Malinov, Head of the cabinet for political affairs in the Ministry of  Energy, Ms. Y. Gancheva, General manager and member of the Supervisory Council of  "Glavbolgarstroj Holding AD", Mr. K. Peshov, Executive director of the "Glavbolgarstroy International AD", Mr. K. Kisev, while from the Serbian side, the event was attended by a Senior adviser in the Ministry of Mining and Energy of the Republic of Serbia, Ms. T. Radukić, Manager of the IBS interconnector construction project at the Ministry of Mining and Energy of the Republic of Serbia, Ms. A. Marcetić, and the representative of the company "Srbijagas", Ms. Lj. Topalović.

The Minister of Energy of the Republic of Bulgaria, V. Malinov, and the Executive director of the “Glavbolgarstroy", K. Kisev informed the attendees about the progress of the construction works on the Bulgarian section of the IBS construction. According to them, the work is progressing faster than planned, and the completion of the project is expected before October 2023, (complete installation of pipes and testing is planned to be realized during July and August 2023.)

Mr. V. Malinov emphasized the importance of building the IBS in order to achieve energy diversification, increase energy security and market development of the two countries and the importance of the gas interconnector which will enable the delivery of gas from Azerbaijan and the Caspian region and connect Serbia with TAP and TANAP.

Ambassador Jović met with the Minister of Economy and Industry of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Nikola Stojanov. During the meeting, they discussed modalities for further increasing of economic cooperation, which was assessed as excellent and constantly rising. Namely, in 2021, the total exchange of goods between Serbia and the Republic of Bulgaria exceeded 1.5 billion euros.

Ambassador Jović and Minister Stojanov noted that the development of infrastructure, primarily in the field of transport and energy, opens up additional opportunities for strengthening cooperation in the economic sphere and increasing benefits for both countries.

Special attention in the conversation was devoted to the possibility of joint engagement within the Pirot Free Zone, which since a few years ago includes both the towns of Babušnica and Dimitrovgrad, where a large part of the population consists of the Bulgarian national minority.

The International Agricultural Fair "AGRA 2023" held in the period February 21-25, in Plovdiv, under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry of the Republic of Bulgaria, was officially opened by the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Bulgaria, Javor Gechev. The opening ceremony of the fair was attended by numerous representatives from the accredited Diplomatic Corps in Bulgaria, as well as members of the delegations of the countries that exhibited products of their countries, and on behalf of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia, the event was attended by Ambassador Željko Jović.

At the fair, 600 exhibitors from 25 countries presented the latest achievements in the field of agricultural production (including scientific approaches, practice, technologies, techniques, innovations, etc.), equipment and food products, and the products of viticulture and winemaking were also exhibited. The main focus was of the Fair was directed to modern technologies in agriculture, i.e. automation and digitization trends.

Amb. Jović, accompanied by the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Serbia in Bulgaria, A. Solakova, visited the stands of the Serbian companies "Metal Inženjering" (production of equipment for the processing of frozen fruits and vegetables and for the chemical industry) from Ivanjica, and "Elixir Zorka" (production of mineral fertilizers) from Šabac, where he discussed the position of the aforementioned Serbian companies on the Bulgarian market, with the company directors.

On the 16th of February, in the crowded hall of the "Mission" gallery of the State Cultural Institute at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, the exhibition titled "Landscape or Inner Space" by prof. Dimitrije Pecić, dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the  University of Arts in Belgrade, and prof. Svetozar Benchev, dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts of the National Academy of Arts.The exhibited artworks treat the theme of an imaginary landscape in different ways – as a scene bathed in warm light, or as a place of violent collisions between elements. The authors, who have known each other from before, are exhibiting together for the first time, as a gesture of friendship, exchange of ideas and the creation of a common cultural space.

Opening the exhibition, prof. Svilen Stefanov pointed out that prof. Pecić, one of the most prominent professors in Serbia, deals with letterpress printing. What you see, he said, may seem minimalist, but it is extremely complex and fine work. In my opinion, there is an exceptional school in Serbia in this respect, said prof. Stefanov.

The special guest was the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the Republic of Bulgaria, Željko Jović, who in his welcome address emphasized the importance of similar projects in the field of culture, which help us to further connect.

The director of the Institute, Snezana Joveva, reminded that the visit of prof. Pecić was realized as part of the "Balkan Dialogues" program, which was designed to enable artists from the region to assert themselves and communicate through their creativity.
 

In the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia, in the presence of Serbian citizens who live and work in Bulgaria and representatives of Bulgarian institutions and society (about 500 guests), a formal reception was held on the occasion of the Statehood Day of the Republic of Serbia.

Beside the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, Ivan Demerdzhiev, Minister of Health, Asen Medzhidiyev, Minister of Economy and Industry, Nikola Stojanov, special guest was the Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Iliana Jotova.

Ambassador Ž. Jović and Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria I. Jotova, addressed the present invitees with suitable speeches.

Among other invitees, the reception was attended by Vicar of Sofia and Bishop of Belograd, Polikarp, as well as presidents of numerous Bulgarian municipalities and directors of public companies.

At the reception, representatives of the tourism sector of Serbia, who are participating in the International Tourism Fair in Sofia, were also present with their products (primarily food and drinks, as well as part of the cultural and artistic program).

The 39th International Tourism fair "Holiday & Spa 2023" was held in Sofia on February 15, 2023, organized by "Prim Expo" under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria.

The most prestigious tourist forum in the Republic of Bulgaria, which attracted over 250 exhibitors from 15 countries, was opened by the Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Ilin Dimitrov. In addition to national and regional tourism organizations, foreign and domestic tour operator agencies also participated in the event, presenting tourist destinations, hotels, tourist centres, wine regions, events and festivals.

In addition to the Tourist Organization of Serbia, the Tourist Organizations of Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, Pirot, Sokobanja, Knjaževac, Bela Palanka, Dimitrovgrad, Zlatibor, Babušnica, Leskovac, Kragujevac, Kraljevo, Subotica, Inđija, as well as representatives of the spa resorts, exhibited at the joint stand. The tourism potential of Serbia was promoted, and visitors had the opportunity to try Serbian food products. The opening ceremony of the fair was attended by Ambassador Željko Jović, who visited the Serbian stand in the company of Minister Dimitrov.

Ambassador Jović, accompanied by the Mayor of the Municipality of Samokov, Vladimir Georgiev, attended the match between the women's basketball teams of Serbia and Bulgaria, which was played in the "Samokov" arena as part of the qualifications for EuroBasket 2023.

The women's basketball team of Serbia defeated Bulgaria with a score of 102:76, and thus took first place in the qualifications. Ambassador Jović thanked the Serbian basketball players and the coaching staff of the Serbian national team for their will, strength and courage, and wished them luck in future matches.

On February 01 2023. near the town of Kostinbrod in the Republic of Bulgaria, a ceremony was held to mark the beginning of works on the construction of the Bulgaria-Serbia gas interconnector IBS.

From the Serbian side, the event was attended by President of the Republic of Serbia, A. Vučić, Minister of Mining and Energy of the Republic of Serbia, D. Đedović, General Director of JP "Srbijagas", D. Bajatović, Executive Directors of "Srbijagas", J. Budimir and M. Zdravković, and members of the delegation, and the Bulgarian was represented by the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, R. Radev, Minister of Energy of the Bulgaria, R. Hristov, executive directors of "Bulgartransgaz" and "Glavbolgarstroy" Vladimir Malinov and Kalin Peshov, head of the Department for financing energy projects and renewable energy sources within the Instrument for Connecting Europe in CINEA, B. Coda and members of the delegation. The event was also attended by Ambassador Z. Jović, as well as the employees of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia.

The President of the Republic of Serbia A. Vučić stated that by building a this gas interconnector, Serbia will significantly diversify gas sources and that the Republic of Serbia will be able to import more liquefied natural gas, which will bring greater energy security for citizens and a chance for new investments. President Vučić added that this is an important European project, because it gives the possibility to supply other countries in the Western Balkans through the Republic of Serbia, as Bulgaria has done so far with Serbia.

President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev said that Bulgaria proved to be a reliable transit country and that even in the worst situation, when it ran out of Russian gas, it continued to export fuel to Serbia without any difficulties. According to him, the gas interconnector is not only an infrastructure project, but also a symbol of the potential of the entire region for the future.

President Vučić held a meeting with President Radev where they discussed other projects that are planned, and he expressed his gratitude for the effort to build a better future and the best possible relations together.

The gas interconnection between Serbia and Bulgaria will, as announced, be ready for operational work in the middle of this year.

Ambassador Jović, together with the Mayor of Leskovac, Goran Cvetanović, and the director of Tourist organization of Leskovac, Nebojša Kocić, visited one of the biggest European carnivals, the Carnival of Surva in Pernik.

The winter custom of Surva is characteristic of mid-western Bulgaria, especially in the villages around Pernik, Breznik, Zemen, Radomir and Trna. The participants in New Year's Survar carnival are Survar masquerade groups, that dance and sing in villages tours.

Today, almost every village in Pernik has its own masquerade group, numbering from 50 to even 200 participants. All are masked, wear bells of different sizes and dance to a specific rhythm. This year, the carnival gathered over 10,000 participants, including 15 groups from abroad. The Republic of Serbia was represented by Cultural society Radost from Belgrade, majorettes from Bela Crkva and a masquerade group from Leskovac.

On the 27 January at the Embassy of Serbia in Sofia, a reception was organized to mark the day of St. Sava.

The gathering was attended by representatives of the National Library in Sofia "St. Cyril and Methodius", head of the Department of Slavic Studies of the Faculty of Philology at the University of "St.Cyril and Methodius " in Veliko Trnovo, lecturer for the Serbian language at the University of "St. Kliment Ohridski" in Sofia and students, representatives of Bulgarian Orthodox Church, members of the Serbian community who live and work in Bulgaria, as well as teachers and students of 102 Elementary School "Panajot Volov" in Sofia.

This year, the students of the "Panajot Volov" school started attending Serbian language classes, which were conducted according to the national program "Activities according to interests", of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Bulgaria, and within the "Slovene languages" club. On this occasion, the students prepared a short program and performed a recitation about "St. Sava", after which Ambassador Jović handed them a book in the Serbian language, a donation from the National Library of Serbia.

After the ending of the Second International Clarinet Competition, which was organized by the National Academy of Music - NMA "Pancho Vladigerov" and the "Sava Dimitrov" Foundation, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Municipality of Sofia, at the premises of the Embassy of Serbia in Sofia,  Ambassador Jović hosted the Rector of the NMA and the Foundation founder S. Dimitrov, member of the jury, Đ. Pete from the Republic of Serbia, participant Slaven Balać, who won first place in the competition in category "C", and two other Serbian competitors.

At the mentioned competition, where popular works from the world clarinet repertoire were performed (works by Claude Debussy, Francis Poulenc, Michel Mangani, etc.), 159 clarinetists from all over the world applied, and only the best 30 participated in Sofia, of which four were from the Republic of Serbia. Apart from S. Balać, the participant Isidora Vlašić won the special prize of the jury in the "D" category. All participants had the opportunity to exchange experiences with their peers from other countries and music schools, as well as to receive valuable advice from members of the international jury, who within the program also held master classes.

At the Embassy of Serbia in Sofia, Ambassador Jović welcomed and hosted the football team of boys, born in 2012 and their parents from Serbia, who play for the Rad and FC Čukarički from Belgrade. Although from two different and sometimes extremely rival clubs, the boys will play together, under the name Metohija (in support of their peers from Kosovo and Metohija), at the international tournament in Plovdiv, against teams from Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Macedonia, Greece and Austria.

Otherwise, the organization of transportation, accommodation, and the purchase of equipment and tracksuits were supported by the Head of the Kosovo Administrative District, Srđan Popović, a member of the temporary institution Leposavić, Slavko Simić, and the Director of the Serbian Post in Kosovo and Metohija, Ivan Milojević.

This year again, during his visit to the Rhodope Mountains (the municipalities of Chepelare and Smolyan), Ambassador Jović visited the Midzor Pirot Ski School in Pamporovo, one of the three largest winter centers in Bulgaria. Since 2011. the instructors of this ski school represent the country of Serbia and the Municipality of Pirot in the best way, with their professionalism, kindness and exceptional results.

This year, including the February group, about 450 children from Serbia and about 150 adults will pass this ski school. The ambassador was once again hosted by the president of the club and the organizer of the camp, Jovica Cvetković from Pirot.

Ambassador Jović, military attache of the Republic of Serbia, Željko Simić and several Serbian citizens who live and work in Bulgaria, as well as several Serbian tourists staying in the Pamporovo Ski Center, after the church liturgy, marked the Epiphany by swimming for the Holy Cross in the Cherna River in Smolyan. This solemn act was attended by twenty Serbian citizens.

As part of his visit to the Rhodope region of the Republic of Bulgaria, Ambassador Jović visited the Smolyane District today and met with the Mayor of the Smolyane Municipality, Mr. Nikolay Melemov.

During the meeting, Melemov introduced the ambassador to the city's history, demographic structure and potential for further development. The municipality of Smolyan, which is located about 50 km from the Greek border, is primarily the administrative centre of the District, and its development policy is primarily based on the tourist potential. One of the three most famous ski centres in the Republic of Bulgaria, Pamporovo, partly belongs to this municipality, and in addition to skiing, tourists also visit this area because of the specific climate, exceptional natural beauty and varied and healthy food.

By the way, in addition to wood, as the basic raw material that enables this municipality to collect significant financial resources, an important part of the economy is also represented by the automobile industry (production of parts for the world's most famous brands). Although it is a municipality that borders Greece, there is a strong determination of its leadership to establish a more specific cooperation with one of the Serbian municipalities, which is similar in structure and development plans.

Ambassador Željko Jović gave an interview for the Bulgarian National Television - BNT entitled "St. Sava - Spiritual bridge between Bulgarians and Serbs".

The interview was broadcast on January 14, 2023 on the first channel of BNT, as part of the program "Religion today". The inteview was published on the following website of the BNT:

https://bnt.bg/news/za-sveti-sava-duhovniyat-most-mezhdu-balgari-i-sarbi-v335668-313663news.html

Ambassador Željko Jović has again this year traditionally presented New Year's packages to the children of the citizens of the Republic of Serbia who live and work in Bulgaria. The children and their parents were guests at the Embassy of Serbia in Sofia, which organized the distribution with the support and donation of the Zepter Company in Bulgaria.

Ambassador Jović met today with the caretaker Minister of Justice of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Krum Zarkov.

Excellent cooperation between the two ministries was noted at the cordial and extremely friendly meeting. Also, the possibilities of deepening good relations and organizing a highest level meeting in the upcoming period were discussed. In addition to the above, Ambassador Jović and Minister Zarkov discussed the potential inclusion of the Republic of Serbia in some of the initiatives on the international level, in which the Republic of Bulgaria is already actively participating.

Ambassador Jović met with the Bulgarian Minister of Internal Affairs, Ivan Demerdzhiev. During the meeting, current political and security events in the world and the region were discussed, as well as issues of mutual interest.

Ivan Demerdzhiev presented the current priorities of the work of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Bulgaria, with special reference to engagement in the matter of combating illegal migration. Also the cooperation between the two Ministries so far was assessed as excellent.

In this regard, Demerdzhiev proposed that a bilateral meeting be held in the near future, where concrete agreements would be discussed and made regarding the coordination of further operational engagement of the two ministries at all levels.

The International Congress of Lawyers, organized by "KEC Group" from Novi Sad, was held this year in Bansko, Bulgaria. The congress was of an international character, bringing together lawyers from several countries in Europe, as well as the world, all with the aim of exchanging knowledge, experiences and opinions. The topic of this year's congress was related to IT law, within which the digitization of law, justice in the 21st century, remote work, digital assets, artificial intelligence, but also the protection of personal data were discussed.

The event was officially opened by the mayor of Bansko, Mr. Ivan Kadev and the director of "KEC Group", Dejan Škobić, and the ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the Republic of Bulgaria, Željko Jović, addressed the participants, greeting all participants and wishing them successful work. The event was attended by the State Attorney of the Republic of Serbia, Olivera Stanimirović, and the Deputy State Attorney, Ksenija Maksić.

The lectures were given by: Ilija Zindović, judge of the Supreme Court of Cassation of Serbia, Tamara Marinković Kenworthey, lawyer from New York, Holder Zscheyge, president of the "Legaltech" association, Alija Beganović, president of the misdemeanor court in Bjelo Polje, Aleksandra Spirkovska, judge of the Court of Appeal in Belgrade, Bogdan Vujović, representative of the company "Eko Digital", Draško Orčić, business skills trainer, Stanislav Radulović, acting Undersecretary of the Provincial Secretariat for Culture, Public Information and Relations with Religious Communities, and PhD student at the Faculty of Law in Novi Sad, and other eminent lawyers.

After the lecture, two panel discussions were held on the topics: "Protection of personal data on the Internet", at which the panelists were Tadija Mitić, in front of the "PraviLaw" organization, Denis Tul, "Law IT" and Bogdan Vujović, in front of "Eko digital" and "Legal technology - what awaits us?". Also, B2B meetings were held as part of the congress.

Today, Mr. Ljuljzim Suleimani, citizen of Serbia from Preševo, who was injured in a traffic accident in Bulgaria last year, visited the Embassy of Serbia.

Mr. Suleimani came to greet Ambassador Jović, and to express his thankfulness once again for everything that the state of Serbia has done for him and his fiancee, citizen of North Macedonia. Suleimani informed the ambassador that in the meantime he got married, that he and his finacee are expecting a newborn in May 2023, and invited him to visit his family in Preševo.

On December 14, 2022 at the National Library "St. Cyril and Methodius" in Sofia, the "Serbian Corner" was officially opened. The project was implemented at the initiative of the Embassy of Serbia in cooperation with the National Library. The National Library of Serbia (NBS) also participated in its implementation.

The project aims, through works of classical and contemporary literature to present to the readers the history, tradition and culture of the Republic of Serbia, and for this purpose various books are permanently exhibited and available to the public (about 35 titles, donation of the National Library of Serbia). In addition this, books in the Serbian language, which the National Library in Sofia already owns, were also exhibited at the event.

The corner was opened by the director of the National Library, Krasimira Aleksandrova, and Ambassador Željko Jović, and the ceremony was attended by Dobrila Begenišić, representative of the National Library of Serbia, Cenka Nikolova Ivanova, Dean of the University of Veliko Trnovo "St. Cyril and Methodius", Biljana Vasić, Serbian language lecturer at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", numerous members of the Serbian community whom reside in Bulgaria, students from the department of Serbian language at the Sofia University, and employees officials of the Embassy of  the Republic of Serbia in Sofia.

The 9th International Youth Art and Dance Olympiad was held in Sofia, organized by the "Balkan Alliance", the Russian Cultural and Information Center in Sofia, and the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Sofia.

The stated project aims to contribute to the development of international friendly relations between the countries of the Balkans, Europe and the Russian Federation, as well as to educate young generations in the light of cultural traditions. Young competitors from the Republic of Serbia, Romania and the Russia took part in the Olympics, performing 200 choreographies. Serbia was represented by the participants of the dance club "Ballerina" from Pančevo (15 participants), the dance club "Sportix" from Niš with 7 competitors and the ballet school "Marija Senćanski" also from Niš.

Ambassador Ž. Jović addressed the children and parents with a short speech, and after the end of the Olympics, he hosted the competitors at the Embassy premises.

Ambassador Željko Jović visited the 102 Elementary School "Panayot Volov" in Sofia, where the Serbian language has been introduced as a subject starting this year.

The study of the Serbian language at the school "Panajatov Volov" will be conducted according to the national program "Activities according to interests", of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Bulgaria, and within the club "Slovenian languages", in which two other Slavic languages are studied. Currently, the Serbian language group is attended by 12 sixth grade students of this school.

Ambassador Jović expressed his gratitude for the initiative launched by this school, with the aim of expanding the study of Slavic languages, including Serbian language. During the meeting, Ambassador Jović emphasized the readiness of the Serbian side to provide support to the school in  regards to the development of education of Serbian language, by delivering the necessary textbooks and other scientific aids, which would be used during the studying period. Also, the possibility of organizing a student exchange program for the next year was considered, where pupils from Sofia would stay in Dimitrovgrad in order to improve their Serbian language, and in return the students from Dimitrovgrad would come to Sofia to learn Bulgarian language.

Ambassador Z. Jović held a lecture at the Department of Political Science and National Security of the University of Plovdiv "Paisiy Hilendarski ", on the topic "The role of economic and business diplomacy in relations between countries in the Balkans". Honorary Consul of the Republic of Serbia in Plovdiv, Ms. Anastasija Rusenova Solakova also attended the lecture.

Ambassador Jović emphasized the importance and contribution of economic diplomacy to regional cooperation and bilateral relations of countries in the Balkans. Also, the ambassador informed the attendees about the current business climate in the Republic of Serbia, the implemented infrastructure projects, with special reference to road and rail traffic, and their contribution to the economic development of the countries of the Balkans.

After the lecture, Ambassador Jović answered the questions of students, and on that occasion, through the answers given, he gave a detailed overview of the current and most important directions of internal and external policy of the Republic of Serbia, including our relationship with the southern province - Kosovo and Metohija.

On November 25, 2022, in the organization of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia and the Agency for the Promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises of the Republic of Bulgaria (BSMEPA), a business forum "Serbian-Bulgarian Business Forum" was held, at which business entities from Bujanovac were presented.

The meeting, which was held at the Embassy, was opened by the Director of BSMEPA, Mr. Bojko Takov, and the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Željko Jović.

Mr. Takov stated in his address that the promotion of business development between Bulgaria and Serbia is a very important factor for building a strong Balkan region, which will be a support for economic entities and the entire economic situation of the two countries. Ambassador Jović pointed out the readiness of the Serbian side to continue with the process of deepening economic relations and cooperation between the two countries, noting that it is forums like this that give business entities the opportunity to concretize cooperation and promote local communities.

After the official opening of the meeting, representatives of business entities from Bujanovac presented the potential of their companies. The structure of our companies was in the domain of providing medical and rehabilitation care (Rehabilitation Hostpital of Bujanovac), production and distribution of furniture, machine industry and food industry ("Bi voda", "Megal", "Maj Plus", "Milenboos", etc.)

The meeting was attended by 20 representatives (13 from RB and 7 from RS) of business entities, who held individual (B2B) meetings and exchanged information of mutual interest, with the aim of achieving possible future business cooperation.

The Embassy of the Czech Republic in the Republic of Bulgaria, organized the marking of the International Day of the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the "Orange day", in front of the "Ivan Vazov" National Theater in Sofia.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Diplomatic Corps in the Republic of Bulgaria, and on behalf of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia, Ambassador Željko Jovic was present at the occasion.

In the period November 23 to 25, 2022, a meeting, organized by the Central European Service for Cross-Border Initiatives in the Balkans (CESCI Balkans), in Sofia, was held on the occasion of the finalization of the Strategic Plan of the Academy for Leaders of the Council of Europe program for cross-border cooperation in the border region between Serbia and Bulgaria.

The mentioned event was attended by Niall Sheerin, Programme Manager at the Council of Europe, Ervin Eros, director of "CESCI Balkans", Sanda Šimić, representative of the Ministry of European Integration, Vladica Tošić, president of Euroregion "Nišava", Dragan Kostić, president of the Pirot Chamber of Commerce, Dragana Tončić , head of the Pirot district and Milena Dimitrijević, president of the Pirot City Assembly, and on behalf of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia, Ambassador Željko Jović was present. The meeting was also attended by representatives of Babušnica, Bela Palanka and Dimitrovgrad. On the Bulgarian side, representatives of the Sofia region, Vraca, Dragoman, Slivnica and several other Bulgarian cities participated.

The participants signed a Memorandum of Cooperation, with a special emphasis on strengthening cross-border cooperation as an essential tool for achieving social and economic goals and territorial cohesion. Also, the aforementioned agreement confirmed that the benefits of cross-border cooperation are not limited to the integrated development of border areas, but are essential for achieving peace, prosperity and stability in Europe.

Ambassador Jović, congratulated the participants and pointed out that the development of cross-border ties between neighbouring communities is the key to creating a safe and sustainable future for young people in the region.

On November 18, 2022 in the organization of the Faculty of Philology, University "St. Cyril and Methodius" in Veliko Trnovo, an international scientific conference "Friendship in the culture of Bulgarians and Serbs" was held, which marked the beginning of the 25th year of the presence of the Serbian language at this University.

The conference was opened by the rector of the University "St. Cyril and Methodius", PhD Mr. Hristo Bonžolov and Ambassador Željko Jović. The mentioned event is a continuation of a series of scientific forums organized since 2004. by the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Niš and the Faculty of Philology in Veliko Trnovo. The beginning of cooperation between the two universities dates back to 1988, when the cooperation between the philologists of the two faculties began. In this regard, a large group of students and professors from the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Niš participated in the event this year as well.

Dean of the Faculty of Philology PhD Ms. Cenka Ivanova introduced the attendees to the anniversaries related to the partnership of two universities and two faculties, to the history of Serbian studies at the University of Veliko Tarnovo, as well as to the achieved cooperation between professors of the Bulgarian language, literature and culture at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Nis.

During this scientific meeting, the two last titles from the series of thematic bilingual collections were presented, "Customs in the Culture of Serbs and Bulgarians", edition for 2019 of the University of Niš and "Path in the Culture of Bulgarians and Serbs", edition for 2022 of the University of Veliko Tarnovo.

On November 12, 2022, the slava of St. King Milutin, was marked at the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia. In the presence of a large number of Serbs who work and live in the Republic of Bulgaria, guests from the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the Slava`s cake was cut and the Slava was celebrated in an appropriate way.

On this occasion, Ambassador Ž. Jović welcomed the guests and once again pointed out the importance that the great Serbian ruler still has in the Republic of Serbia and in the Republic of Bulgaria. The ambassador expressed the hope that this important day will be celebrated in the future primarily with the aim of strengthening ties with the fraternal Orthodox people and thus contribute to the deepening and further development of overall bilateral relations between Serbia and Bulgaria.

On November 11, 2022, at the Serbian Military Cemetery in Sofia, a commemoration ceremony was organized on the occasion of the Armistice Day in WWI. The ceremony and the laying of wreaths was attended by the highest representatives of the Army of the Republic of Bulgaria, military envoys accredited to the Republic of Bulgaria, representatives of the MFA of the Republic of Bulgaria, and a large number of members of the diplomatic corps and Serbian citizens who live and work in Bulgaria.

Ambassador Jović welcomed the present guests, thanked them for coming on this very important day for the Republic of Serbia and the Serbian people to honor "all Serbian victims and Serbian soldiers, who were killed and who died in the fight for freedom, for justice and for those values on which modern Europe rests today".

The ambassador reminded the audience that during that period, the Republic of Serbia went through terrible war destruction and suffering, and that during the war, around 1,300,000 people lost their lives, 1/3 of the total population, or 60% of the male population. As the ambassador further stated, "Our victims and all other victims of other nations, which we all had through difficult and complicated human history, are the reason that the main message today is that peace has no price".

On November 9, 2022, at the central foyer of the National Library "St. Cyril and Methodius" in Sofia, the exhibition "Wealth of colors and traditions" was held.

The exhibition was realized on the basis of an international project in which six national libraries participate, the National Library of the Republic of Bulgaria "St. Cyril and Methodius", National Library of Georgia, National Library of Romania, National Library of Serbia, National and University Library of Croatia and National Library "Đurđe Černojević", from Montenegro.

At the exhibition, which was opened by representatives of national libraries, paintings, postcards and national costumes of the participating countries were presented, with the aim of promoting their traditions and culture. The National Library of the Republic of Serbia presented postcards featuring the national costumes of Serbia. The aforementioned works are part of the rich collection of sisters Danica and Ljubica Janković, who are internationally recognized ethnomusicologists and founders of Serbian ethnochoreology.

The event was attended by experts from the field of ethnography, folklore and other academic fields, as well as diplomatic representatives accredited in the Republic of Bulgaria. Ambassador Željko Jović attended the event on behalf of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Bulgaria.

In the organization of Bulgarian Orthodox Churhc and the Embassy of Serbia in Sofia, on October 29, 2022, the archbishop's Holy Liturgy and the solemn act of dressing the relics of the Holy King Milutin was held in the church of St. Nedelya.

The liturgy was led by the Vicar of Sofia and the Bishop of Belogradchik Polycarp, and apart from numerous Bulgarian clergy, priests of the Serbian Orthodox Church also participated. Also, this extremely important event for Serbian history, state and culture was attended by representatives of the Directorate for Cooperation with Churches and Religious Communities under the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Serbia, led by assistant director M. Nikolić, as well as representatives of Serbian Orthodox Churhc, institutions from Republika Srpska, and in front of the Embassy of Serbia Amb. Ž. Jović and Embassy officials.

After the liturgy and dressing of the relics, a liturgy was organized, and the relics of St. of the king were carried through the central streets of Sofia.

For all guests from R. of Serbia and Republika Srpska, as well as for friends from BPC and Bulgarian institutions, a reception was organized at the Embassy of Serbia in Sofia.

On October 21, 2022, in Sofia, the Tourist Organization of Serbia – TOS and the Tourist Organization of Belgrade - TOB, in cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia and the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria, presented the tourism potential of Serbia and Belgrade, with a special emphasis on cultural manifestations and events.

The event was opened by Ambassador Željko Jović and Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria, Ms. Mariela Modeva. Ambassador Jović pointed out the importance of cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Bulgaria, especially in the field of tourism, because they are neighboring countries with similar traditions and culture. Also, the ambassador pointed out that a large number of tourists from the Republic of Bulgaria visit Serbia, and expressed the hope that this number will increase, as well as the number of Serbs who will visit Bulgaria. In this regard, tourism representatives from the Republic of Serbia specified that visits by Bulgarians for the first six months of this yeas recorded an increase of over 100 percent.

The event was attended by the assistant director of TOB, Mr. Slobodan Unković, owner of one of the largest travel agencies in RB, "Bohemia", Mr. Bajko Bajkov, adviser to the director of TOS, Ms. Tamara Rašković, head of Sector for development of tourism of TOB, Mr. Saša Stevanović, acting director of TO Niš, Ms. Dragana Božić, director TO Sokobanja, Mr. Ljubinko Milenković, numerous representatives of regional and local tourist organizations, and tour operators from the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Bulgaria

Representatives of tourism business entities of the two countries held individual (B2B) meetings and exchanged information of mutual interest, with the aim of achieving possible future business cooperation. The structure of the companies was primarily from the domain of hotels, catering and mineral spas.

Today, the new, 48th Bulgarian Parliament officially began with a solemn ceremony, with the presence of all MPs, the President and Vice-President of the Republic of Bulgaria, the highest representatives of Bulgarian institutions, the official government, church dignitaries and members of the diplomatic corps.

After the address of President Radev, the heads of parliamentary groups, 7 political parties and coalitions that entered the Parliament presented the most basic priorities for further work.

Ambassador Željko Jović also attended this ceremonial session.

Mr. President,
Madam Special Representative,
Ladies and gentleman,

It gives me honor to address this distinguished body once again and to discuss the latest report of the Secretary-General on the work of the UNMIK.

I would like to thank the Secretary-General and the Special Representative for submitting the report. We take note of the efforts that Ms. Ziadeh makes in performing this very responsible duty, especially bearing in mind the necessity of a comprehensive overview and the complexity of the situation on the ground.

I also take this opportunity to underline that the Republic of Serbia highly values the activities of UNMIK in Kosovo and Metohija, established under UN Security Council Resolution 1244. We advocate for its continued operation in an unchanged and undiminished scope and capacity, especially bearing in mind that the Mission has not yet achieved the main goal of its mandate - a peaceful and normal life for all citizens of our southern province.

As part of the traditional "Week of Peace" event, Ambassador Jović attended a series of events in Pazardzhik, a meeting with the business community, and a tour of the innovative international project supported by the Municipality of Pazardzhik "Gardens of the World".

As a special guest of the mayor of Pazardzhik, Todor Popov, and in the company of former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, Ekaterina Zaharieva, MEP, Andrej Kovachev, and Olympic champion in wrestling, Biljana Dudova, Ambassador Jović also attended the promotion of the book of the football legend of Bulgaria, Hristo Soichkov, who especially thanked the ambassador for his presence and presented him with his latest book.

Students of the "Stana Milanović" High School of Economics from Šabac, who are staying at the "National Finance and Business High School" in Sofia as part of the "Erasmus +" student exchange program, visited the Embassy of Serbia in Sofia, where they were hosted by Ambassador Željko Jović.

The Ambassador informed the specifics of the diplomatic profession as well as the history of the Embassy building.

Ambassador Jovic briefly presented the most actual moments from Serbian-Bulgarian diplomatic relations and key priorities in economic cooperation.

On the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the consecration of the Church Holy Nativity of Christ, at the Shipchensky Monastery, at the Kazanlak Municipality a number of events were held, as well as a conference in the historical museum in the town of Kazanlak.

On that occasion, the Metropolitan of Stara Zagorje, Kiprian, presented Ambassador Jović with a letter of recognition for his special contribution to the Diocese of Stara Zagora and the development of fraternal relations between the two peoples. In his address to the present audience, the ambassador thanked for the great honor shown, and pointed out that in these difficult times we really need love, tolerance and understanding of the closeness that definitely exists between us, but which we are often not aware of. He also stated, that in all his further activities he will try to work even harder and tirelessly to strengthen the ties between the two nations and improve our relations in all spheres.

Ambassador Jović, in the company of the Deputy President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Iliana Jotova and the Mayor of the city Veliki Trnovo, Daniela Panov, attended the solemn ceremony marking the 114th anniversary of Bulgaria's independence in this city today.On that occasion, he laid a wreath at the Pyramid of Independence, the place where the manifesto on independence was published and read on September 22, 1908.

Also, during his visit to Veliko Trnovo, the ambassador held a meeting with representatives of the Serbian community who live and work in this important city for Serbia, where Saint Sava was buried and where 25 years of the university presence of the Serbian language will be marked this year.

Ambassador Jović attended an exhibition of graphics and paintings by Serbian artist Veljko Mihajlović in Sofia, entitled "Pogledaj gore".

Mihajlović is often present in the Republic of Bulgaria, and the key place of his displayed graphics and paintings are parts of Belgrade, Hilandar and Sveta Gora, as well as other famous Serbian churches and monasteries. His collection "Sazvežđe" attracted special attention of the audience.

The exhibition itself was organized in honor of the 81st birthday of Mrs. Aksinja Džurova, an expert scientist, who made special achievements in her studies of the Middle Ages and Byzantium and who, with her knowledge and attitude towards the Serbian state and people, earned a place in SANU.

On the occasion of September 6, the Day of the Municipality of Babušnica, a solemn ceremony marking this holiday was organized in this town. On that occasion, the city's September monthly prizes were awarded, as well as certificates of appreciation to individuals and institutions. Ambassador Željko Jović was among the awardees, for his special contribution and assistance to Babušnica in the implementation of cross-border projects.

In his short address, Ambassador Jović thanked for the attention and honor shown, but also underlined that he was just doing his job. In this regard, the Ambassador pointed out that although his name is on the certificate, he accepts it with joy on behalf of the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Minister N. Selaković and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As he further explained, these are the individuals and institutions who, with their example, diligence, determination, and some new rules and attitude towards work and the state, created an obligation for us in the state administration to be available 24 hours a day to the citizens of our country. Ambassador Jović promised that with his team at the Embassy of Serbia in Sofia, he will continue to be available to every individual and institution, with the desire to continue to progress and develop and create conditions for the well-being of the most vulnerable categories of our society.

Today in Sofia, in the organization of the Chief Prosecutor of the Republic of Bulgaria, Ivan Geshev, and the Bulgarian Prosecutor's Office, certificates of appreciation and plaques were awarded to Bulgarian citizens who happened to be on the spot and who were the first to help Serbian citizens, and before all Serbian children, injured in the recent severe traffic accident near the Bulgarian town of Stara Zagora.

Ambassador Željko Jović attended the ceremony as a special guest. On that occasion, the Ambassador pointed out that the Serbian state has already thanked all Bulgarian institutions, competent ministries and medical personnel, and that it is a great honor today to also thank the Bulgarian citizens, who, were the first to come to the help the victims so that there were no serious consequences.

The Ambassador addressed the audience with the following words: "Dear friends, my dear Bulgarian brothers and sisters, today I want to address you here from two positions. Firstly, I am addressing you as the Serbian Ambassador, with a big thank you for everything you have done in the name of the President of the Republic of Serbia, A. Vučić, the Prime Minister of the Serbian Government, A. Brnabić, all our ministers, the entire government and all our institutions. Secondly, I wish to address you as an ordinary person, an ordinary citizen of the Republic of Serbia, with one sincere and big thank you for your selfless feat and help to our citizens, our children, and in the name of not hundreds of thousands, but millions of Serbian citizens who were and are still touched by your acts. Also, I want to thank you because on that day, in the evening before the great Christian holiday (according to the Bulgarian church calendar), the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, reminded us all of the true meaning of showing love and care to someone who is close to you, and willingness to sacrifice. Thank you for showing how much we respect and love each other, how much we are one, and how much we are one soul. In that context, one question for all present, is it necessary to wait for difficult and evil times, is it necessary for such accidents to happen, in order for us to understand how close we are and how ready we are to help each other. Long live Serbia! Long live Bulgaria! May our peoples, and above all our children, live in love, peace, tolerance and mutual care.

Ambassador Jović met today with the Director of the Bulgarian Customs Agency, Pavel Gerenski.

During the conversation, Gerensky presented the Institution he is in charge of, with an apostrophe of current and future priorities. In this connection, it was noted that it is very important to further improve the excellent cooperation between the two customs, Serbian and Bulgarian.

Director Gerenski proposed to host a meeting with the leadership of the Serbian Customs Administration as soon as possible, and to use that meeting for concrete agreements, in terms of coordination of further activities, which would contribute to a significant improvement of cooperation, as well as the efficiency and functionality of these institutions.

Ambassador Jović visited the Black Sea region. As part of this visit, as a special guest of the Mayor of Sozopol, Tihomir Yanakiev, the ambassador attended the celebration of St. Marina, Sozopol Day.

The ceremony and awarding of the plaque of the honorary citizen of Sozopol was held in the central city amphitheater, in the presence of the head of the district, the head of the cabinet of the deputy president of the Republic of Bulgaria, the minister of tourism and other numerous guests and citizens of this beautiful historical city, which has existed for over 2000 years.

Today, Ambassador Jović met with the director of the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), Milan Mitev.

During a meaningful and extremely friendly meeting, the possibility of filling translation positions (Serbian-Bulgarian language) in the Serbian editorial office of BNR was discussed, in order to maintain and improve the current level of reporting in Serbian language.
During the meeting they also discussed the possibilities for orchestras that are active within BNR to visit Serbia, including folk music orchestra, jazz orchestra, symphony orchestra and a children's choir.

Ambassador Jović attended the volleyball match between the men's national teams of Serbia and the USA, within the volleyball League of Nations, which is being held in Sofia and in which 16 national teams from all over the world are participating.

In addition to the cheering and logistical support he provided to the Serbian national team, the ambassador after the match, on the field of Hale Armeec, with special pleasure congratulated the recent marriage of the member and captain of the Bulgarian volleyball team Elica Vasileva, and Serbian team member Aleksandar Atanasievic, by which they confirmed the closeness of the two peoples and the two states.

Accompanied by the President of the Volleyball Federation of the Republic of Bulgaria, Ljubomir Ganev, and numerous guests from the public and political life of Bulgaria, Ambassador will support the Serbian national team in the next three days, in matches with Brazil, Canada and Australia.

On june 21, 2022 Ambassador Željko Jović attended the Sofia Economic Forum III, organized by the non-profit organization Delphi Economic Forum and the NGO Center for Liberal Strategies.

During the forum, which was held in the form of panel discussions, the scenario of a new global and regional security order after the military conflicts in Ukraine was analyzed, and topics on the importance of EU enlargement, geopolitical tensions and energy transition, strategic infrastructure projects and digital transformation were discussed. Participants also discussed the challenges of economic growth, inflation, candidacy for the eurozone, the development of regional economic clusters and the labor market, the transport sector, as well as foreign direct investment.

The forum was opened by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the Republic of Bulgaria, A. Vasilev, and was attended by the Deputy Minister of Energy of the Republic of Bulgaria, Iva Petrova, Principal Advisor to the Greek PM for Energy, G. Kremlis, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria, O. Marquette, Executive Director of Bulgartransgas, V. Malinov, Head of Division Financial Stability Department of the National Bank of Romania, F. Dragu, Deputy Minister of National Defense of Greece, N. Chardalias, representatives of state financial institutions, regional and domestic representatives of economic entities, Ambassador of France to the Republic of Bulgaria, F. Robine, amb. of Greece, Dimitros Chronopoulos, and other members of the diplomatic corps, and the European Commissioner for EU Enlargement, Oliver Varhelji addressed the audience via a video message.

Traditional celebration of the „Шопски празник“, which was held at the city stadium of Elin Pelin, a Municipality that is twinned with the Municipality of Leskovac, was attended by Ambassador Željko Jović.

On that occasion, Ambassador Jović addressed the present citizens of this small but highly developed industrial zone (the third largest in the Republic of Bulgaria), as well as other present guests, thanking the Mayor Ivaylo Simeonov and the municipal administration for their work during the implementation of joint cross-border and other projects with Serbian Municipalities, and on activities that bring together two fraternal peoples and two friendly states. In that sense, the Ambassador emphasized his readiness to continue to personally, along with the entire staff of the Serbian Embassy in Sofia, contribute to strengthening relations in all areas of mutual, already fruitful cooperation.

A delegation of professors and students of the Higher School of Tourism from Leskovac also attended the weeklong celebration, and presented their culinary skills and specialties, for which Leskovac is very famous in Bulgaria and the entire region.

Ambassador Ž. Jović was a guest of the Mayor of Chirpan, and during his visit to the region of central Bulgaria, he attended the traditional International Tourism and Economic Forum.

On that occasion Ambassador met with numerous high representatives of Bulgarian public life, primarily in the field of tourism and economy, with whom he discussed specific models for further cooperation. At the forum itself, the ambassador personally addressed the audience, and on that occasion he was presented with a special plaque from the organizers.

The delegation from Nis, the municipality of Pantelej also attended the events in Chirpan and the area of Stara Zagora.

At the international competition "22. International competition in programming CodeIT", which was held in Sofia under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, professors and students from Serbia also participated. Notable success was achieved by Professor of Informatics Duško Obradović and three students of the Gymnasium "Veljko Petrović" from Sombor: Nemanja Majski and Aleksandar Gubica, second grade students, and Vedran Bajić, third grade student, winning fourth, fifth, ninth and eleventh place.

A representative of the Embassy also attended the award ceremony.

Today, Ambassador Jović attended the celebration of the Day of the Municipality of Montana. In addition to attending the ceremony on the main town square and participating in the solemn session of the municipal council, where he addressed the audience, the ambassador met with the mayor, Zlatko Živkov, but also with Rosica Kirov, vice president of the Bulgarian Parliament and several Bulgarian MPs from the north-west Bulgaria. On that occasion, the importance of building adequate road infrastructure as soon as possible was emphasized, which would (with the opening of new border crossings) help the recovery of border municipalities on both sides of the border.

Also, the importance of cross-border cooperation and the obligation of further joint engagement in that area was emphasized once again. In this regard, the interlocutors pointed out the professionalism and commitment to the implementation of cross-border projects (financed from EU funds), the Municipality of Pirot and the Municipality of Montana, which have successfully completed 12 projects to date.

Representatives of the Municipality of Pirot and the Municipality of Mediana from Niš also attended all manifestations.

Ambassador Jović, in the company of the Minister of Foreign Affairs T. Genchovska, Minister of Tourism, H. Prodanov, representative of the Diplomatic corps and the tourism sector of the Republic of Bulgaria, attended the presentation of the tourist potential of the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria and the 65th anniversary of tourism in Golden Sands near Varna.

This was also an opportunity for the Ambassador to hold individual meetings with Minister Prodanov and his closest associates, during which they discussed the activities implemented so far, as well as the upcoming ones, which should contribute to further strengthening ties between the two countries and two peoples, but also to result in concrete benefits.

During this event, the Ambassador also met with MFA T. Genčovska, with whom he agreed that tourism is a branch that can help further deepen our relations in all other areas.

This year Ambassador Ž. Jovic traditionally visited the military cemetery in Dobrich.

One of the largest in the Republic of Bulgaria, where in September 1916, after the battle of Dobrich, but also in the wider area of Dobrudja, soldiers of the Serbian, Bulgarian, German, Turkish, Russian and Romanian armies were buried.

Among them are the remains of seven Serbian soldiers, to whom the Ambassador bowed and layed the flowers on the grave of the oldest among them, Officer Aleksandar Ivanović.

On June 8, 2022, in Sofia, the Tourism Organization of Serbia (TOS), in cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia, the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Tourist Organization of Belgrade (TOB), held a presentation "Experience Serbia" and a business forum, with special emphasis on cultural events.

Today, at the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia, Ambassador Ž. Jovic welcomed the  members of the Para Taekwondo national team of Serbia, who participated in the first Grand Prix, held in Sofia, on June 6.

At the competition, members of the Serbian national team Marija Mičeva (category up to 59 kg) and Jelena Rašić (category over 65 kg) won bronze medals, and Nikola Spajić (category up to 80 kg) took 5th place. Also, new points were achieved for the World Ranking and POI to be held in Paris in 2024.

Ambassador Jović wished the competitors good luck and success in further competitions, congratulated them on their success, and thanked them for their strength, will and courage.

During the meeting with the Bulgarian Minister of Innovation, Daniel Lorer, Ambassador Jović presented the results of the intensive engagement of the competent institutions of the Republic of Serbia in the field of innovation, development and strategic investments.

Ambassador pointed out that the huge infrastructural and industrial progress in the Republic of Serbia is a product of strategic planning, excellent and decisive realization of long-term goals at the highest state level and our firm determination to modernizing Serbia and to keep young people and already formed experts.

The possibility of an upcoming meeting with the Serbian Minister of Innovation, N. Popovic, as well as with other officials of the Republic of Serbia, who are engaged in complementary areas, was discussed with Minister Lorer, with the aim to ensure even stronger ties between the two friendly countries and even faster progress of whole region.

During the visit to the north-western region of Bulgaria, Ambassador Jović also visited the Municipality of Vidin.
At the meeting with the deputy Mayors of the Municipality, Svetislav Korchev and Desislav Todorov, the ambassador primarily discussed the topics related to future projects within cross-border cooperation. Also, they talked about the problems identified in this area, as well as potential solutions when it comes to the next Serbian partner of the Municipality of Vidin.

Also, in this municipality, the need for accelerated development of road infrastructure was emphasized, which would further strengthen Vidin's ties with Negotin and Zaječar, and which would contribute to the much-needed reduction of demographic problems on both sides of the border.

Today, Ambassador Jović met with Boris Nikolov, the Mayor of another Bulgarian municipality that gravitates towards Serbia and has excellent relations with Serbian border municipalities.

During the meeting, in regards to the great tourist potential of Belogradchik, the possibilities of improving cooperation in the field of tourism were discussed. Bearing in mind the traditional connections with the Serbian Municipality of Knjaževac, they also discussed the possible opening of another small border crossing, Novo Korito-Salaš, as well as the need to improve the road infrastructure. They agreed that this small town in northwestern Bulgaria, with its 5,000 inhabitants, could become a center for further development of Serbian-Bulgarian relations.

Today, Ambassador Jović was a guest of Kalin Kamenov, the mayor of the city of Vratsa, a town in northwestern Bulgaria.

This municipality, which gravitates towards Serbia and has excellent ties with the Republic of Serbia, marked today the 146 years since the heroic struggle of Hristo Botev and his comrades-in-arms, in an attempt to win liberation from the Turkish rule. The reception in the Municipality of the City of Vratsa was also attended by the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, H.E. Rumen Radev.

The 15th International Fair of Defence Equipment, products and services, Hemus 2022, was opened today in Plovdiv with a solemn ceremony in the presence of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, H.E. R. Radev, the Minister of Defense H.E D. Zakov, representatives of the Diplomatic corps and numerous foreign delegations.

Ambassador Jović visited the exhibittion with President Radev, Minister Zakov and Honorary Consul of Serbia in the Republic of Bulgaria, Ms. A. Solakov. Delegations of the Serbian company Jugoimport SDPR was present at the Fair, as well as the new company PRDC, which presented their drones.

Today, Ambassador Jović met with the MEP, Cvetelina Penkova, from the group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the EP, otherwise a member of the Bulgarian Socialist Party.

During the meeting they discussed current topics, primarily related to the events in Ukraine, further development of the situation regarding the probable deepening of the energy crisis and food shortages.

They confirmed mutual readiness for further close cooperation and mutual assistance on all issues that can help the development of bilateral relations between Serbia and Bulgaria.

In order to strengthen parliamentary cooperation between the two countries, Ambassador Jović met today in the Parliament of the Republic of Bulgaria with members of the Bulgaria-Serbia Friendship Group.

During the cordial and open meeting, they discussed and planned cross-border cooperation projects, further infrastructural connections, and potential future joint activities, which would enhance economic cooperation between the two countries and raise the level of total annual exchange even more.

Today, Ambassador Jović met with the President of the Constitutional Court of Bulgaria, Ms. Pavlina Panova.

During the meeting, the excellent relations between the two important institutions of our countries were emphasized, and the readiness for not only further and intensive cooperation, but also for its deepening.

The President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Bulgaria, Ms. Panova, reminded of the friendly visit of the representatives of the Constitutional Court of Serbia, which was successfully realized in Bulgaria several years ago, and expressed interest in continuing with this practice in the future.

Today, Ambassador Jović met with the President of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation, Lyubomir Ganev. During the meeting, Mr. Ganev introduced to the ambassador details of the upcoming volleyball League of Nations, in which 16 national teams from all over the world will take part. This big sports event will be held in Sofia from June 21 to June 26th /2022, and the men's national team of Serbia will also participate.

The Ambassador has welcomed these activities, wished success to all teams, announcing his personal support in the upcoming matches, as a big fan of the Serbian team.

Today, Ambassador Jović met with the Director General of the Political Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, Ms. Maja Dobreva.

They discussed the current political and security situation from the aspect of necessity and unquestionability of preserving peace and preventing destabilization of the region on any basis.

They stated that it is necessary to further improve the road infrastructure with additional joint efforts, but also to provide other conditions that would have a demographically positive effect and that would keep the young population in our region. Also, the importance of the Bulgarian national minority, as a bridge between the two friendly states, was jointly emphasized.

Along with US Ambassador Hero Mustafa and Dean of the American University in Blagoevgrad (AUBG) David Evans, Ambassador Jović attended the celebration of the 30th anniversary of this highly respected scientific institution in Bulgaria, which has a worldwide recognition.

This university has been attended for years by students from all over the world and especially from our region, among whom there have always been many Serbian citizens. This year, with exceptional grades and excellent final results, Mila Mladenov from Dimitrovgrad and Miloš Vukadinović from Niš also received diplomas from this University. In a short meeting with our compatriots, the Ambassador wished them luck in their further work and training and asked them to apply everything they have learned in Serbia, promising that the state of Serbia will continue to develop and be a better and safer place to live in for all to younger generations.

In a conversation with Dean Evans, the Ambassador emphasized the readiness to consider the possibility of establishing scientific and technical cooperation of this University with related institutions in the Republic of Serbia, with the aim to further improve the scientific bases and provide a higher quality education for the generations to come.

Today, a promotion of healthy food and medicinal plants from the Niš region was organized at the Serbian Embassy in Sofia. Nebojša Stamenović from Niš, known for his specialties in a vast region, but also in the kitchen of the Hilandar Monastery, prepared several different specialties, exclusively of plant origin.

The guests had the opportunity to enjoy the tastes of wild nettles from Suva Planina Mountain, Lozan beans from the region of Gradishtan, which was prepared with more than ten different mountain plants, smoked cheeses filled with plants of Svrljig Mountains, as well as a special treat, a cake with currant and acacia flowers, also from the Mt. Suva Planina.

Ambassador Jović presented to the audience the tourist and other potentials of Niš and the Niš region, primarily in relation to nature and healthy food. The event was attended by the ambassadors of Bosnia and Hercegovina, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Cyprus, Switzerland, Morocco and Argentina, as well as the representatives of the Ministry of Tourism and Health of the Republic of Bulgaria, and several Serbian who live and work in Bulgaria.

Today, Ambassador Jović signed the book of condolences at the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, on the occasion of the passing away of President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Ambassador Jović once again expressed his deep and sincere condolences to his colleague and friend, the UAE Ambassador to Bulgaria, Sultan Rashid Sultan Alkaitoob Alnuaimi, and in the ensuing conversation it was noted that relations between the two countries are exceptional, and that  strong personal ties between the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, and the new President of the UAE, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, will certainly contribute to its further deepening and strengthening.

Along with the Honorary Consul of Serbia, Anastasia Solakov and the Mayor of the Municipality of Kostinbrod, Trajko Mladenova, one of the three largest and most successful industrial zones in Bulgaria, Ambassador Ž. Jović attended the celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the Mars Armor Company, which produces helmets and body armor.

During the conversation with the owner of the company, Mr. Plamen Tashkov, the ambassador presented the achievements of Serbian companies in the field of defense industry, as well as Serbian overall potential in this sector from the aspect of potential cooperation of Serbian companies with this successful Bulgarian company, which is presents its products in markets over 80 countries worldwide.

Ambassador Jović and Mr. Tashkov agreed that the upcoming Arms and military trade fair in Plovdiv, Hemus 22, will be an ideal opportunity for talks and possible agreements with representatives of Serbian companies.

Today in Brussels, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Nikola Selaković met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria Teodora Genčovska.

Minister Selaković noted that bilateral relations were very good and stable, that the political dialogue was developed and intensive, and added that it was necessary to work toward a stronger economic cooperation.

Minister Selaković underlined that energy was one of the priority areas of cooperation with Bulgaria, and pointed out the possibilities for strengthening infrastructural, cross-border and regional cooperation.

Minister Selaković thanked Bulgaria for its support to Serbia's EU integration and invited Minister Genčovska to visit Serbia in official capacity.

Izvor/Foto: www.mfa.gov.rs

Today, Ambassador Jović visited the Municipality of Elin Pelin, one of the three most developed industrial zones in Bulgaria, and the first in terms of average salary.

At a separate meeting, on which were presented the capacities and possiblities of  joint areas of cooperation, was attended by the Mayor of Elin Pelin, Ivaylo Simeonov, and the Head of the district, Ivan Ivanov.

Representatives of the Strabag company in Bulgarisa, Marko Milosević and Patrik Hofgartner were part of the delegation led by the ambassador. The mentioned company employs a large number of Serbian citizens, who are currently engaged in several projects on the territory of Bulgaria.

Today in Sofia, Ambassador Ž. Jovic attended a work meeting with the representatives of the Science and Technology Park (NTP) from Niš and NTP from Sofia. Representatives of these institutions initially made contact and began cooperation at the Bulgaria-Serbia Business Forum, organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia in June last year.

Today's meeting confirmed the mutual interest in establishing cooperation, and in the implementation of both joint and individual projects in the field of innovation and promotion of activities and services for Starups and Tech companies (building innovation ecosystem), as well as in the field of technology transfer and legal protection.

Ambassador Jović welcomed the initiative and awareness of both sides on the usefulness of cooperation and joint use of all available resources. He also pointed out the great importance of the exchange of experiences, as well as the exchange of personnel, which would further improve the overall, primarily intellectual potential. In addition to the above, the Ambassador pointed out that the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia, in accordance with the available possibilities, will give full support and get involved in all further activities, in which it is in the interest of both NTPs.

Today, in Marrakesh, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Nikola Selaković participated in the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.

Minister Selaković said that Serbia was committed to the multilateral aspect of the fight against terrorism, adding that he firmly believed the United Nations should be the key forum for international cooperation in this field.

Minister Selaković stated that Serbia was fulfilling all international obligations pertaining to the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions, especially those related to the introduction of arms embargoes, including bans aimed at non-state actors, terrorist organisations and related individuals. He emphasised that Serbia was a signatory to 15 international conventions against terrorism.

“By participating in multinational UN and EU peacekeeping missions, Serbia is making a concrete contribution to preserving regional and global security,” Minister Selaković said, paying tribute to a member of the Serbian Army, Lieutenant Colonel Dejan Stanojević and his colleagues, who tragically lost their lives on March 29 in the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“Serbia does not diminish the importance of other international forums, which is why it joined the Global Coalition from the very beginning, and selflessly contributes to international efforts to fight ISIS, primarily through various forms of donations in military equipment, ammunition, and training in Iraqi security forces”, Minister Selaković said. He added that as a candidate country for membership in the European Union, Serbia gave its full contribution through active participation in European policies on the fight against terrorism, and had developed a strategic cooperation with EUROPOL.

Minister Selaković noted that Serbian criminal legislation provided instruments to prevent and punish the encouragement, organisation, and participation of its citizens in wars or conflicts in foreign countries. He explained that the Serbian judicial authorities had completed proceedings against 7 persons engaged in foreign battlefields, and that several investigations against persons connected with terrorist activities were underway.

Minister Selaković said that the fight against terrorism, radicalism and extremism was a priority, and that Serbia was actively involved in combating these challenges and threats at the domestic, regional, and international level.

Ambassador Ž. Jović attended a cocktail organized by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Bucharest, which on a non-residential basis covers the Republic of Bulgaria, and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco, as part of the visit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republicof Nigeria to Bulgaria.

During the visit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, G. Onyeama held a lecture on the topic "Strengthening food resilience and food security on the African continent", initiated by the African Union, to present modalities for strengthening agri-food, health and social protection systems to accelerate the development of human, social and economic capital. in Africa.

Ambassador Jović had a discussion with the MFA of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with which he noted the excellent bilateral cooperation between Serbia and Nigeria, but also great opportunities for further deepening, especially in the field of food industry and energy. Also, the  MFA stated that the opening of the Nigerian Embassy in Belgrade is expected soon, which will be another proof of strengthening the friendship between the two countries and intensifying the dialogue at all levels.

The finals of the Balkan Wheelchair Basketball League began today in Sofia with a solemn ceremony, in which teams from Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosna and Hercegovina took part.

With Vladimir Iskrov, president of the Balkan League and coach of BC in a wheelchair "Levski", and Aleksandrović Marko, Secretary General of the Balkan League, the opening and the first match (between BC Nais from Niš and BC OSI Paramont from Montenegro) was attended by Ambassador Ž. Jovic. The Ambassador addressed the audience and, above all, thanked the players once again for their will, strength and courage, for the example they give us every time they go out on the field, showing us all how little is necessary to live with a smile.

The traditional manifestation, "St. George's Day festivities", which is held every year at the Kremikovci Monastery, and this year gathered over 80 ensembles and folklore groups from Bulgaria, Northern Macedonia, Romania and Greece.

This year, Ambassador Jović was a guest of the Municipality of Kremikovci and the abbot of the monastery, Father Seraphim. At this great event, the most important one in this part of Bulgaria, the ambassador greeted those present and promised to personally engage that next year children from Serbia will join and show their talent, the color of Serbian folk costumes and the beauty of Serbian songs and dance.

The Regional Ministerial Meeting on Energy Security, Diversification and Green Transition was held in Sofia on May 5, 2022.

The meeting was opened by the PM of the Republic of Bulgaria, K. Petkov, and the hosts were the Minister of Energy of the Republic of Bulgaria, A. Nikolov and Deputy PM and Minister of Finance A. Vasilev.
The meeting was attended by the Director General of the European Commission's Energy Directorate, Ditte Juul Jorgensen, as well as the Ministers of Energy of the region, K. Skrekas from Greece, V. Popesku from Romania, K. Bekteshi from R. of |North Macedonia, P. Shahbazov from Azerbaijan, G. Galushchenko from Ukraine, Deputy Minister of Energy of Turkey, A. Bayraktar, and on behalf of the delegation of the Republic of Serbia, Deputy PM and the Minister of Mining and Energy, Z. Mihajlović.
During the three panel sessions, the topics were focused on security of gas supply, regional gas infrastructure and supply chains. Also, the current state of integration of the regional electricity market and the possibilities of its connection with the European market were discussed, as well as the challenges that the "European Green Deal" is facing.
At the end of the panels, agreements and declarations on cooperation between Bulgaria and countries in the region were signed, as well as an agreement between Bulgatransgas EAD and International Gas for a working project, delivery of necessary materials, construction and opening of the interconnector between Serbia and Bulgaria, on Bulgarian territory. The signing ceremony of the said Agreement was attended by the Deputy PM of the Republic of Serbia, Z. Mihajlović and  Ambassador, Ž. Jović.

Today, Ambassador Jović visited the largest company in Bulgaria (Plovdiv), in the field of non-ferrous metals (production and processing of zinc, lead, silver and gold).

The company "KCM" was state-owned until year 2000, when it became completely private. The entire ownership structure of the company is Bulgarian, and about 3,700 people are employed in two separate units (including mines). Due to the fact that in its work this company is oriented towards the Serbian market, in terms of both import and export, and in order to see opportunities for stronger and more intensive cooperation in the new circumstances, the ambassador met with the company's top management, Rumen Conev, Gen. director and chairman of the board of directors, and Ivan Dobrev, executive director, as well as several of their closest associates.
Also, on this occasion the management of the battery factory "Black Horse" from Sombor, Petar Miljković and Oracio Sartori, were introduced with the management of "KCM", which currently employs more than 80 citizens of the Republic of Serbia, in order to provide raw materials necessary for further factory work.

In Sofia on May 1, 2022, traditionally was held the VIII International Youth Olympiad, in music and dance, organized by the Balkan Alliance. Serbia was represented by the Ana Plug Ballet Center from Belgrade. For this competition, they qualified a month ago, when they won first place at the Niš Olympics.

Ambassador Jović attended this event and, at the closing ceremony he addressed the children, parents and coaches, to whom he said that our children, our talents, are actually our hope for a better and more carefree future, and that our key task is to take care of them and creating the conditions for them to be even better and more successful. Also, the ambassador presented medals and plaques to children from Serbia (Anastasia Lalić, Maja Avdić, Milica Andrić and Iva Polovina).
 

At the European Youth Boxing Championship, held in Sofia, from April 11 to 21, 2022. year, Serbian boxers showed exceptional fighting spirit, skills, courage and love for their country.

In the big competition, Serbian competitors won two bronze medals (Marko Pižurica and Dragana Jovanović), one silver medal (Rastko Simić, after a very debatable decision of judges), and our Sara Cirković, a native of Bratunac, and member of Boxing Club "Obilić 1389" from Mali Zvornik, won the gold medal.

Ambassador Jović supported and cheered the Serbian competitors during the competition, and at the final ceremony, he personally presented the gold medal to Sara. Also, the judges unanimously decided that Sara was the best competitor in this championship.

On Holy Thursday, on the eve of Easter, with faith in a good human heart, compassion and generosity, today in Gornja Malina, not far from Sofia, a children's humanitarian concert was organized with the goal of financially helping three seriously ill children.

The whole event was organized and performed by the children of the local kindergarten "Love, Faith and Hope". A special guest, in addition to the Mayor, Angel Želanov, and the municipal leadership, at this event was Ambassador Jović.

The Ambassador used his visit to Gornja Malina to visit his friends at the Center for Rehabilitation and Care of Orphans and Children with Special Needs, to whom he handed over a donation on behalf of the Serbian Embassy.

Upon the invitation  of the Mayor of Pernik, Stanislav Vladimirov,  Ambassador Jović attended the traditional event, "Pernik Village Circle - Graovo Circle", which was in the national list of Bulgaria in 2021, as an intangible cultural heritage.

On this occasion, Ambassador also visited the famous underground mining museum, and had a meeting with the Mayor, with whomhe disscused further cooperation, primarily in the field of culture and exchange visits of youth generation . Also, in regards to the long mining tradition of Pernik, the possibility of connecting this city with one of the mining municipalities from Serbia was disscused.

At the residence of the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco, last night, Ambassador Jović attended the traditional iftar dinner, marking Ramadan, a Muslim holiday that is especially respected in Bulgaria, due to the large number of members of this religion who live here.

The dinner was organized by the Ambassador of Morocco, and was also attended by the Ambassadors of Bosna and Hecergovina, Egypt and Kazakhstan, as well as the President of the DPS (which mainly gathers Bulgarians of Turkish ethnicity) Mustafa Karadayi and a senior official of the same party, member of the Bulgarian Parliament, Imren Mehmedova.

During the disscusion with Karadayi and Mehmedova, ambassador Jović emphasized the good relations between the two countries, as well as the similarities that bind us, among other things, peaceful and fruitful coexistence of Christians and Muslims, which can be an example for other regions in the world, but also to further deepen the overall bilateral relations between Serbia and Bulgaria.

The new and largest furniture show room in this part of Bulgaria, of the company Enikom M, was officially opened in Plovdiv yesterday. The mentioned company is a long-term partner of the Serbian furniture company, Jela from Jagodina, which will also be present in the newly opened show room with a wide range of its products.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Mayor of Plovdiv, Mr. Zrdavko Dimitrov, director of the Enikom M copmany, Mr. Cvetomir Duskov, the director of the Serbian company Jela, Mr. Miroljub Radovanović, Honorary Consul of Serbia in Plovdiv, Ms. Anastasia Solakov, and ambassador of Serbia Mr. Željko Jović.

During the discussions with the present businessmen and representatives of public life, Ambassador emphasized the great role of further strengthening cooperation between the two countries, especially in the field of economy, and welcomed the joint business activity of the two companies as the best example for further envedors.

Decisions No. 52-229/30-2022/01 and No. 51-366/30-2022/01, dated April 04, 2022 have been made on co-financing projects that contribute to preserving and strengthening ties between the home country and the diaspora and the home country and Serbs in the region

You can view the decisions made at the following links:

https://www.mfa.rs

https://www.dijaspora.gov.rs

Today, Ambassador Jović and the Honorary Consul of Serbia in Bulgaria, Anastasia Solakov, attended the opening ceremony of the Hunting and Fishing Fair in Plovdiv.

After the official ceremony, Ambassador Jović and Mrs. Solakov, accompanied by the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Stefan Burdzhev, and the Mayor of Plovdiv, Zdravko Dimitrov, visited the present exhibitors.

Also, the ambassador held a short meeting with the Deputy Minister, Burdzhev, at which it was stated that strong ties and closer cooperation of close neighbors are especially important at this moment, and that a meeting of the highest representatives of the two ministries will be initiated soon, in order to agree on concrete steps that will enhance bilateral cooperation and contribute to the well-being of both citizens and agriculture of both countries.

Ambassador Jović, as a personal guest of the Mayor of Veliko Tarnovo, Mr. Daniel Panov, along with Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Ms. Iliana Iotova, and other high ranking officials from the political and public life of Bulgaria, attended the celebration of the Day of the Town Veliko Tarnovo.

This city, which has twice been the capital throughout the history of the Bulgarian state, also preserves the memory of the Serbian great saint and educator, St. Sava, who died in 1236. and was buried in Veliko Tarnovo, after that, his remains were transferred to Serbia. The Church of the Holy 40 Great Martyrs, where St. Sava was buried, is still fulfilled with love and respect.

During his visit, ambassador Jović held a short meeting with the Metropolitan of Veliko Tarnovo, Gregory.

Today, in the town of Sandanski, Ambassador Željko Jović visited the participants of the 15th Winter School of Diplomacy, which was organized by the Diplomatic Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria in cooperation with the Hanns-Seidel Foundation.

Among other participants, the Winter School of Diplomacy, is also attended by Mr. Lazar Vukadinović, diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia. A special contribution to the seminar was given by the speech and attendance at several workshops, by Ambassador Ms. Marina Jovićević, Director of the Diplomatic Academy at the MFA of the Republic of Serbia. The visit of Ambassador Jovićević also had a role to establish stronger cooperation with the Diplomatic Institute of the Republic of Bulgaria, primarily with its director, Ms. Tanya Mihaylova, as well as to consider concrete ideas and proposals that will be of mutual benefit.

During the mentioned visit of Ambassador Jović, a short meeting was held, attended by Ambassador Jovićević and Director Mihaylova, as well as Mr. Slavtcho Neykov, energy expert, Director of the Bulgarian Institute for Energy Management (EMI) and the regional Director of the Hans Siedel Stiftung Foundation, Dr. Klaus Fiesinger, were the directions of potential future joint cooperation were discussed.

Today, Ambassador Jović met with the Minister of Energy of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Alexander Nikolov. During the meeting, mutual willingness was reiterated not only for further cooperation, but also for its maximum deepening and enhancement.

It was assessed that mutual engagement and intensification of cooperation are especially important today, at a time when the question of energy security is one of the key issues for the survival and development of any modern state.

In addition to the already functioning Balkan Stream, which today provides both countries with much needed gas, but also makes a profit from transit fees, the growing importance of the soon to be completed Serbia-Bulgaria and Bulgaria-Greece interconnectors will provide an energy diversification in the region, by connection to the Azerbaijan sources, but also with Greek LNG processing plants.

Today, Ambassador Jović met with the Minister of Health of the Republic of Bulgaria, Prof. Asena Serbezova and her deputy, Dr. Peter Gribnev.

During the meeting, the ambassador informed his interlocutors in detail about all completed projects in Serbian healthcare, as well as the overall current potential of our health system, which will provide a far higher level of health care not only for Serbian citizens but the entire region. The ambassador also pointed out the positive trends in Serbian health care when it comes to new employment, according to which several thousand young doctors and nurses got jobs in the past period, which drastically reduced the outflow of these staff abroad (a problem with the Republic of Bulgaria continuously faced).

At the end of the conversation, the Ambassador thanked the Minister for her professionalism and great support in lifting the total ban on entry for Serbian citizens (end of 2021), introduced due to the worsening of COVID situation.

Ambassador Jović visited two areas of central Bulgaria, Lovech and Gabrovo. On that occasion, he met with the Mayor of the Municipality of Sevlievo (Gabrovo District), Ivan Ivanov, with whom he visited several villages and local communities, as well as the hunting farm Rosica. Ivanov acquainted the ambassador with the history and tourist potentials of these areas, which are also called "Little Switzerland". Sevlievo, a town of about 25,000 inhabitants, has almost no unemployment, primarily due to its highly developed industry.

In this regard, during the visit to this region, Ambassador held a meeting with the director of Ideal Standard Vidima Company (famous in Serbia for its ceramic products and sanitary ware), and has informed in detail about all the results that Serbia has achieved in the past. He pointed out the potentials for the development of cooperation in numerous areas.

Also, the ambassador met with the Mayor of the Municipality of Trojan as well as with the Mayor of the Municipality of Apriltsi, and on the great Orthodox holiday, Todorovdan, together with the local authorities, he attended the traditional horse race in the town Apriltsi.

On March 10, 2022, Ambassador Željko Jović attended the presentation of the project "Energy Perspectives of SEE 2021/2022", held by the Greek Institute for Energy for Southeast Europe IENE in Sofia, organized by the Institute of Energy Management (EMI) and the Bulgarian Independent Energy Exchange.

The main conclusions were presented by Mr. Kostis Stambolis, President and CEO of IENE and Mr. Costas Theophylactos, Secretary General of the Institute. In addition to IESA's internal research team, 25 experts from all Southeast European countries participated in the study and preparation of country profiles and sector analyzes. Among the authors is the chief economist of EMI, Kalojan Stajkov.

This presentation was held for the first time on March 1, 2022 in Athens, and after Bulgaria, it is planned to be held in other capitals, Istanbul, Belgrade, Tirana, Vienna, Bucharest and London. It is a thorough analysis of energy capacities, needs and potentials of the countries of the SEE region, with special reference and prediction of future developments in this area, which has become especially important with the most current events in Ukraine.

     Together with the Vice President of Bulgaria, Iliana Iotova, and the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Stefan Burdzhev, today, Ambassador Jović attended the opening ceremony of the International Agricultural Fair AGRA in Plovdiv. Latest achievements in the field of agricultural production, as well as equipment and food products of dozens of domestic and foreign exhibitors were presented.

      During the visit, Ambassador Jović visited the stand of the Serbian company Metal Engineering (production of equipment for processing frozen fruits and vegetables and chemical industry) from Ivanjica, where he discussed the position of this Serbian company on the Bulgarian market, with the company owner, Milinko Ristić, as well as the possible assistance which can be provided by the Embassy of Serbia in Sofia.

Celebration of the International Women`s Day, March 8th at the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia.

Ambassador and the male staff members congratulated the International Women`s Day to their colleagues in the Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, as well as all women in Serbia and around the world, on this great day, wishing them to be joyful, strong, successful and happy, and much more protected and unworried.
 

     On the day when the International Women's Day is celebrated, March 8, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, along with several women's organizations from Bulgaria, organized a Conference in Sofia, on Domestic and community violence - Prevention and defence mechanisms.

    Current trends in society, were discussed, especially those with a negative connotation and in connection with the dramatic increase in violence against women. In this regard, it was pointed out, that there is a need for further joint work on finding ways to ensure not only adequate protection of women but also the creation of a social climate that would contribute to reducing all deviant phenomena when it comes to violence against women.

      The organizers of the Conference welcomed Ambassador Jović, as a representative of the Republic of Serbia, which is among the first signatories of the Istanbul Convention. The conference was attended by the highest representatives of the police and judiciary authorities of the Republic of Bulgaria, as well as the Ombudsman and Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Bulgaria.

The Elementary Schools „Branislav Nušić“ from Belgrade and „Ivan Vazov“ from Silistra, organized for the third time, an exchange of "Martenica" gifts, which were made by the students of the mentioned schools on the occasion of the "Baba Marta" holiday. In the previous period, the mentioned two school institutions also marked the Day of Slavic Literacy in the same way.
Pupils from both schools attended the exchange and opening of gifts via video call, and on that occasion, in Serbian, Bulgarian and English language wished each other a lot of health, happiness and success.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikola Selaković met today with the Head of the EU Delegation Emanuel Giofre and the Ambassadors of the EU Member States accredited to Serbia.

Minister Selaković informed the ambassadors present about the Conclusion of the National Security Council, which was adopted by the Government of Serbia on February 27 - regarding the situation in Ukraine.

The Serbian Foreign Minister said that Serbia deems the outbreak of the crisis and conflict in Ukraine deeply regretful, emphasizing that Serbia considers it very wrong to violate the territorial integrity and sovereignty of any state, as in the case of Ukraine. In this regard, Foreign Minister Selaković reiterated that Serbia very clearly insists on the respect for the principles of international law, pointing out that this is the foundation of the Serbian foreign policy.

FM Selaković underscored that Serbia gives fully supports the negotiations between the two sides and all credible international efforts to find a peaceful and political solution to the crisis in Ukraine.

Mr. Selaković pointed out that Serbia will continue to consistently maintain peace and stability in Southeast Europe in these challenging times, emphasizing that modern challenges also show that all disagreements on our continent must be resolved by peaceful means and dialogue.

On the invitation of the Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria, Hristo Prodanov, Ambassador Jović attended the grand opening of the 38th International Tourism Exchange "Vacation and SPA Expo", in Sofia. It is the largest tourism forum in Bulgaria, traditionally organized under the patronage of the Ministry of Tourism.

In a separate conversation, Minister Prodanov told the ambassador that he expect a meeting of tour operators of Serbia and Bulgaria, our tourist organizations and representatives of the ministries of tourism of the two countries to take place soon, in order to further improve cooperation in this area. In that sense, presence of the representatives of the Bulgarian tourism sector at the upcoming Tourism Fair in Belgrade has been announced.

On February 23, Ambassador Jović attended the Regional Forum in Burgas, dedicated to the development of tourism and finding ways to expand regional cooperation. Also, one of the key topics was the possibility of opening new airlines in the region.

The forum was also attended by Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria, Deputy Mayor of Burgas, Regional Mayor of Sliven, President of the Bulgarian Association in the Field of Aviation Industry, Executive Director of the private airline Gulliver, as well as numerous representatives of the tourism, cultural and business sectors.

Among other topics, the possibility of introducing an airline route Burgas-Belgrade and Burgas-Niš was considered, and in his noteworthy address, the Ambassador presented the current level of development and progress in numerous areas in the Republic of Serbia, but he also pointed out the importance of regional road connections, and consequently therefore on our results in that segment, as well as the absolute readiness of all Serbian institutions to hold talks on all topics of common interest.

     Ambassador Jović attended the solemn celebration of the anniversary of the appointment of Bishop Nikolaj of Plovdiv. This ceremony, held in the monastery of St. Kirik and Julita were also attended by the ambassadors of the Russian Federation, Eleonora Mitrofanova, and Greece, Dimitrios Chronopoulos, as well as the mayor of Plovdiv, Zdravko Dimitrov, the commander of the special forces of the Republic of Bulgaria, General Javor Matejev and other prominent citizens from Bulgarian political and public life.
     Bishop Nikolaj expressed his gratitude to  Ambassador Jović, especially pointing out the importance of ties between the Orthodox brothers, as well as the readiness to strengthen further cooperation.

     Ambassador Jović and Honorary Consul in the Republic of Bulgaria, Anastasia Solakov, visited the Municipality of Chepelare, where they met with the Mayor, Boran Hadjiev, a great Bulgarian athlete and coach who has trained several European and world champions in skiing and biathlon. Although small in population (6,000 people), this municipality has a strong industry, led by a factory of world-famous ski equipment brand, Salomon and Atomic.

     In that sense, B. Hadziev pointed out that they are open to all types of possible economic cooperation with Serbia. Also, bearing in mind that part of this municipality is the famous ski center Pamporovo (which is divided between the Municipality of Čepelare and the Municipality of Smolyan), and that in the winter season there are always a large number of Serbian tourists, they discussed the possibility of developing some service, in order to provide our tourists with an even higher quality of stay, but also to attract an even larger number of our citizens, who are supporters of skiing and mountain sports. B. Hadziev expressed the readiness that the Municipality of Chepelare be twinned with a similar Municipality from Serbia, and accepted the ambassador's initiative to dedicate one day only to the Republic of Serbia at one of the upcoming municipal festivals, when Serbia would present its culture, tradition, kitchen and other content.

On the occasion of the Statehood Day of the Republic of Serbia, Ambassador Zeljko Jović gave the following interview to the newspaper, "Diplomatic Spectrum".

Република Сърбия, сръбския народ и всичките наши граждани, с гордост и големия пиетет на 15 февруари отбелязват Деня на държавността на Република Сърбия. На този ден ние се сещаме за славни времена, времената на страданията и мъките, но и времената на великата борба, самоотрицание и примера на силата, единството и геройството, примера как великите идеи и великите сънища стават реалността, ако искрено се желаят и ако за тях се бори без комромиси.

Самият Ден на държавността на Република Сърбия е установен като спомен на деня, когато на народнато събиране в място Орашац 1804 година беше повдигнато Първо сръбско възстание, като реакция на тежкото положение на сърбите под турската власт, а със силната воля за пълното освобождение. Сръбския народ е преди всичко искал  свобода, но в тези моменти е имал и ясната визия на къде по-нататък желае да върви и каква държава иска да направи. От този ден в Сърбия последваха многобройните важни крачки, чиято цел беше изграждането на новите държавни институции, отмяната на феудализма и общото културно възраждане. Иначе, 15 февруари се чества и като Ден на Конституция на Сърбия като знак на сещането на деня когато в Крагуевац 1835 година е издадена и потвърдена първата Конституция на  Княжество на Сърбия, т.н. Сретенска Конституция, която в онзи период беше една от най-модерните, най-демократичните и най-либералните конституции в Европа, с която в Сърбия и фактически и  de jure е отменен феудализмът, а широко отворени врати на човешките права и свободи.

Днес е Република Сърбия модерна държава, която в своята външна политика преди всичко е направена към добросъседството, регионалното сътрудничество и стабилността, чрез континуиран политически диалог и готовността да конструктивните и дъългосрочните одържими решения. Също така, нашето трайно определение е и постоянен икономически напредък, дигитализацията и общата модернизация на всичките наши потенциали. Като и през 2020 година, така и във втората година на пандемията, която и в мнозина по –развити държави остави разоряващи последици на всичките сегменти на обществото, а особено на икономиката, Сърбия  продължи да побеждава. С решителните и мъдрите решения на политическото ръководство, стабилната и конкретната политика, а имено с онази ясна визия като някога, къде и как искаме, ние продължихме да изграждаме нашата инфраструктура, която ни съединява преди всичко с нашите съседи, която на нашите деца ще даде новата перспектива на живота и труда. Скоро очакваме участъкът на автоматистралата, който завършихме до българската граница да бъде свързан с българския участък на автомагистрала „ЕВРОПА“, на входа в Република България, а скоро тържественно отбелязахме и началото на работите на газовия Интерконектор между нашите две държави, който ще ни даде възможността за още по-голямата диверсификация и толкова желана по голяма степен на енергийна сигурност. От другата страна, имено с тези големи начинания на най-важните инфраструктурни проекти, оформен е силен замах на сръбското стопанство, който доведе до това Сърбия и през 2021 година да бъде сред първите страни в Европа и Еврозоната по общия БВП от 7,5%, но и същевременно нашия обшт външен дълг да бъде под онзи, който е предвиден с Договора от Мастрихт.

Във войната, която водихме и още водиме със съвместния невидим враг на цялото човечество, коронавирус, ние успяхме да защитим преди всичко най-старата ни популация, да помогнем и на другите държави в тази борба, да опазим икономиката, но и още повече да подобрим нашия здравен сектор. Покрай контитуираната подкрепа за сръбските лекари и медицинския персонал, която се показваше с континуираното увеличение на заплатите, както и своевременните еднократни финансови допълнения, изградени са и четири броя напълно нови ковид болници, които са оборудвани с най-модерното медицинско оборудване. С надчовешките усилия на държавното ръководство, обезпечени са ваксините на пет производители, а работата в здравеопазването получиха няколко хиляди млади лекари и медицински сестри.

Сърбия днес, като преди много време, иска да бъде пример как се в тези тежки времена може напред, с вдигната глава, в единствено и неделимо, по-хубаво бъдеще, бъдеще на което ще се радват преди всичко нашите деца и нашите внуци.

Възползвам се от възможността особено да поблагодаря на гражданите и институциите на Република България, за откритостта, разбирането и показаната готовност и по-нататък, още по силно и по-посветено, да развиваме нашите двустранни отношения, нашето партньорство, и решително да продължим напред, с ясното желание, с ясната визия на региона на стабилността, мира и просперитета, за щастие и радост не само на сръбския и българския народ, а и на всичките останали народи, които живеят и които желаят да живеят на нашите прекрасни Балкани.
 

Remembering the great sacrifices of the Serbian people in the fight for freedom, proud of their glorious ancestors, aware of everything they left us as a legacy, the Satehood Day was marked at the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia.

Bearing in mind the epidemiological limitations in the Republic of Bulgaria, the Statehood Day of our state and people and all citizens of the Republic of Serbia, was marked by Ambassador Zeljko Jović and the staff of the Embassy without the usual guests (members of the diplomatic corps, politics and public figures). Anastasia Solakov, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Serbia in the Republic of Bulgaria,  in Plovdiv and Mitko Solakov, candidate for Honorary Consul of the Republic of Serbia in the Republic of Bulgaria, in Blagoevgrad, also attended the celebration of the Statehood Day.

The Statehood Day of the Republic of Serbia was an excellent occasion to emphasize once again not only the historical context of the development of the Serbian state, but also the fact that today the Republic of Serbia is a modern democracy, which respects human and minority rights, freedoms and diversity, and is strongly committed to good neighborliness and open dialogue and cooperation, making it a reliable and desirable partner in both regional and overall international relations. Also, Serbia is a country that has had accelerated economic growth for several years, a country that with its infrastructure and other projects, and a clear vision of where and how it wants, establishes a new reality, a reality that guarantees a better life and secure future for young people.

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and Prime Minister of Bulgaria Kiril Petkov said today that Sofia and Belgrade are interested in a common gas and energy market, which would bring greater competitiveness to the economies of the two countries.
At a joint press conference with Petkov, Brnabic explained that it would bring benefits to both countries because we could build more capacity from renewable energy sources.

She said that at the meeting with the Bulgarian Prime Minister, they also talked about Bulgaria's support for our country in the field of European integration, opening clusters, as well as organising a specialised business forum in September in Pirot or Dimitrovgrad, where high delegations would present investment potentials.

According to her assessment, maintaining quadrilateral among Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania and Greece would also contribute to a greater energy stability.

The cooperation between the two countries can be even better in the field of trade, economy and joint investments, the Prime Minister stated and emphasised that we will work dedicatedly to that end.

For the sake of regional stability of the Western Balkans, it is important for Serbia to see progress on the European path together with our partners in North Macedonia, Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina, she underlined and thanked Bulgaria for its commitment to resolving all outstanding issues so that everyone has a clear European perspective.

The Prime Minister emphasised that 2021 was a record year in the economic relations between the two countries, with economic exchange amounting to €1.3 billion.

The Prime Minister of Bulgaria expressed confidence that the Balkans, where 65 million people live, with the removal of borders and a common gas and energy market, could become the fastest growing region.

For Sofia, regional connectivity is important as a condition for economic development, with an emphasis on energy connectivity. We are much stronger together and we are in negotiations with countries outside the region. Our "Greek connection" is a priority for Bulgaria so that we have direct access to liquefied gas, he explained.

According to him, there is great potential for a single gas market, which means connections with North Macedonia, Greece, Serbia and Romania.

Petkov said that Bulgaria is not only a friend of Serbia, but also its partner in the field of European integration.

Izvor: www.srbija.gov.rs

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic attended today in Geneva the signing of the Agreement on the Establishment of the World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Serbia, the first of its kind in the Western Balkans.

The agreement was signed at the headquarters of that forum by Director of the Office for Information Technologies and eGovernment Mihailo Jovanovic and Managing Director and Head of the Forum's Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Jeremy Jurgens.

The centre in Serbia will be the 16th in the network of centres of the World Economic Forum in the world and the first in the region of the Western Balkans.

The new centre will start operating on 1 March and will function as a non-profit organisation and a platform for public-private partnership and cooperation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, while the focus of work will be on artificial intelligence and bioengineering.

This centre will work within the Serbian government’s Office for Information Technologies and eGovernment and will cooperate with scientific institutes, state institutions and the private sector.

The signing of this document was also attended by founder and Executive Director of the World Economic Forum Klaus Schwab and President of the World Economic Forum Borge Brende, with whom Brnabic had previously met.
Addressing the press, Brnabic pointed out that this agreement is the result of many years of joint work between Serbia and the World Economic Forum.

We started talking in 2018, signed a Memorandum of Understanding, then 2020 hampered us a bit, but we continued to plan in 2021 and here we are today, she said.

According to her, the centre will be focused on the development of artificial intelligence, biomedicine and biotechnology, and on the ways in which digitalisation can raise the productivity of companies and the entire economy.

This is what further leads to higher salaries, a better standard of living, as well as to an economy that is mainly based on knowledge, creativity and innovation, Brnabic emphasised.

Today, we have received great recognition for everything that Serbia has done in the field of digitalisation, development of high technologies and paradigm shift – from an economy that was based on labour-intensive investments to digital development.

That is why this agreement shows that Serbia has been recognised as one of the leaders in the economy and IT industry in the last six years, the Prime Minister pointed out and assessed that this is the announcement of the beginning of an even closer cooperation between Serbia and WEF.

She added that they will have a joint meeting with the 16 WEF centres for the fourth industrial revolution in the world every month, at which they will talk about what each of them is doing, since each has a different focus.

That is how we will hear what everyone is doing every month, learn from each other and I am sure that the centre in Belgrade will be one of the best, the Prime Minister said.

According to her, this gives us visibility, the opportunity to further establish Serbia as an investment destination, a country good for living and investing in new technologies and knowledge.

Jovanovic said that the ecosystem formed around the centre will use the infrastructure of the National Platform for the Development of Artificial Intelligence, the Centre for Genome Sequencing and the future bioeconomic centre – BIO4 Campus.
Izvor/Foto: Tanjug

On February 4, 2022, the Agreement of Cooperation between Serbian National Theater in Novi Sad and the Plovdiv State Opera has been signed at the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia.

Driven by the desire to promote and expand artistic and business-technical cooperation, on the basis of mutual interest and with deep conviction that this Protocol will provide the best possible basis and conditions for mutual cooperation and thus improve cultural policy in Serbia and Bulgaria the Agreement was signed by the director of the Serbian National Theater, A. Stankov, and the director of the State Opera Plovdiv, N. Naidenova. After the official ceremony, Ambassador Ž. Jović organized a reception, which was attended by the artistic director of the State Opera Plovdiv, maestro D. Čobanov, opera artist M. Jelić and other guests.

Today, Ambassador Jović hosted the delegation of the Hunting Association of Bulgaria, led by the President of the LS, Vasil Vasilev. In the official part, which was attended by ambassadors who have a passion for hunting, fishing and nature (ambassadors of Slovenia, Slovakia, Cyprus and Qatar). Borislav Bechev, manager of the BLRS Sokol (which operates within LS Bulgaria), presented the Ambassador with a special gratitude letter, as well as a trophy. After the ceremony, the topic of improving the cooperation between the two ministries of agriculture, in the segment of hunting and fishing, was discussed.
It was jointly assessed that there is a huge potential for the development of hunting tourism and a unique approach to third markets, and it was pointed out that additional efforts must be made for even stronger and more concrete cooperation in the field of wildlife reintroduction. Both sides agreed that there is an additional chance and possibility of joint participation and application for available EU funds (Cross-border cooperation).

On February 01, 2022, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia, Ž. Jović, attended the premiere of the second part of the series "Južni Vetar 2 - Acceleration". Serbian actors Miloš Biković and Miodrag Radonić arrived in Sofia, to together with their Bulgarian colleagues, Assen Blatechki, Mako Marinov and Ivaylo Zaharijev, on the red carpet in front of the Cinegrand cinema, officially open the  screening of the film.
Bulgarian actor Zahari Baharov could not attend the opening, due to the imposed quarantine measure, but he greeted the audience via a video address. After the film, the main actor, Miloš Biković addressed  the audience and announced the continuation of the film, and the shooting of the series.

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic attended today the marking of the beginning of the construction of the gas interconnector between Serbia and Bulgaria, on the part of the route through our country from Nis to the state border near Dimitrovgrad.
On that occasion, Brnabic pointed out that the gas pipeline will be ready for operation by October 2023, and that it will then be safer to supply natural gas in our country and the region.

The Prime Minister emphasised that this is an extremely important project that is being implemented together with partners from the European Union and is the best example of good cooperation.
She reminded that the project was planned in 2015 and that the EU declared it one of the priorities, specifying that its total value in Serbia is €85.5 million.
The Prime Minister explained that €25 million is a loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB), €49.6 million is a grant from the EU IPA Fund, while the remaining €10.3 million will be provided from the Serbian budget and approximately EUR 600,000 from Srbijagas.
Brnabic pointed out that the gas interconnection is designed for a capacity of 1.8 billion cubic meters of gas per year, adding that it is an additional connection with Bulgaria, which will be connected to our gas infrastructure in Nis.
The gas interconnection with Bulgaria, with the support of the EU, will mean a better quality of life for everyone in Serbia – new investments and jobs, the Prime Minister emphasised.
Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Emanuele Giaufret pointed out that the project is another step towards connecting Serbia and the EU, noting that a project will begin today that will significantly increase the amount of gas for households and industry.
He pointed out that, thanks to that gas pipeline, Serbia will have more choice and be less dependent on existing sources of supply, adding that the EU, which allocates approximately €75 million for the project, is helping to separate activities and increase competition.
Part of the gas interconnection in Serbia will be 109 km long, and the total length of the two-way gas pipeline through both countries is 170 km, and it will be designed for a capacity of 1.8 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
The project for the construction of the main gas pipeline MG10 Nis-Dimitrovgrad includes the installation of two gas pipes of size DN700 for a pressure of 55 bar, as well as four measuring and regulating stations with accompanying facilities.
Source/photo: www.srbija.gov.rs

On January 28, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia, Ž. Jović, met with the Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Chirpan, Janko Topalov. During the meeting, they discussed the possibilities of improving the cooperation of the Municipality of Chirpan with the municipalities of the Republic of Serbia, in the field of culture and economy.
On this occasion Mr. J. Topalov invited Ambassador Ž. Jović to attend the annual International Economic forum, which will be held in Chirpan this June. In addition to the economic forum, a traditional lavender fair will be organized in this city.
During the meeting, it was agreed to proceed to the twinning of the Municipality of Chirpan with one of the municipalities in the Republic of Serbia.

Today, Ambassador Jović met with the newly appointed  Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria, Hristo Prodanov. During the meeting the possibilities of developing further cooperation were discussed. In this regard, it was jointly assessed to organize meetings between tourist organizations as well as between tour operators of the two countries as soon as possible.Also, one of the topics was the possibility of developing pilgrimage tourism, but also the possibility of speeding up and facilitating border crossing for tourists who come by bus.

The Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia today solemnly marked the St. Sav day. As of this year, the practice of awarding certificates of appreciation has begun, one to a Serbian citizen living and working in Bulgaria and the other to a Bulgarian citizen.
Acknowledgments will be given to individuals for their overall relationship with the Serbian Embassy in Sofia, the Republic of Serbia and the Serbian people and heritage, as well as for the example set by them in the previous year, with their mercy, love and care for the weak, sick and poor. This year the certificate of apprecication was given to Mr. Danijel Radulović, Director of the Zepter Company in Bulgaria, and Bishop Polikarp, vicar Bishop of Sofia.
On this occasion, the company Zepter handed over a donation, air purifiers, to the Center for Special Rehabilitation and Inclusion of Children with Special Needs in Elin Pelin. Due to the absence of the Director of the Center, Eli Tsvetanova, the donation was received by Father Seraphim, the abbot of the Kremikovtzi Monastery.

Today, Ambassador Jović visited the Ski School SK Midžor Pirot on Pamporovo, one of the three largest winter centers in Bulgaria. Since 2011 the instructors of this ski school, in the best way, with their professionalism, kindness and exceptional results, represent the state of Serbia and the Municipality of Pirot. This year, about 300 children from Serbia and about 50 adults passed the ski school. The host of the ambassador was the president of the club and the organizer of the camp, Jovica Cvetković.

Ambassador Jović, defence attache Mr. Ž. Simić and several Serbian citizens, who live and work in Bulgaria marked the Epiphany by swimming for the Holy Cross in the Iskar River, not far from Sofia. About twenty Serbian citizens attended this solemn act.

Today, Ambassador Jović attended the inauguration ceremony, held in the Parliament of the Republic of Bulgaria, of the newly elected President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, and his Deputy, Iliana Iotova. The solemn session was attended by accredited ambassadors as well as all representatives of the parliamentary parties of the Republic of Bulgaria, church dignitaries, representatives of other, recognized religious communities, as well as prominent public figures.

Yesterday, Ambassador Jović distributed New Year's packages to children of citizens of the Republic of Serbia who live and work in Sofia and other places in Bulgaria. 56 children with their parents were guests of the Embassy of Serbia in Sofia, which traditionally organized this award this year as well, with the support and donation of the company Zepter Bulgaria.

Ambassador Željko Jović visited the volleyball cadet national team of Serbia, which is participating in the Balkan Championship in Sofia, which is also a qualifying tournament for the European Cadet Championship.

Today, the Ambassador attended the match between Serbia and Greece, which was won by our young volleyball players with the result 3:2. The host of the Serbian ambassador was Lyubomir Ganev, the president of the Volleyball Federation of Bulgaria.

Ambassador Jović visited the Municipalities of Kostinbrod and Petrač, where he welcomed the President of the Municipality of Babušnica, Ivana Stojičić, other representatives of this Serbian municipality and children from cultural and artistic society "Dom kulture Babušnica".

The delegation from Serbia is visiting Bulgaria for the final manifestations within the realization of the joint cross-border project with the mentioned two Bulgarian municipalities, which is financed by the EU. At the final event, children from Serbia and Bulgaria presented themselves with a mix of games from several parts of the two countries and and folk costumes, purchased with funds obtained from this project.

In his address to the gathered, Ambassador Jović emphasized the necessity and importance of such activities, which contribute to stronger connections between local governments of Serbia and Bulgaria, and are an example for other levels of government and all state institutions, how successful and quality cooperation can be. The ambassador mentioned that it is even more important that young people unite in this way, without whose determination to stay in this area, there will be neither one nor the other state. From there, Amb Jovic pointed out, it is our duty to work intensively on creating conditions for them to grow into educated, responsible and hardworking people, who will have the desire to stay in our beautiful Balkans and who will be wide enough to live, work and create together a new and better future.

  With the logistical support, provided by the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia, on December 17, 2021, the team of the production company Contrast Studios, recorded one of the episodes of the series "Serbian Heroes of the Middle Ages".
  The series aims to present, through an educational dimension, the period of Serbian medieval culture, history, literature, customs, way of life and the scope of civilization in which Serbian people developed and fought for survival.
  Ambassador Ž. Jović was present at the filming and attended the meeting with the head priest of the St. Nedelya church and the crew of Contrast Studios.

Today, Ambassador Željko Jović and the US Ambassador to Bulgaria, Hero Mustafa, visited the Center for Talents and Innovations in Elin Pelin, intended for rehabilitation and work with children with special needs. Since the establishment of the Center, as well as its functioning, is under the patronage of the Bulgarian orthodox church, the host was the Vicar Bishop of Sofia, Bishop Polycarp. During the visit, all aspects of the center's activities were presented, as well as a wide range of its possibilities, and areas in which the two Embassies could help in the coming period. The management of the Center, Bishop Polycarp and Father Seraphim, the head of the Kremikovtzi Monastery, especially thanked the Serbian Embassy for the cooperation and care shown so far. On this occasion, Ambassador Jović and Ambassador Mustafa presented New year presents to the children who attend courses in this center and the center in Gornja Malina.

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic stated in Brussels today after the Intergovernmental conference on the accession of the Republic of Serbia to the European Union (EU) that today is a very important date and a turning point for Serbia.

Brnabic said that in line with the new methodology, Serbia has opened cluster 4 – Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity, and within cluster 4, four chapters have been opened.

The Prime Minister underlined that this is a great success on which she wants to congratulate all citizens of Serbia and she thanked President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic on the support and understanding he showed.

An important segment of the new methodology is political management of integrations. What we have done in the mandate of the new government is that we manage, together with Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimovic, the integration process and all reforms, first and foremost in the field of the rule of law, politically in full, and that yielded results, the Prime Minister said.

She said that the opening of the chapters is a huge motivation for further reforms in the field of the rule of law, public administration and the economy.

I would like to thank all EU Member States, as well as the European Commission, for their support and understanding. They have shown that they are open, that they are ready to see, to listen, to reward everything we have done and therefore this is a great motivation to continue, not even in the same way we have worked so far, but to go faster and to work better, she noted.

Brnabic voiced hope that Serbia will open cluster 3 in 2022, which is ready, and that preparations for the opening of cluster 5 are on the agenda.

The Prime Minister underlined that environmental protection is gaining importance and that this topic is increasingly present and important in Serbia.

Regional stability, dialogue with Pristina and the economy also remain our priorities. I am satisfied, and we talked about that today, about economic results Serbia is achieving. I expect our growth this year to be 7.5 percent, the Prime Minister pointed out.

She said that the degree of harmonisation of Serbia with the foreign and security policy of the EU currently stands at 65.55 percent.

Brnabic also thanked Slovenia for the successful EU presidency, she thanked EU Member States on their support, as well as the European Commission, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Source: www.srbija.gov.rs
Photo: Tanjug
 

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Nikola Selakovic sent a message of congratulations to Teodora Genchovska on the occasion of taking office as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, wishing her every success in the discharge of her responsible duties in the interest of her country and people.

“I am proud of the fact that the bilateral relations between our two countries are very good, and based on mutual trust and respect, to which a contribution has been made through an intensive and substantial political dialogue at the high and top levels", the congratulatory message reads.

The Minister pointed out that Serbia was committed to deepening the comprehensive relations with Bulgaria in areas of common interest, with special emphasis on economic cooperation, which, according to Selakovic, contributed to both the citizens of our two countries, and the stability and well-being in the region.

In his congratulatory message, Selakovic also thanked Bulgaria for the overall support it provided to our country in the process of European integration, as well as for its readiness and openness to share experiences from the accession process with us.
 

Ambassador Ž. Jović attended the New Year's cocktail party, which was held at the Sofia City Gallery, and hosted by  Sofia Mayor Jordanka Fandakova. On that occasion, Ambassador Jović talked with Fandakova and her closest associates, with whom he agreed that it is desirable and expedient to organize a meeting with the Mayor of Belgrade and people leading the largest Serbian city after the upcoming holidays, in order to discuss further cooperation and exchange of experiences from several fields and issues. Ambassador Joivć and Mayor Fandakova agreed that Sofia and Belgrade are very alike and that they have similar issues, which is one of the reasons for the necessity of intensifying cooperation and organizing direct contacts between the leaders of the two big cities.

   On December 12, on the invitation of Mr. Boyko Takovo, Director of the Agency for the Promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises of the Republic of Bulgaria (BSMEPA), Ambassador Ž. Jović attended the annual meeting of the International Network of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (INSME), which was held in Sofia.
   The meeting was opened by the President of INSME, Sergio Arzeni, and was attended by numerous representatives of European financial institutions, banking sector, members of the international network INSME and representatives of non-governmental organizations. The International Network for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises has 65 members from 34 countries working in the field of internationalization, innovation and technology transfer. The topic of this year's gathering and accompanying conference "Small and Medium Enterprises - Driver of Sustainable Recovery" refers to innovative and digital development of small and medium enterprises and startups, in the context of the global pandemic Covid-19, and was accompanied by numerous specialized forums on how to enhance SME post-Covid19 recovery.

     Today, in Sofia, Ambassador Željko Jović attended the solemn session, on which the 47th Bulgarian Parliament was constituted. In accordance with the usual procedure, the session was attended by the President of the Republic of Bulgaria Mr. R. Radev, Vice President Ms. Iliana Yotova, Prime Minister and Ministers of the Transitional Government, former Speakers of Parliament, Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria, representatives of the diplomatic corps and a large number of representatives of domestic and foreign media. Out of a total of 240 deputies, the session began with a quorum of 228 deputies.
      Nikola Minchev from the political party "We continue with changes", was elected the new President of the Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, as well as the following Vice-Presidents of the Assembly, Rositsaa Kirova (GERB / SDS), Mukkades Nalbant (DPS), Christian Vigenin (BSP), Iva Miteva, (ITN), General Atanas Atanasov, (Democratic Bulgaria) and Tsoncho Ganev, (Vazrazhdane).

On the margins of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Stockholm, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Nikola Selakovic had talks with Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, Svetlan Stoev.

Minister Selakovic stated that bilateral relations were very good, as well as that the political dialogue at the high and top levels was intensive and substantial.

The interlocutors discussed cooperation in the fields of energy, infrastructure and economy, and Selakovic noted that Bulgaria was one of our most important partners in terms of the volume of trade exchange.

The Head of Serbian diplomacy underlined that full EU membership was the strategic goal of the Republic of Serbia and, in this context, thanked Bulgaria for its support to our European integration, stating that their experiences from the accession process would be invaluable to us.

They also paid special attention to the protection of the rights of the Bulgarian national minority in Serbia.

Minister Selakovic said that regional cooperation was one of our priorities, adding that our wish was to connect the region economically, in order to ensure progress and better living conditions through the free flow of people, capital, goods and services.

Selakovic underscored out that regional stability was in the highest interest of Serbia and that our country would continue to promote dialogue as the only means of resolving open issues, both in the negotiation process between Belgrade and Pristina, and in relations with neighbours.

     Today, in Sofia, Ambassador Željko Jović attended the Ministerial Conference on Demographic Resilience "Shaping the Europe’s Demographic Future, Pathways for Societies to thrive in a World of Rapid Demographic Change", organized by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which was opened by the President of the Republic of Bulgaria Mr. Rumen Radev.
    The conference was attended by numerous representatives of state institutions, international organizations, the non-governmental sector, academic communities, primarily from European and Central Asian countries. From the Republic of Serbia, this conference was attended by a delegation of the Serbian Ministry of Family Care and Demography, led by the State Secretary, Ms. Milka M. Minić, as well as the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality of the Republic of Serbia, Ms. Brankica Janković.
      During the working sessions, participants discussed the challenges and opportunities that countries face in addressing demographic change, in order to reduce inequality, ensure sustainable growth and strengthen human capital. Also, the participants discussed the modalities of promoting gender equality and the introduction of gender-responsive family policies, the connection between demography and democracy in society, as well as initiatives related to the management of the aging process.

      On November 30, 2021, Ambassador Željko Jović held a meeting with the Mayor of the Municipality of Kardzhali, Mr. Hasan Azis. They discussed the possibilities of developing cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and the Municipality of Kardzhali, in the field of culture and sports, as well as on the economic plan.
       The Mayor of the Municipality of Kardzhali, Mr. H. Azis presented the activities and current projects of the Municipality, and the development of the business sector. He pointed out that in previous years (2005/2006), the production of tobacco and fruit was the mostly present, although in the recent period, the production is primarily focused on car parts and machinery industry, as well as lead and zinc production. Mr. Azis added that the unemployment rate in this Municipality is very low. In this regard, he stated that there are 117 villages on the territory of the Municipality, where there are about 130,000 inhabitants, among which 60,000 people live in the town of Kardzhali.
      Ambassador Ž. Jović presented the current business climate in the Republic of Serbia, modalities and potentials for economic development, as well as investment opportunities. He emphasized the importance of cooperation between the Embassy and the Municipality, primarily in order to strengthen the economic potential of the two countries. To that end, it has been agreed to proceed to the twinning of the Municipality of Kardzhali with one of the municipalities in the Republic of Serbia.

       Today, in the premises of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia, Ambassador Ž. Jović received Ljuljzim Sulejmani, a Serbian citizen, injured in the traffic accident that occurred on the highway near Sofia.
           Since Ljuljzim Sulejmani had his passport burned in the accident, the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia issued him a travel document so that he could return to the Republic of Serbia and continue his treatment at the hospital center in Vranje. Sulejmani was transported from the Embassy to the Republic of Serbia, accompanied by his father and brother, as well as medical staff, in an ambulance from Health Centre Vranje. Ambassador Jović escorted Sulejmani to the border and wished him a fast recovery, good luck and success in his future life.

Today in Dimitrovgrad, Ambassador Jović attended the meeting of the delegations of the Serbian Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure and the Bulgarian Ministry of Transport. The Serbian delegation was led by Minister Tomislav Momirović and the Bulgarian delegation by Minister Hristo Aleksiev. During the meeting, several topics of mutual interest were discussed, primarily in the field of transport and road (railway) infrastructure. Both delegations agreed that there is a lot of room for further improvement of cooperation as well as for joint action towards EU institutions, with the aim of further development and construction of infrastructure, as a precondition for successful development of the entire region.
In addition to meaningful meetings, the two delegations visited the railway station in Dimitrovgrad, as well as the section of the highway under construction, at the entrance to Bulgaria.

Ambassador Željko Jović attended the regular meeting of the governing body of the United Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR), the Committee of Plenipotentiaries of the JINR member states. The meeting was also attended by the Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, as well as the ambassadors of the Russian Federation, South Africa, Romania, Belarus, Mongolia and others.

Having in mind that the organizers announced the quick admission of Serbia in the status of a full member, from the current observer, the ambassador thanked for the recognized capacities and contributions that our country has already given within this organization.

On this occasion, the Bulgarian president announced that he expects that soon, as a result of the struggle of 10 EU countries, including Bulgaria, a decision will soon be made to accept nuclear energy as clean (green) energy.

The President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, sent congratulations to the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, on the occasion of his new victory in the presidential elections, in which, among other things, he said:

"I wish you much success in further performing the responsible duty of president, which requires commitment and patience in facing various challenges on the path to progress. The decision of the citizens of Bulgaria to entrust you with another presidential term testifies to the fact that you have justified their expectations that you will work hard in favor of the welfare of their country.

The Republic of Serbia remains a sincere partner of the Republic of Bulgaria, which will continue to nurture the values of good neighborly relations and cooperation for the benefit not only of our countries, but also of the entire region", the congratulatory message from President Vučić reads.

www.predsednik.rs

            Today, Ambassador Ž. Jović, visited a Serbian citizen, Ljuljzim Sulejmani (Born in 1995), who was injured in last night's accident that occured on the highway near Sofia. The Ambassador expressed his gratitude to the doctors and medical staff for the attention and care they provided to the Serbian citizen, and wished Sulejmani a fast recovery, and to leave the hospital as soon as possible, to continue living together with his fiancée, citizen of the Republic of North Macedonia (who was also injured and is in the same hospital) and forget the tragedy very quickly.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Nikola Selaković, met with the Head of the Delegation of the European Union, Emanuele Giaufret, and the ambassadors of the EU member states accredited in our country.

Selaković emphasized that EU membership is an absolute priority of our foreign policy and strategic commitment, conveying that we are fully committed to the reform process and the improvement of all segments of our society.

He assessed that the dynamics of accession negotiations should be in line with our reform efforts, but that it is encouraging that this year's European Commission report on Serbia's progress has a more positive tone than the previous one, and that, in that sense, we expect that an Intergovernmental Conference will be held by the end of the Slovenian presidency of the EU Council, at which two clusters will be opened.

The Minister said that Serbia maintains an intensive dialogue with EU officials and added that we look very positively at the decision of the Foreign Affairs Council to consider a way to include partners from the Western Balkans in the discussion on foreign and security policy.

The head of Serbian diplomacy emphasized that the EU is Serbia's most important foreign trade partner, informing his interlocutors that the trade exchange between Serbia and the EU has increased by 52% in the last seven years, and the export of Serbian products to the EU increased by 64%, which is a joint result, as he assessed.

Selaković said that Serbia is fully committed to preserving peace and stability in the region through cooperation and open dialogue, emphasizing the "Open Balkans" initiative as a way to connect the region economically.

When it comes to the process of normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, Minister Selaković said that our side is fully committed to dialogue, and that we have fulfilled our obligations, but that Pristina persistently avoids fulfilling its own, citing as an example that for eight and a half years nothing has been done regarding the establishment of the Association of Serbian municipalities. In addition, according to him, Pristina's unilateral moves on the ground, four in the last two months, further endanger peace and stability.

The Minister informed the heads of missions about the fight against the pandemic in Serbia, expressing readiness for further cooperation with partners from Europe and the world in the joint fight against the corona virus.

Ambassador Giaufret thanked the Minister of Foreign Affairs Selaković for the reception of the ambassador of the European Union in the Palace of Serbia. Ambassador Giaufret welcomed the current level of cooperation between the EU and Serbia in the field of common security and defense policy, as well as the important contribution of Serbia to EU missions and operations.

"We really hope that we will be able to further develop the harmonization of Serbia's foreign policy with the European Union", the ambassador said.

The EU Foreign Affairs Council had a strategic conversation on the Western Balkans on Monday, and a political dialogue on foreign and security policy was held in Belgrade two days ago, a couple of weeks after the publication of the Annual Report, Ambassador Giaufret pointed out.

"In the Foreign Affairs Council, there is broad support for the EU's strong engagement in the region and further joining the region in our foreign policy efforts. We had a good exchange of views on that today, and we will work on further integration of Serbia and the region at all levels", the ambassador concluded.

      On November 18th  2021, Ambassador Ž. Jović attended an online meeting on "How to revive economic relations after the COVID", which was attended by representatives of the BCCI, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Free Zone Pirot, Ambassador of Bulgaria in Serbia, P. Dojkov, and representatives of companies from the two countries
       Ambassador Jović pointed out that this event "is both a great responsibility and a professional challenge." In that regard, he reminded that two countries, Serbia and Bulgaria, have a special, strategic segment of diplomacy, the so-called economic diplomacy. In that sense, he mentioned that the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia has a professional staff that is able to answer to the all issues in the field of economy. The Ambassador underlined the readiness of the Serbian Embassy to actively participate in all economic processes between the two countries, as well as the readiness to answer upon questions and suggestions of interested companies and persons.
      Ambassador emphasized the importance of such events, but also reminded of his previous views "that we must not stay on the organization of one or more events without insisting on concretization, acceleration of existing projects and creation of new ones, with the ultimate goal of benefits for economies of both countries.” In this regard, the ambassador pointed out that for him the question is not "how we will revive our economic cooperation after the Covid-19 pandemic", because it is unknown when the current crisis will end, but "what can we do today and how can we prepare for a possible, even deeper and longer crisis."
      At the end, the Ambassador Jović pointed out the negative consequences of the Decision of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Bulgaria, which is in force since September 15, and which completely bans the entry of Serbian citizens into Bulgaria, causing the greatest damage to the economy. In this regard, the Ambassador asked the Bulgarian Ambassador to Serbia, P. Dojkov, and the President of the BCCI, T. Simeonov, to appeal to their institutions in accordance with their capabilities, in order to mitigate the very strict measure.

   On November 12, 2021, after more than two weeks of various manifestations and ceremonies, organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia and the Sofia Metropolitanate, which marked the 700th years since the death of Stefan Uroš II Milutin (St. King Milutin), this great jubilee was completed at the Embassy with the celebration of the St. King Milutin Slava.
   In the presence of a large number of Serbs who work and live in the Republic of Bulgaria, guests from the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the Slava`s cake was cut and in a suitable way (in accordance with the current epidemiological situation), the Slava was celebrated.
   On that occasion, Ambassador Ž. Jović welcomed the guests, once again pointing out the importance that the great Serbian ruler still has in the Republic of Serbia and in the Republic of Bulgaria. He also mentioned that he hopes that the beginning of the celebration of this great day in this way, in the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia, will contribute to the education of new Serbian generations to come, but also help strengthen ties with the fraternal Orthodox people, and thus contribute to development of overall bilateral relations between Serbia and Bulgaria.

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic stated today in Paris that she expects positive news and support from France for opening one or two clusters at the intergovernmental conference to be held in December.

At the press conference, Brnabic stated that she talked with French President Emanuel Macron about the situation in Serbia, primarily in the context of European integration, i.e., whether we can count on the country's support for opening a cluster at the December intergovernmental conference.

We have two clusters ready for opening, so I expect positive news and support from France for one or both clusters, but certainly significant support, the Prime Minister said.

She pointed out that Macron told her to convey greetings to the President of the Republic, Aleksandar Vucic, and the whole of Serbia, as well as that he remembers his visit to Belgrade with great joy.

Today, I had good talks with the President of Cyprus, but also with the President of Slovenia, with whom I also talked about European integration, i.e., the country's support, which is clear and unambiguous for opening a cluster and further progress of Serbia towards full EU membership, regional relations and regional cooperation, said Brnabic.

She stated that she also talked with EU High Representative Josep Borrell in Paris.

There were interesting and good talks, it seems to me that we have done good things for our country and I expect it to continue today, the Prime Minister concluded.

Source/Photo: www.srbija.gov.rs
 

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic stated today that severe examples of endangering the Serbian cultural, historical and spiritual heritage in Kosovo and Metohija are proof of the important role of UNESCO in protecting and preserving heritage.

At the 41st session of the General Conference of UNESCO in Paris, Brnabic emphasized that four jewels of the Serbian medieval cultural heritage in Kosovo – Visoki Decani, Pec Patriarchate, Gracanica and Bogorodica Ljeviska, have been preserved thanks to the fact that they are inscribed on the endangered world heritage list. Hundreds of other sites and monuments are endangered.

The Serbian heritage in Kosovo and Metohija is of immeasurable importance, not only for the national identity of Serbia, but also as a part of the esteemed European and world heritage, she underlined.

Source/Photo: www.srbija.gov.rs
 

   On November 11, 2021, at the Serbian Military Cemetery in Sofia, a commemoration ceremony was organized on the occasion of the Armistice Day in WWI. The ceremony and the laying of wreaths was attended by the highest representatives of the Army of the Republic of Bulgaria (including the Chief of Defense BA), military envoys accredited to the Republic of Bulgaria, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, and a large number of the representatives of the diplomatic corps as well as Serbian citizens who live and work in Bulgaria.
   Ambassador Željko Jović welcomed the present guests, thanked them for coming on this very important day for the Republic of Serbia and the Serbian people, to pay tribute to "all Serbian victims and Serbian soldiers who were killed and who died in the fight for freedom, justice and for those values on which modern Europe rests today. "
    The Ambassador reminded that the Republic of Serbia had gone through terrible war destruction and suffering in that period, and that 1.247.435 people lost their lives during the war, 1/3 of the total population, or about 62% of the male population. As the Ambassador further stated, "these are the reasons why Serbia and the Serbian people know very well the price of freedom, as well as the consequences of the war destruction and the suffering that war brings." That is why, according to him, "Serbia today is fully committed to peace, friendly and good neighborly relations." Ambassador Jović further pointed out that the Serbian military cemetery, as well as other military cemeteries located in Sofia (British, French, Italian and German) are great places to remember not only on this day, but on all other days of the year, the horrors of war, and all the suffering that war causes. On this day, Ambassador said, that it is necessary to understand the importance of gathering together around one key idea, the idea of resolving conflicts and all our misunderstandings in a peaceful way. In his conclusion, he noted that he hopes that today we will all go to our homes with good faith, with faith and hope for a common and better future, with faith in humanity, morality and solidarity, "which is especially important today, when we face an invisible but very strong enemy, which is a threat to all of us."

          Ambassador Ž. Jovic attended the 8th world competition of children's drawings, which was organized by the "Little Zograff" Foundation and held in the Rila Monastery.
         The works of children from 60 countries were exhibited at the competition, of which 4 won gold, 20 silver and 21 bronze medals. Considering that anti-epidemiological measures are in force, and the travel of participants was limited, Ambassador Ž. Jović received the bronze medal for the drawing "Fish", painted by Ana Crnjaković from the Republic of Serbia.

         On November 5, 2021, Ambassador Željko Jović attended a meeting, organized by BADIC, and met with the representatives of Bulgarian companies (small and medium enterprises), which are related to the field of defense industry.

              Ambassador Ž. Jović acquainted the attendees with the current business climate in the Republic of Serbia, and with the current legal regulations and all potential benefits, which can help foreign investors to choose our country within their business concepts. The Ambassador especially pointed out the results in the field of road and other infrastructure development, as a precondition for further investments and even faster economic growth. In that context, he presented the rate of Serbian GDP over the past few years, as well as the estimated level of GDP at the end of this year (around 7.5%), and international assessments of credit ratings and other indicators of the success of the Serbian economy. In order to mitigate very strict anti-epidemiological measures (complete ban on Serbian citizens entering Bulgaria), the Ambassador requested the support of the Association, and pointed out the openness and readiness of the Embassy to, within its competencies and capabilities, provide assistance for interested Bulgarian companies to cooperate with Serbian companies.
             The meeting was attended by 13 representatives of Bulgarian business entities, with whom individual meetings were held, during which their products and services were presented, and from our side, once again, pointed out everything that makes Serbia a good business destination. The companies were primarily from the domain of production and distribution of consumer goods, mechanical industry, military equipment, aeronautical engineering (aircraft production), as well as solar energy.

     On November 2, 2021, a priest conference was held in the Sofia Metropolitanate as part of the manifestation marking the 700th years since the death of St. King Stefan Milutin.

    The conference was opened by Bishop Polycarp of Belogradchik, who welcomed the guests, presented the program of the event, and on that occasion read the address of Patriarch Neophyte, emphasizing that the lity was organized for the first time, where the relics were carried within the central streets of Sofia.
      In his address, Staurophoric butler Nikolay Georgiev, president of the church board of the Metropolitanate of St. Nedelya, introduced the audience to the history and the path of the relics of the Holy King, and pointed out that the relics of St. Ivan Rilski and Sv. King Stefan Milutin, the only relics in Bulgaria that have been preserved in their entirety, and that the relics of both saints were in the same temple for some time. After that, Archpriest Petar Slavov from the Metropolitanate and the butler Ilijan Aleksijev addressed the audience.
      Ambassador Ž. Jovic underlined the key segments of Milutin's life, with an emphasis on his character, characteristics and the most important aspects of his work. He also pointed out the importance of the Serbian St. King Milutin, as a link between the two peoples, and hence the possibility of deepening our overall cooperation.
      At the end of the conference, Bishop Polycarp wished, with the blessing of St. King Stefan Milutin that "we live in joy and peace and every year together, we celebrate his memory."

"Your Excellences,
distinguished delegates,
dear Sarah,

At the very beginning, I feel obliged to thank Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Her Majesty’s Government for exceptional hospitality.

I feel privileged to represent the Republic of Serbia at this important place and at the highest-level world forum, in working on the most important topic of today – promoting climate awareness.

We all agree that we must make investment into climate and environment.

We all, likewise agree, that future generations must be educated in order not to repeat the mistakes we made, by hurting the only Planet that makes life possible.

I am very honoured that the Republic of Serbia is co-chairing this year’s Conference as a Non-EU representative of the Eastern Europe Group.

In concrete terms, we see the special contribution of our expert team in finalising negotiations on the implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which refers to the establishment of the global market and non-market mechanisms for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as to remaining provisions referring to advanced transparency framework and common timeframes for Nationally Determined Contributions, which are the key provisions of the Agreement that have not yet been covered by the decision that is to be adopted by the Conference, i.e. all member states.

We, therefore, believe that this is an exceptional opportunity for Serbia to give its full contribution to the finalization of negotiations, which, we hope, will secure full implementation of the Paris Agreement.

As a result of strong economic development, modelled for Serbia by 2050, the impact of the implementation of climate measures to employment will be optimal, through new jobs creation and creation of new industries which have not existed so far.

One billion euros was raised at the first green bonds auction in Serbia, which clearly confirms the trust of international investors in our green agenda, but also to the economic and political stability of our country.

Incomes from green bonds issuance will be used for financing renewables, energy efficiency, sustainable water management, prevention of pollution and circular economy development and biodiversity preservation.

And as you can see, dear friends, my people made a terrific speech for me, but I am going to add a few more words and a few more questions for those that are coming from big powers and that haven’t answered yet several questions:

Number one is: how are we going to finance all these activities?

We’ve heard the story of trillions of dollars that are at our disposal. My question would be: what would be the interest rate, what would be the terms for taking these amounts of money, and actually how are we going to tackle that issue?

Number two: how are we going to treat the nuclear power plants? Are we going to shut them all or are we going to build them more?

Then, how are we going to build more renewables if we already started endorsing populist movements against wind parks, new hydropower plants, and are we going to put in jeopardy the level of our public debt to GDP ratio if we raise huge amounts of money?

How are we going to treat natural gas, and how are we going to secure decent prices of natural gas and electricity power as well?

And, I came here using an electric car from Edinburgh to Glasgow. But, how are we going to do mining and refining of lithium, nickel, cobalt and many other very important minerals?

In the end, we all know what is our final aim, what is our final target. But, it’s not a fairytale – we’ll have to work a lot, we’ll have to be 100 per cent dedicated, and we’ll have to be more honest with each other.

The health of people living in Serbia depends directly on the implementation of this Agenda, just like the health and life of each living being on Earth depends on arrangements that will be reached here and on national implementation of the respective arrangements.

Perhaps it is the right time to listen and hear the cry of Mother Earth because if we lose this race against time, our children will inherit an irreparably polluted Planet.

Thank you very much for listening to me."

Source: www.predsednik.rs
Photo: Dimitrije Goll

       On October 29, 2021, as part of the manifestation of marking the 700th years since the demise of St. King Stefan Milutin, a Holy Liturgy and the solemn act of layings changing of the  relics of the Holy King were held, at the St. Nedelya church in Sofia.

       The liturgy was led by Bishop Polycarp of Belogradchik, and assisted by priests of the Bulgarian Orthodox Churhc, as well as Mardarije, abbot of the Poganovo monastery, and other priests of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Also, this very important event for Serbian history, state and culture was attended by the Counsellor to the President of the Republic of Serbia for Culture, Mr. Dejan Savić, representatives of the Office for Religion of the Republic of Serbia, as well as representatives from the Republic Srpska, and the representative of the Diplomatic core of Bosnia and Hercegovina. The Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia, was represented by Ambassador Ž. Jović and diplomatic staff. The liturgy was also attended by the Deputy Minister of Tourism of Bulgaria, Ms. M. Belkoleva and other representatives of state institutions of the Republic of Bulgaria. Considering the anti-epidemiological measures, which prohibits the entry into the Republic of Bulgaria, as well as the organization of events with a limited number of visitors indoors, the ceremony was attended by significantly fewer citizens.
        After the liturgy, traditionally, the laying of the Holy King Milutin relics were sent to a Monastery in Serbia, this year to Kosovo and Metohia, to the Monastery of Gracnica, the last one that Milutin has built.
        After this ceremony, with the blessing of the Patriarch of Bulgaria, Neophyte, for the first time in 552 (as many as Milutin's relics are in Sofia), a lity was organized and the relics of St. the kings were carried through the central streets of Sofia.

        For all guests from the Republic of Serbia and Republika Srpska, as well as for friends from the Bulgarian orthodox church and Bulgarian institutions, a reception was organized at the Serbian Embassy in Sofia.

      Yesterday, Ambassador Ž. Jović attended the founding meeting of the Balkan Wheelchair Basketball League (BWBL). The founders of the mentioned league are persons with disabilities from the KK Levski, Sofia, and from clubs KKK Najs from Niš, KKK Bijeljina from Bosna and Hercegovina, and the Paralympic Committee of Montenegro. Ambassador wished the founders luck and great success, and thanked the players, who with their energy, strength and will set an example of how to walk through life and how to fight problems.     

       Ambassador welcomed the efforts of all founders to further connect the countries of the region, and in this way promote other types of cooperation, which will inevitably lead to greater understanding and the desired faster development and prosperity of our countries. He called on other institutions and individuals to help the development of the league itself, but also of this sport, which instills hope not only in those who directly participate in it, but much more to us, who watch them with great pleasure and joy.

  Ambassador Željko Jović met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Svetlan Stoev. In a cordial conversation, our friendly relations were emphasized, as well as the importance of further work on deepening all forms of cooperation and good neighborliness.
  Ambassador presented as a gift, to Minister Stoev, who is a passionate tennis fan, a tennis racket signed by Novak Djoković.

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, together with Minister of European Integration and Chief Negotiator Jadranka Joksimovic, met today with Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Emanuele Giaufret and the ambassadors of the EU Member States.

The topics of the meeting were 2021 EU Enlargement Package and in particular the Report of the European Commission on Serbia for this year, as well as the next steps in the process of accession to the EU.

She underlined that Serbia has continuous communication with the Delegation of the EU and all Member States and that it speaks openly about further reforms, first and foremost in the field of the rule of law.

The Prime Minister assessed that this year’s Report on the progress of Serbia gives an objective evaluation of everything the Serbian government has achieved on speeding up the political and economic reforms, by which one of the strategic priorities has been fulfilled.

According to Brnabic, it is of particular importance that the European Commission has given a clear recommendation that Serbia reached the criteria necessary for opening two clusters of chapters.

Today we have an opportunity to present to you, as representatives of the EU and EU Member States, additional information on the adoption and implementation of all necessary reforms, the Prime Minister stated.

For this reason, it is important that this meeting is being held immediately after the release of the European Commission’s Report and before the final decision of the Member States on whether they will support the opening of clusters, she said.

Brnabic voiced her hope that these additional explanations will contribute to Serbia obtaining consent for the formal continuation of negotiations by the end of this year.

She also underlined that the European Commission’s recommendation for the further opening of clusters is very important politically, not only as an incentive to the government to continue implementing its reform plans with motivation and responsibility, but also to the citizens of Serbia and all in the region, who in this way receive once more a clear confirmation on the perspective of membership in the EU.

The Prime Minister pointed out that Serbia wishes to make additional progress in all areas, especially in the field of the rule of law and that continuous communication with the Delegation of the EU in Serbia and all Member States is of particular importance to that end.

Joksimovic stated that the Report provides the necessary balance in the evaluation of everything Serbia has achieved in the previous period.

According to her, in some segments the implementation of reforms is faster, in some other somewhat slower, but progress has been noticed in all areas and is noted down in the Report itself.

She voiced hope that the general assessments from the European Commission, which speak in favour of honesty, dedication and capability of the Serbian government to implement policies which are important for the accession process in time of pandemic, will be a sufficient orientation for the Member States to agree on the further opening of clusters.

Ambassador Giaufret expressed gratitude to the Serbian government for convening this meeting with ambassadors of the EU Member States, describing it as a positive indication of Serbia’s dedication to strengthening dialogue on reforms for the sake of solving priorities and necessary activities identified in the yearly Report of the European Commission.

Source/Photo: www.srbija.gov.rs

On October 21, Ambassador Željko Jović attended the presentation, organized by the French company XSUN, which manufactures drones. On that occasion, detailed characteristics of the drone "XSUN" were presented, and a demonstration flight was performed on the range of the airport "Lesnovo". The mentioned drone is the best product of the company, which is made with the most modern and highest quality materials, used on crafts for the space program. Also, using solar energy, the drone showed extremely great autonomy in flight, as well as the ability to cover 80 km of airspace.

On this occasion, Ambassador Jović had a conversation with Benjamin David, the founder and director of the XSUN company, Dr. Waldermar Krebs, Development Director, former expert at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Valery Dimitrov, Coordinator of CREAM Europe, licensed to represent XSUN in Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia, where they discussed possiblities of cooperation with the Republic of  Serbia.

Ambassador Jović met today with Bishop Polycarp of Belogradchik, Vicar Bishop of Sofia. During the meeting, they specified the details regarding the organization of the joint ceremony to commemorate the 700 years of the repose of St. King Milutin. King Milutin`s relics were transfered from Banja (Trepca) and are now in Sofia, in the church of St. Nedelya. In this regard, the Ambassador and Bishop Polycarp have agreed that St. King Milutin represents a bridge and a real fraternal bond between the two peoples and can help deeper connectivity and much-needed rapprochement between the two Orthodox peoples.

The jubilee itself will be marked by a series of events, starting on October 27th, and on October 29th  the archetypal liturgy will take place at St. Nedelya Church, with a traditional ceremonial act of laying changing of St. King Milutin`s relics.The layings in which the relics have been for the past year will be taken and stored in the Gracanica Monastery, in Kosovo and Metohij, one of the endowments of St. King Milutin. After the liturgy and the changing of the layings, the event will continue at the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia.

Distinguished President of the Security Council,

Esteemed members of the Security Council,

Distinguished Special Representative,
I would like to thank Secretary-General of the United Nations Mr. Guterres and Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMIK Mr. Tanin for the report submitted and for their efforts made towards the implementation of the UNMIK mandate. I would also like to thank the members of the Security Council for the continued attention they have devoted to the issue of Kosovo and Metohija. The Republic of Serbia highly values the activities of the Mission of the United Nations in Kosovo and Metohija and supports it in carrying out its work as efficiently as possible, pursuant to the UN Security Council Resolution 1244, and undiminished in scope, aiming to build and preserve lasting peace, stability and security in the Province.

Mr. Tanin,

Please accept the expressions of our gratitude for your engagement and the cooperation we achieved during your term of office.

Mr. President,

Deep regret and concerns are raised by the fact that the security situation in Kosovo and Metohija in the past period has been marked by an increasing number of various ethnically motivated attacks and incidents targeting Serbs, which was also stated in the Report; that the provisional institutions of self-government (PISG) in Pristina continue to take unilateral steps and refuse to implement the agreements reached in the Brussels dialogue; and that institutional discrimination against Serbs, attacks on the sites of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the undermining of the economic sustainability of Serb communities in the Province have continued.

We are witnessing that dangerous provocations by Pristina are taking place every day, at an accelerated pace, thus seriously threatening the safety of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija and directly violating the agreements and arrangements reached within the Brussels dialogue.

The latest violent incursion of the so-called ROSU units into the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, on 13 October, is the ninth incursion of its kind. Tear gas, shock bombs and unbridled violence are becoming a matter of everyday life for Serbs in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, and that must be stopped immediately.

In the last attack with firearms and chemicals used by Pristina special forces, 71-year-old Verica Djelic died as a result of chemicals used in the intervention, 10 unarmed civilians were wounded, one of them 36 years old Srećko Sofronijević was critically wounded in the back with of an automatic rifle. A three-month-old baby, who miraculously remained unharmed, was also the target of the shooting.

The false excuse for the latest unilateral action, as EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell called it, was the fight against organized crime and smuggling. Ladies and gentlemen, Serbia is strongly against organized crime and smuggling, but the members of the UNSC should know that such an important and general global goal, which we all share, was cynically used for an armed attack on unarmed civilians, which began with an automatic rifle raid of pharmacies in which patients of Serbian and other nationalities are supplied with vitally important medicines. Four days before the local elections in Kosovo and Metohija, in order to gain votes in an irresponsible and inhumane way, fully motivated by separatist goals, the current PISG regime used medicines on which people’s lives depend to prove its position on the status contrary to UNSCR 1244.

Only a few days earlier, another provocation on the part of Pristina led to a dangerous crisis, when personnel of the so-called ROSU unit, armed with long firearms and reinforced with armoured vehicles, were deployed to administrative crossings between central Serbia and Kosovo and Metohija - Brnjak and Jarinje – in order to remove Serbian license plates and replace them with temporary ones, thus violently preventing the free movement of citizens.

These events do not fall within the reporting period covered by the latest Report of the UN Secretary General on the work of UNMIK, but it is incumbent upon us to address them on this occasion, in order to have everyone understand how dramatic the situation on the ground has been and how serious the consequences of Pristina's unilateral actions can be.

The incursions of heavily armed Pristina police formations, composed exclusively of Albanians, into the north of Kosovo and Metohija, under various pretexts and motives, with the use of excessive force, are provocations that have an extremely dangerous potential to destabilize the already sensitive security situation on the ground. The goal of the latest incursions of Pristina’s special force personnel into the north of the province was to provoke the Serbs and additionally intimidate them with a demonstration of force, as well as to provoke Belgrade to react hastily in some way.

It is obvious that with such moves Pristina aims to erase the 10 years of dialogue, which is the only way to resolve open issues. These provocations once again demonstrate that the provisional institutions of self-government in Pristina, not only do not intend to implement everything agreed in the Brussels dialogue, but that their goal is to completely deny dialogue as a means of resolving problems. An effective response to Pristina's lack of credibility and their dangerous play with fire, which could have unforeseeable consequences, cannot be provided by calling on "both sides" for constructiveness and restraint, which has long been a manner in public communication of some important factors in the international community. There is only one source of destabilization, it has a name – and that is the provisional institutions of self-government in Pristina - and after the events of 13 October, it is clear that it can and needs to be stopped by urgent and decisive action of the international community. It is now quite obvious that these are no longer sporadic and isolated provocations by Pristina, but that this is an organized campaign of ethnically motivated violence and discrimination against Serbs.

We also express our concern over the latest imposition of tariffs by Pristina on certain products originating from central Serbia, which was made public on 8 October. We remind you that the unilateral decision of Pristina to impose duties on products from central Serbia in November 2018 resulted in a de facto complete trade blockade and a long-term stalemate in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. In contrast to Pristina, which persistently seeks to raise barriers towards central Serbia through unilateral acts, Belgrade is persistently and consistently working to liberalize the flow of people, goods, services and capital, which is the basic goal of our "Open Balkan" initiative. North Macedonia and Albania joined this initiative, but Pristina did not.

Distinguished members of the Security Council,

In the period from March to September this year, which is covered in the latest Report, close to 100 ethnically motivated attacks were carried out against Serbs, their private property, religious and cultural heritage sites. The increase in the frequency of attacks was accompanied by the strengthening of the intensity of ethnically motivated violence, which more and more often targets children, the elderly, women, the few returnees present there, as well as churches and other property of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

This systematically intensifies the ubiquitous sense of insecurity of the remaining Serbs, but also deters potential returnees, who are in fact being told that local Albanian communities can attack them with impunity and prevent them from returning to live in their own homes.

The most striking example of the position of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija is the case of the displaced person Dragica Gašić, who moved into her apartment in the municipality of Djakovica again in early June. In that town – to which local Albanians proudly refer as a place forbidden to Serbs - Ms. Gašić, on her return, first faced physical and verbal attacks by citizens of Albanian nationality living there. Instead of being provided protection, that seriously ill woman then became a victim of institutional persecution as well, that the local self-government bodies and the police unleashed against her. Since this is a person who is the first and only Serb returnee to Đakovica after more than twenty years, it was to be expected that, at that moment, at least civil society organizations would attempt to protect her rights. However, NGOs from Djakovica soon joined the activities aimed at the expulsion Ms. Gašić, including those receiving funding from international donors for projects related to strengthening democracy and the rule of law.

I must also mention the latest attack on the house of the only remaining Serbian woman in the center of Pec, retired teacher Rumena Ljubić, whose windows were stoned twice in just 24 hours on 13 October.

Dragica's and Rumena’s fate is a frightening reflection of the real situation of human rights that almost every one of over 200,000 displaced Serbs and non-Albanians would face in Kosovo and Metohija - provided that they gather the courage to return to their homes in the Province after more than twenty years. I would like to remind you again that since 1999, only around 1.9% of internally displaced Serbs and other non-Albanians have achieved a sustainable return to Kosovo and Metohija.

Therefore, I believe that the aforementioned will encourage the members of the Security Council and the international presence on the ground to devote priority attention in the future

to the issue of the return of displaced persons, which is an important part of the UNMIK mandate under UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

I therefore thank the Secretary-General in particular for keeping this extremely important issue in focus and for calling again, in the conclusions of his Report, for the creation of conditions for the sustainable return of internally displaced persons and the sustainable reintegration of returnees.

Distinguished members of the Security Council,

Serbian medieval monuments in Kosovo and Metohija, including monuments that, due to their exceptional value but also constantly being subject to threats are inscribed on the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger, are still among the most endangered cultural heritage in Europe.

I wish to recall that there are over 1,300 Serbian churches and monasteries in Kosovo and Metohija. Attacks on Serbian cultural and religious heritage are at the same time attacks on the identity of Serbs in the Province and directly affect their sense of safety.

A striking example of disrespect for Serbian cultural and religious monuments in the Province is the case of the Visoki Decani monastery. The monastery, which has been the target of attacks and shelling several times since 2000, is still secured by KFOR forces due to being under a threat. It is faced with a series of hostile actions, and the perpetrators are not deterred by the fact that this is a World Heritage Site. Despite frequent declaratory statements, even the decision of the so-called "constitutional court" of the PISG in Pristina five years ago confirming ownership of Visoki Decani Monastery over 24 hectares, is not respected. We welcome the assessment made by the UN Secretary General in his Report.

Dear Mr. President,

The Republic of Serbia remains committed to finding a compromise political solution, as prescribed under Resolution 1244, which will ensure lasting peace and stability. We firmly believe that dialogue and the implementation of the agreements reached are the only right way to resolve all open issues.

As a state committed to the respect for international law and a member of the United Nations, Serbia opposes any attempt at establishing an artificial balance between the parties in the dialogue, as well as the relativization of responsibility for unilateral acts.

We note with concern that not even eight years after reaching the Brussels Agreement, the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities has not been initiated, although Belgrade has fulfilled all its obligations under that agreement.

There are also numerous and repeated examples of Pristina violating or obstructing agreements reached in dialogue, in the areas of energy, justice, freedom of movement and visits by officials.

One such example is the verdict sentencing Ivan Todosijevic to two years in prison, which is also pointed out in the Secretary General's Report. The Brussels Agreement was directly breached, which was also stated by the representatives of the European Union. With its conduct Pristina caused immeasurable damage to the reconciliation process in Kosovo and Metohija.

Despite the interpretation from the European Commission that this is a violation of the Brussels Agreement, because Todosijevic had to be sentenced by a panel consisting of the majority of judges of Serbian ethnicity, Pristina still does not take any action in this regard.

Pristina also continued with the practice of banning Serbian officials from entering the territory of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija.

We believe that it is important that the international community, and especially the European Union, as the guarantor of the agreement, firmly insists that the provisional institutions of self-government in Pristina start implementing all the agreements reached.

Distinguished members of the Security Council,

As before, the Republic of Serbia remains fully committed to resolving the issue of missing persons, as also demonstrated through full cooperation with relevant international mechanisms as well as participation in the work of the Working Group on Missing Persons. We expect that the representatives of the provisional institutions of self-government in Pristina will fulfill their obligations.

Bearing in mind everything I delivered here today in my address, we hold the position that the international presence in Kosovo and Metohija, pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 1244, is still necessary. In addition to UNMIK, the presence of KFOR as the main guarantor of security and EULEX, due to its engagement in the field of the rule of law, is also important. I would like to emphasize once again that Serbia fully supports respect for international law, comprehensive implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and activities of UNMIK in an undiminished scope and with adequate financial resources, so that the Mission fulfills the mandate entrusted to it under the Resolution.

Thank you.
 

On October 14, Ambassador Željko Jović met with the Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria, Maria Belkolev. On that occasion, the possibilities of deepening bilateral cooperation in the field of tourism and continuing engagement in the implementation of current cross-border projects were discussed. In regards to that, it was agreed to organize a meeting between the ministries of the two countries in the forthcoming period, and a work meeting between Serbian and Bulgarian tour operators.
Considering that the current epidemiological situation caused that the Republic of Serbia is marked as "red zone", and that a measure was introduced, banning the entry of citizens from the Republic of Serbia into Bulgaria, a request for support was requested from the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria to enable entry of citizens arriving from Serbia into Bulgaria, with the fulfillment of certain conditions (vaccine, PCR, etc.).
During the meeting, the current cooperation in the field of cross-border programs of the two countries was positively assessed, and it was agreed to jointly intensify the engagement in the coming period, in order to implement current projects, which will mostly contribute to the development of local self-governments.

Ambassador Jović met with the Mayor of the Sofia Municipality Triadica, Mr. Dimitar Božilov, and his Deputy, Ruslan Bazdekov, with whom he discussed the possibility of connecting this Sofia Municipality with one of the central Belgrade municipalities.
In a friendly and very fruitful conversation, it was stated that there is room for cooperation and that in further joint activities, the focus must be on young people, their education, upbringing and connection.
Triadica is the municipality on whose territory the monument to the Serbian Prince Mihailo Obrenović is located, and during the meeting it was agreed to further arrange and beautify the surroundings of the monument, and also to determine a specific date, on which this Serbian ruler would be honored anually, whose rule marked the intensive cooperation of the two peoples, in a joint struggle for complete national liberation.

Ambassador Jović participated in the International Energy Conference in Sofia, which was held for the fifth time, at a times when the non expert population is becoming aware of the important role of energy and the great energy crisis whose consequences cannot yet be fully seen and predicted. One of the key topics of this very important meeting was the consideration of the possibilities for the successful implementation of the energy transition, on the path to a cleaner, decarbonized world.
The key question, among many others, elaborated by Holter Rogner (International Atomic Energy Agency) and prof. Janko Janev, director of the Vienna Institute for the Management of Atomic Sciences, was based on how to fulfill this plan and not lead the economy and the entire society to a complete collapse.

After the match FC Red Star - FC Ludogorets, Ambassador Ž. Jovic met with the executive director of the club from Razgrad, Angel Petrichev, whom he thanked for the hospitality and attention shown to the players and the staff of the Serbian club.

Petrichev congratulated the victory of our team and expressed readiness for all types of further cooperation and connecting Ludogorets with Serbian clubs and sports organizations. In that sense, he especially pointed out the excellent conditions for training in the modern and recently built sports complex, which is owned by FC Ludogorets.
 

During the meeting with the Mayor of Razgrad, Dencho Boyadzhiev, and the President of the Municipal Council, Stoyan Nenchev, Ambassador Jovic was informed about the key demographic, socio-economic, economic and political parameters of the Municipality of Razgrad, a multinational municipality with a large number of Bulgarian citizens of Turkish origin.

The mayor of Razgrad, the municipality which is the seat of FC Ludogorets, congratulated the ambassador on the victory of FC Red Star and emphasized the interest in further rapprochement not only in the field of sports from the two countries, but also in connecting Razgrad with some similar municipalities in Serbia. According to him, Razgrad is more oriented towards Romania and Turkey, and unlike Bulgarian municipalities from the western parts of the country, which are well connected with Serbian municipalities, Razgrad does not have such contacts and developed communication, but there is a great desire to make it happen.

On September 30, 2021, at the football stadium "Ludogorets Arena" in Razgrad, football players of FC Red Star defeated the Bulgarian FC Ludogorets with the result 1: 0, and thus recorded their second victory in Group F of the Europa League. In the first half, the result was a draw, and the winning goal was scored by Gelor Kang in the 64th minute of the game. The football match was attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to Bulgaria, Ž. Jović and military attache Ž. Simić.

The President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, have attended today the ceremony of the beginning of works on the modernization and rehabilitation of Niš-Brestovac railway at the international Corridor 10 as well as signing of the agreement between the Public Company Koridori Srbije and Consortium STRABAG AG and STRABAG d.o.o. Beograd on the construction of the first phase of the Highway of peace in the section Merošina – Merošina 1.

“In Donje Međurovo the 23km long railway is build and 75 percent of it will be financed by the European Union. It is enormous money for us, great encouragement and respect. This railway and highway are important both for us and Europe. I am very grateful to Mrs Von der Leyen for coming to Niš today and Niš becomes the center of all Balkan corridors, it becomes the Balkan crossroads”, said President Vučić adding that Serbia was entirely committed to the implementation of the agreements signed so far under the auspices of the EU.

“We will do our best not only to preserve peace, but also to reach more agreements which would mean security of everyone in the Balkans and better life and economy for all of us. We know what our job is. As much as we can, taking into account the difficulties due to the relation with Priština, we will do everything to make progress on the European path”, said President Vučić and thanked the President of the European Commission for kind words and wish to see Serbia in the EU.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, emphasized that today Serbia had already gone a long way to the EU membership, it had made an incredible progress and efforts in the past years and improved conditions in different sectors. She said that she strongly supports the European integrations of Serbia.

“This is a very special moment. Signing of this agreement is a symbol of our great cooperation and projects of connections through which we jointly build our European future, because the future of Serbia in the European Union is better. The corridor connects Serbia to Austria and Greece and is really the driving force of economy. It is the driving force for the Serbian economy, investments, the economic plan which already functions in Serbia”, said the President of the European Commission.

Source: www.predsednik.rs
Photo: Dimitrije Gol
 

Ambassador Ž. Jović visited the Center for Rehabilitation and Integration in Elin Pelin and Gornja Malina. These are two recently built and put into function Centers, whose main purpose is to help and support children with special needs. The Center in Elin Pelin is more oriented towards children with disabilities, while in the Center in Gornja Malina, the majority of users are children from foster families, who need additional socialization, speech therapists, psychologists and similar.

At the Center in Gornja Malina, along with the appropriate program, ambassador was welcomed by children who use the services of the Center, as well as Eli Cvetanova, manager of the center and Father Seraphim, abbot of Kremikovski Monastery, who actively participates in the work of both Centers.

The Minister of Interior, Aleksandar Vulin, met on September 24, 2021, at the Gradina Border Crossing, with the Deputy Prime Minister of the Technical Government and the Minister of Interior of the Republic of Bulgaria Boyko Rashkov.

On that occasion, the ministers pointed out the excellent cooperation between the two ministries, especially in the field of the fight against illegal migration, drug trafficking and other forms of crime. In that sense, the possibilities of continuing and deepening the cooperation were considered, as well as the opening of another border crossing between the two friendly countries. Ambassador Ž. Jović also attended the meeting.

On September 26, 2021, in front of the National Cultural Palace, the first international 3x3 basketball tournament in wheelchairs was held in Sofia. Players from the Republic of Serbia, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Russia and the Republic of Bulgaria participated in the competition.

The opening ceremony was also attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to Bulgaria, Ž. Jovic, who met with our team before the start of the tournament, KK players in a "Despot" wheelchair from Belgrade.

On that occasion, the ambassador got acquainted with some new ideas of the mentioned club, and congratulated these young people on their strength, will and courage, which are an example and a signpost for all of us on how to go through life and face problems.

During the event "European Week of Sport", which is for the seventh consecutive year under the auspices of the Ministry of Youth Sports of the Republic of Bulgaria, held in Sofia (from 23 to 30 September 2021), on 25 September, in front of the National Cultural Palace, an opening ceremony was held "Opening of the Night of Sport". The mentioned event aims to promote sports activities through various initiatives and competitions. The ceremony was attended by Ambassador Mr. Željko Jović, EU Commissioner for Innovation, Scientific Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Ms. Mariya Gabriel and the Minister of Sports of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Andrej Kuzmanov.

Ambassador Ž. Jovic met with Simeon of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the former Tzar of Bulgaria (1943-1946) and the former Prime Minister of Bulgaria (2001-2005). The meeting took place at the summer hunting residence of the royal family in Borovets. During the visit, Ambassador Jović got acquainted with the history of the royal family and valuable cultural heritage.

The President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, has discussed today by phone with the General Secretary of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg about, as the General Secretary said, worrisome situation in northern Kosovo and Metohija.

President Vučić said that Serbia had not violated either Brussels Agreement or Resolution 1244 by anything, by any single move or in any manner jeopardized peace preservation.

“The complete occupation by armored vehicles of northern Kosovo and Metohija has lasted for seven days and it is conducted by Priština and everyone in the international community “are thunderously silent”, said Serbian President. “However, everyone is worried all of a sudden when they spot Serbian helicopters and airplanes at the territory of central Serbia, because apparently they should not exist, or should not take off until they receive the approval from Kurti or someone from the international community”, says President Vučić.

Serbia observes all international agreements it signed, Serbia will always conduct responsibly and seriously, but Serbia is still asking when the formation of SMC will start and when Kurti’s armored units will be withdrawn from northern Kosovo and Metohija.

Finally, with the gratitude to General Secretary Stoltenberg for the fair relation and wish to listen to the Serbian side, President Vučić asked about the norm and international regulation violated by Serbia? Today, yesterday or any time?

The two interlocutors agreed to stay in constant touch due to necessity of the preservation of peace and stability in the entire region.

 
Source/Photo: www.predsednik.rs

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Nikola Selaković, has stated that in New York he introduced foreign ministers of 28 countries to economic success of Serbia but also to the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, which he also discussed with the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, who told him that we could count on the support of the Russian Federation, with regards to Serbian interests in K&M.

Summarizing results of his visit to New York within the session of the UN General Assembly, Minister Selaković says that one of the last meetings was with Minister Lavrov, which was their third meeting in the previous nine months.

The Serbian Foreign Minister says that he surely used this opportunity, too, to introduce Minister Lavrov to the latest events in northern Kosovo and Metohija, the situation of the dialog between Belgrade and Priština and very clear and unambiguous attitude of President Aleksandar Vučić regarding the continuation of the dialog and subsequent events in K&M.

“We discussed the principled support of the Russian Federation, which is constantly present not just in Moscow, Belgrade, in the field, but also here in the East River, by the delegation of the Russian Federation as the permanent member of the UN Security Council. Of course, we will continue to maintain this type of dialog. What Minister Lavrov said was that we could count on the support of the Russian Federation in future with regards to our interests in K&M”, highlighted Minister Selaković.

He said that he had had the opportunity in New York to hold 33 meetings, of which 28 with ministers of foreign affairs, whom he had introduced also to topicalities related to the latest events in Kosovo and Metohija, but also to our principled position regarding the observance of the international public law, territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Minister Selaković said that his colleagues at the meetings had praised the substantial and fantastic success of Serbia in the consolidation of the economic sphere and transformation of what had been on the edge of collapse and economic disaster seven years before to the fastest growing economy in Europe, which Serbia was in the past two years.

He said that most of his interlocutors had supported our reforms and expressed great respect toward what President Aleksandar Vučić and Serbia had done in the previous period.

Many of them, says the Serbian Foreign Minister, showed great interest in the manner in which Serbia organized the figth against Covid 19.

“It was a great pleasure and pride to represent the Republic of Serbia in all these meetings. Many of my colleagues confirmed their arrival to Belgrade to the Conference on 11th and 12th October, which is dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the Non-Allied Movement”, said Minister Selaković.

He emphasized that it was not just the evidence of how much they had cared to come to Belgrade to the conference, but also to see and witness the Serbia which after several decades of attempts to fight different challenges rose to its feed, was economically consolidated and turned towards its traditional friends.

“That is a great deal and our country will surely during October be one of the spots on Earth of greatest importance for multilateralism, for cooperation among the countries which share the same values, the values entered into the UN Charter and which are based on the promotion and fight for peace, equality, observance of the international public law and rights of every country to pursue its path to happiness and better and more ordered society in compliance with the wishes of its population”, said Minister Selaković.

He said that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov, would come to Belgrade to the conference on the occasion of the Non-Allied Movement adding that we had strategic cooperation with Azerbaijan and frequent contacts.

“We agreed to realize as soon as possible after the Belgrade conference his bilateral visit to Serbia”, added Minister Selaković.

He said that it had been agreed to intensify the cooperation and finalize the agreements which should be signed and after that realized when the meeting of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev took place.

Minister Selaković says that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had recently received its sector for economic diplomacy and there were great expectations from it and one of the tasks was to deepen the cooperation with Azerbaijan.

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic warned today that Pristina has seriously jeopardised local and regional stability after sending heavily armed special units to the north of Kosovo who are exerting ` against the peaceful Serbian population.

Brnabic spoke at the general debate of world leaders, as part of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

We bring the Prime Minister's speech in its entirety:

Mr. President,

Mr. Secretary General,

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I have the great honor to address you today on behalf of the citizens of the Republic of Serbia.

Esteemed Excellencies Mr. Abdulla Shahid, Mr. Volkan Bozkir and Mr. António Guterres, I would like thank you for the active engagement, dedication, and leadership you have shown during these difficult times for the United Nations and all of humanity.

Serbia shares your conviction and we remain fully committed to supporting your efforts.

This year, we come together at a decisive moment in our history.

Covid-19 has shaken our foundations to the core.

At the same time, we are increasingly witnessing and experiencing effects of climate change.

And, finally, we are seeing significant shifts in global partnerships and alliances, trade wars between traditional partners and allies, protectionism instead of openness and free market, and overall uncertainty at an unprecedented scale.

Some of the pressing and extremely emotional issues that we have locally, in the Balkans, are still unresolved and while we are trying – and Serbia is especially dedicated to this – to change the future by working together and creating alliances, through initiatives such as the Berlin process or Open Balkan, others are trying to disrupt these processes, and instead of focusing on the future, they want to recreate the past – whatever the cost of that may be.

But, let me start with COVID:

COVID-19 pandemic has exposed critical weaknesses in the architecture of global governance. It has threatened to erase the progress many nations have achieved in recent years.

It has placed nations at a junction between isolation and collaboration, between panic and hope, between chaos and order.

The pandemic questioned some of the basic tenets of the open and cooperative international order.

Global exchanges, international communication, cross-border trade have all seen a vast decrease.

Curfews, restrictions on freedom and lockdowns of entire societies have created uncertainty in many segments of the individual lives of our citizens or – for that matter – our own individual perception of what freedom in today’s world even means.

For Serbia, this pandemic threatened to undermine everything we have been doing for the past 7 years, to crush all of the results and accomplishments of difficult reforms we initiated in 2014, and to propel us back to the times of high unemployment, rising public debt, uncontrollable deficit, and overall desperation.

Much as in any other country, COVID-19 has tested our nations’ resiliency and, this time, unlike during the global financial crisis – which was of much more limited scope and incomparable in consequences to COVID-19 pandemic – Serbia stood strong.

The reforms we undertook in the pre-COVID times made us more resilient than ever.

The fiscal consolidation, the budget surplus we had, efficient and predictable investment environment, became a lifeline that saved us from a recession during the pandemic and one that ensured we could support our citizens and our economy during these, most difficult of times.

Despite the effects of the crisis, Serbia has managed to preserve financial and economic stability. In 2020, we recorded a decline in GDP of only 0.9% – one of the best results in Europe. Our public debt remained below 60% of our GDP, average salary continued to grow by almost 10%, while despite the pandemic the number of people employed increased by over 3%.

The recovery in this year has been stronger than expected – our GDP will grow approximately 7%, and perhaps even stronger.

Prior to the pandemic, we have opened our borders to investment, technology, and ideas, and we managed to create peaceful and stable environment that allowed us to pursue rapid domestic transformation, with innovation and knowledge-based economy as the foundation.

The innovative advances we had made allowed us to diversify our capabilities when the virus hit – through e-Government, online education and digital textbooks, or central software system for a successful vaccination rollout.

We invested heavily in health infrastructure and strengthened the health system in order to respond to the current crisis, eternally grateful to the health care workers for their dedicated struggle.

Our decision to put geopolitics aside, and people at the center of our policies, is the reason we were able to acquire vaccines quicker than most other nations.

We did not discriminate between manufacturers, did not care whether vaccines are from the East or from the West, but chose to negotiate with all vaccine manufacturers deemed safe by regulators. This openness gave us the ability to purchase vaccines from around the world, giving our citizens the unique freedom to choose which vaccine they prefer.

Excellencies,

Serbia believes in solidarity between nations, multilateralism and helping others when in need.

Since the beginning of this year, we have made it our mission to support our neighbors, and all those in need, with COVID-19 vaccines and we have also allowed foreign nationals to come to Serbia to receive the vaccine which will protect their lives.

In total, Serbia has donated or allocated over a million doses of vaccines – of which 230.000 doses to the region; 300.000 doses for foreign nationals which came to Serbia to get vaccinated; and additional 570.000 doses to countries of Africa and Asia.

We will keep doing so, to the greatest extent possible, and until COVID-19 is behind all of us.

That is why we have also taken steps to acquire the technology to produce at least two types of COVID-19 vaccines to help improve global access so we can all be safe and victorious.

However, as stated by dignitaries of some of the largest nations during this General Assembly, there are other pressing issues that all of us need to keep addressing without any delay and in a bold manner – and that is climate change.

Serbia has redoubled its efforts to make our country safer and cleaner for its citizens, and by doing so, contribute to the fight against climate change and for environmental protection.

We are strongly committed to the implementation of the sustainable development goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We are committed to global efforts and will continue to work actively to meet our obligations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

We are about to submit our revised Nationally Determined Contributions to contribute to this critical global effort. We have already announced our intention to reduce greenhouse gasses for at least 33.3% compared to 1990, and 13.2% compared to 2010, which we are currently incorporating into our energy and climate strategic documents.

We work strategically on planning and investments in this sector. These investments are extremely expensive, requiring years and decades of commitment and a systemic approach - but we are clearly set on the path of this transformation.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Of all the challenges we face, the most worrisome for Serbia is the maintenance of peace and stability in the southern Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija.

For more than two decades, we have been constantly drawing international attention to the problems that non-Albanian population is facing in Kosovo and Metohija. Physical safety, respect for and protection of human rights, especially of minority communities, are far from satisfactory.

We are now witnessing a constant increase in the number of attacks targeting Serbs, their property and religious heritage in Kosovo and Metohija.

To illustrate, there were 55 such incidents in 2014, 62 in 2016, 71 in 2020, and 100 since the beginning of this year. The total number of attacks in 2020 has already been surpassed by June of this year.

According to the UN, Kosovo and Metohija is still the territory with the least number of returnees (internally displaced Serbs) of all post-conflict areas in the entire world!

I will give you just a few examples to depict how life of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija looks like.

On the 11th of May the house of Radoje Pumpalović, 81-years old returnee to Kosovo in the village of Dubrava, in Istok municipality, was attacked. This was the 5th attack on him in the same year. Again… he is 81 years old.

Since June 2021, multiple attacks were carried out against Dragica Gašić, 59-years old woman, the first Serb returnee in Đakovica after 22 years since the end of the conflict. Attacks include stoning of her apartment, banning her from shopping for food in the local store and petitions by civil society organization demanding her eviction from the city.

On 2nd of July, in the village of Gobulji near Vučitrn, a group of Albanians attacked 13-year old Nikola Perić. The attack occurred when he was returning home from the school playground with three friends.

Attacks on Serbian medieval churches, monasteries and monuments in Kosovo and Metohija, make them some of the most endangered cultural heritage sites in Europe.

Monastery Visoki Dečani was recently listed, by Europa Nostra, as one of the 7 Most Endangered Heritage Sites in Europe in 2021. The Advisory Panel of Europa Nostra noted that Dečani is the only monument in Europe under robust military protection for a continuous period of 20 years, although it constitutes a monument of ultimate historical and cultural importance for Europe and the world.

This spiral of violence occurring in Kosovo and Metohija culminated at the beginning of this week. On the pretext of enforcing new license plate rules, Priština dispatched heavily armed special units to the north of the province. This is yet another brutal violation of the Brussels Agreement, and this irrational show of force has ignited a major crisis. It disrupted the supply of food and medication to Serb communities in the north of the province. Local Serbs who peacefully gathered to protest this measure were met with tear gas and police brutality, thus seriously threatening local and regional stability.

Despite of all the challenges and daily provocations, Serbia remains strongly committed to finding a compromise-based solution that will ensure lasting peace and stability.

Dialogue and the implementation of the agreements reached – are the only proper way to resolve all open issues.

However, almost 9 years after reaching the Brussels Agreement, as the 1st agreement on normalization between Belgrade and Priština, the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities – the backbone of this agreement – has not yet even begun.

I would like to appeal, once again, to the international community, and especially the European Union, as the guarantor of the Brussels Agreement, to firmly insist that the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Priština start implementing all of the agreements reached.

The Republic of Serbia, by defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity, at the same time defends international law, the UN Charter, legally binding UN Security Council Resolution 1244, and the supreme authority of the Security Council when it comes to the preservation of international peace and security.

We attach special importance to the activity of the UN mission in Kosovo and Metohija and expect it to continue to implement its mandate in the Province in accordance with this resolution.

Dear friends,

Our generation shares the common destiny of the modern world, which is becoming increasingly complex in terms of geopolitics, technology, health, climate. In the face of these challenges, Serbia will continue nurturing international partnerships, on a predictable and transparent basis.

We will continue pursuing the rule of law reforms on our EU path, which is our strategic foreign policy goal. We see this as inseparable from achieving sustainable peace, stability and prosperity.

We will host, together with the Republic of Azerbaijan as the current chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, a commemorative high-level event marking the 60th anniversary of the First Non-Aligned Movement Conference, which was held in Belgrade in 1961. We are very much looking forward to hosting our friends from all parts of the world in Belgrade in October this year.

We will further enhance cooperation across the Balkans, through the Open Balkan initiative and Berlin process, by opening borders, harmonizing differences, and further integrating our region.

In conclusion,

Over the past 7 years, Serbia has been transformed: we sparked an economic revival, created opportunities for young people, cultivated a tech boom, and improved Serbia’s position abroad. The progress we have made has allowed Serbia to better face and survive the pandemic.

The world now faces a turning point. The recovery from COVID-19 and sustainable reconstruction will not proceed if issues, new and old, are not handled by joint forces and collaborative international actions.

This pandemic taught us one important lesson: unless all of us are safe, no one is safe – so we can either win together, all of us – regardless of how rich or poor, large or small, from Europe, Asia, Africa, America or Australia, or fail together.

But, if anything, the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the issue of climate change, should have taught us to stand together.

Thank you.

Source: www.srbija.gov.rs
 

Advisor to the President of Serbia for Culture, Mr. Dejan Savić, visited the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia. On that occasion, Mr. Savić was informed about the Embassy`s activities in the domain of culture, as well as the available potentials and ideas for future cultural events that could be organized mutually. 

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic participated today at the Global COVID-19 summit, organised by the White House, which was opened by US President Joseph Biden.

The video messages are attended by a large number of world leaders and officials of international organizations, including UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, British and Canadian Prime Ministers, Boris Johnson and Justin Trudeau, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and many others.

In the message, the Prime Minister pointed out that Serbia was among the first European countries to procure a covid vaccine, and that she was the first European Prime Minister to receive the vaccine.

Thanks to years of investment in digitalisation and development of eGovernment, we have managed to organise a complicated and complex vaccination process very efficiently and in a way that it is focused on citizens, she explained.

However, as she added, from the very beginning we were aware that this is not just a matter of our citizens and only our struggle. In the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, we are all safe or no one is safe.

That is why, in addition to procuring vaccines for our citizens, we donated vaccines to the citizens of the Western Balkans, but also to other countries, she reminded and specified that Serbia donated 230,000 doses of vaccines to the region, we vaccinated foreign citizens in Serbia with approximately 300,000 doses and set aside we have 570,000 doses of vaccines for countries in Africa and Asia.

Brnabic mentioned that Serbia has already started the production of covid vaccine from one manufacturer, and that it will start production from another by the end of the year, because in that way we want to help and support all people and countries that need vaccines.

This is a pandemic in which we will either win together or lose together, but we must fight together, the Prime Minister repeated.

That is why Serbia supports the goals of this global summit, she emphasised, and expressed her gratitude to the United States of America and President Biden for organising the summit and supporting joint efforts in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vaccines are the only way out in the fight against the pandemic, concluded Brnabic.
 

As part of the "Days of Intangible Cultural Heritage", the intangible cultural heritage of Serbia was presented on the website of the Regional Center for the Preservation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Southeast Europe under the auspices of UNESCO, based in Sofia. Pirot carpet weaving was presented to the regional and international audience as an element from the domain of knowledge and skills related to traditional crafts, toasts as an element from the domain of traditions and expressions and social practices and St. George's Day as an element from the domain of common practice.

The presentation was prepared by the Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage of Serbia at the Ethnographic Museum in Belgrade, as part of the activities for the promotion and presentation of "living heritage" of Serbia, and visitors can view it on the following internet link:

https://www.unesco-centerbg.org/en/english-days-of-ich/days-of-ich-of-serbia/

At the beginning of 2021, the Regional Center for the Preservation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Southeast Europe launched an online section "Days of Intangible Cultural Heritage" with the idea of presenting each of the countries of Southeast Europe with three elements of intangible cultural heritage that are not on the UNESCO lists. . By participating in this initiative, the Republic of Serbia, through the cooperation of the Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage and the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia, continues to actively work on the international presentation of elements of "living heritage", ie those knowledge, skills, traditions, social practices and customs on the territory of Serbia, they continue to preserve and transmit from generation to generation as a feature of their own identity and continuity.

Photos: Documentation of the Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage of Serbia
 

In the first of two games in Sofia, the young football team of Serbia U16 was better than their peers from Bulgaria and won with the result 2:1. The second match will be played on Thursday, September 23, at 11:00 AM, at the stadium of the National Football Center Bojana in Sofia. The match was also attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to Bulgaria, Ž. Jovic. On that occasion, the young members of the national team presented the ambassador with the national team jersey, on which his last name was marked.

Ambassador Ž. Jović attended and made a speech at the ceremonial marking and scientific session dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, of which the Republic of Serbia is an associate member. 
On this occasion, the 65th anniversary of the membership of the Bulgarian Institute for Nuclear Research in this organization was also marked (the Bulgarian Institute is part of the BAN, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences). Ambassador Ž. Jović especially emphasized the significant role of science in the successful development of each country, as well as in the life of each person individually. In that sense, he pointed out the readiness of Republic of Serbia to continue to contribute with its scientific potential to the development and well-being of the entire humanity.
Dimitri V. Kanain, Head of International Cooperation of JINR, informed Ambassador Ž. Jović that Republic of Serbia, as an associate member, is highly valued, and its admission to full membership is expected in the near future.

On September 10, 2021, the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to Bulgaria, Ž. Jović and the Defense Attache of the Republic of Serbia in Bulgaria, Ž. Simić, attended the "Military exercise with combat shooting" Shabla-2021-2 ", which was held at the Shabla range in the Republic of Bulgaria.

Members of the Air Force and Air Defense of the Serbian Army and members of the Navy and Ground Forces of the Bulgarian Army took part in the exercise, and have successfully destroyed all Air targets using Rocket systems“Neva“ and „Cube“, as well as Mig 29 Aircraft.

The final segment of the shooting was also attended by the Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Army, General Milan Mojsilovic and the Chief of Defense of the Bulgarian Army, Admiral Emil Eftimov. It was jointly assessed that the cooperation is substantive and characterized by qualitative improvement, especially in the field of training and exercises, which contributes to the development of trust and the improvement of overall good neighborly relations.

The children's football tournament (generation 2008) Red Cup 2021 was held in Sofia from September 1 to 5, 2021, at the stadium of the "Bulgarian Army". Young teams of two football clubs from the Republic of Serbia, Partizan and Vojvodina, participated in the tournament. The host football club, CSKA, took the first place, the players of FC Partizan won the second place, and FC Vojvodina was placed in the third. In the competition, in which players up to the age of 12 have participated, was won by the youngest players of FC Partizan. The tournament was attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to Bulgaria, Zeljko Jovic.

The President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, attended the marking of the Remembrance Day of all the victims and expelled Serbs in the armed operation "Storm" and said that Serbia remembers!

"Today, when we remind ourselves again of what happened in August 1995, the terrible pogrom, the expulsion of more than 250,000 Serbs, the exodus and ethnic cleansing, we, at the same time, and finally, remind ourselves of who we are, what we are, where we come from and where we are going. Thank you all for being here together tonight and for showing how much we love our people", said President Vučić, adding that we will not forget any of the things that the Krajina people had to go through.

"For us, these are not just terrible numbers of victims", said President Vučić and emphasized that Serbia will not forget.

"History has never been rewritten like today. That is why I want to remind us all not only of what others have done to us, not wanting us to exist, but also of what we have done to ourselves, just as if we ourselves did not want to exist", said the President, noting that we must never again allow Serbia to forget its silent heroes.

President Vučić emphasized that we must never again cover our eyes, ears, and mouths in front of something that truly was a pogrom and the downfall of all humanity.

"Pretending that this is not true, avoiding saying it, is a crime not only against the victims, but also against ourselves, every living Serb, people from Krajina, as well as Serbia and its future", said President Vučić and underlined that people can stand up straight and live with themselves and the others without hesitation, fear and doubt, only if they remember.

President Vučić pointed out that Serbia must fight for peace and cradles with children, as well as that not remembering annuls and erases us from the history and the future, depriving us of the right to tomorrow.

"Our mission is a happy future for us and for the new generations! Today's Serbia is based on a clear identity and a culture of remembrance", said President Vučić and reminded that everything that had been neglected for decades had been done, and that a strong Serbia has become the master of its own destiny.

"Eternal glory to you, Serbian martyrs who perished in the "Storm" and all other pogroms. Your children are in their Serbia, taken care of, loved and successful. Sleep peacefully, Serbian falcons, the future of your children is our vow", concluded President Vučić and thanked everyone who showed that night how much they love their country and that Serbia remembers.

Source: www.predsednik.rs
Photo: www.predsednik.rs

On July 19, 2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia has announced contests for co-financing of projects whose quality contributes to the preservation and strengthening of ties between the home country with diaspora, and the home country with Serbs in the region. The contests are open until August 6, 2021.

More information is available at:

https://www.mfa.rs

https://www.dijaspora.gov.rs/uprava-za-dijasporu-konkursi/

We have decided – our goal was and remains the EU, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said in an interview with the German daily "Handelsblatt", adding that there is no alternative for Serbia, but also stressing that China is an important partner for Serbia, and that the task of the state is to take care about the interests of its citizens.

He thus answered the question of what Serbia will choose once it has to choose between close relations with Beijing or the EU. Vučić emphasized that Serbia wants to become a full member of the EU.

"We are connected by history, common culture, EU members are already undoubtedly our most important partners", he explained and added that the trade exchange between Germany and China is 3,000 times higher than between Serbia and China, and, as he noted, even despite that, Serbia's business operations with China are portrayed as a problem.

To the statement that the German Chancellor Angela Merkel did not congratulate the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China, and that he did so, he replied that Serbia is not Germany, but a small country. On additional insistence on what Serbia will do if it has to choose between the EU and China, he underlined that Serbia has already decided, that its goal was and remains the EU membership.

"Our biggest investors are from the EU. The EU accounts for 67% of our trade while 17 percent of the trade is with countries of the region that are all on the way to the EU. We cannot survive without the EU", he added.

"But can we do a lot of good things with China – of course. And we do that, just like Germany does", Vučić pointed out, and to the remark that the quality of the Silk Road projects was being criticized, primarily because of Chinese workers, he answered that the quality of roads or bridges, which Serbia is building with China, is excellent.

"We give jobs to those who submit the best offer to us. That is why I tell Europeans who criticize Chinese projects in our country – offer us a project for one euro more and you will get it", he emphasized.

In that regard, he pointed out that Serbia is building a railway to Northern Macedonia with 600 million euros of EU aid, stating that that offer was better than China's.

"There is often talk of a 180-kilometer railway to Budapest through the territory of Serbia, which is financed by China. But the railway that is being built with the help of the EU from Belgrade to the northern Macedonian border is twice as long and no one is talking about it. It is all too political", he stated.

Asked whether he welcomes the plans of the EU and the USA regarding an alternative initiative to the Silk Road, Vučić said that he supports everything that brings advantages to our region.

"The Chinese want to expand their presence everywhere, but many processes in the West are, frankly, more efficient and without problems. We still have a lot to learn from the West, but we are getting there", Vučić said.

He pointed out that China was an important partner for Serbia and added that when the consolidation of state finances began in 2014, our country received good conditions from China for development projects.

He also stated that a competition for a copper mine was announced in eastern Serbia, at the request of the EU, that no European company had made an offer for six months, and that it had then been taken over by the Chinese.

"Our job is to take care of our people", he said.

He reminded that the Serbian economy grew by 52% in eight and a half years, which for the EU means that Serbia could be a strong member and engine for the entire region.

Explaining how Serbia is developing so well economically, he pointed out that Serbia has an excellent workforce, which speaks English, that society and administration are digitalized, and that it has the most flexible labor law in Europe, as well as consolidated public finances.

He reminded that previously the public debt was at 78% of GDP, and that today it has been reduced, thanks to the strong growth of the economy, to 52%.

"We can afford to give investors an incentive to come", he added, emphasizing that Serbia offers investment assistance, but that, for example, subsidies were not the motive for the arrival of the development center of the company Continental.

He pointed out that, five or six years ago, only Serbia started using the dual education system in this region, which Germany, Switzerland and Austria also use, that tens of thousands of people are in dual education, and that this is appreciated by foreign investors, who, in addition, can work closely with universities as well.

Germany, he stated, is the most important trade partner and the largest investor.

We started with the arrival of small textile companies from Turkey, and now primarily large German companies are coming. Today, 71,000 people work in German companies in Serbia", he explained.

Vučić said that the European perspective is very important for investors, stating that Nidek, Toyo Tires or Mitsubishi are coming from Japan to Serbia because our country is on a stable European path.

Asked if he believes that Serbia will become an EU member in the foreseeable future, he said that he does not complain.

"It is certain that if we had received 45 billion euros of EU aid, we would have been much further economically. Instead, we received 1.6 billion euros from the EU. We are used to achieving our successes on our own", said Vučić.

The President of Serbia reminded that in Croatia, salaries used to be 2.2 times higher than in Serbia, and today they are only 1.7 times higher.

"We are closing the gap with our own efforts. If we were to become a member of the EU, then we would certainly not ask for the biggest subsidies", he assures.

He said that the Serbian path follows the German path to Europe, and that Serbia wants a fair chance.

"I believe Merkel's words. She is at the end of her term and I would not have to praise her anymore. But she gave us stability, freedom of travel to the EU, helped us with the migrant crisis in 2015, and asked the Minister of Economy Altmeier and others to work closely with us", he reminded.

Asked if there were any indications that the new German government would support Serbia in the same way, Vučić expressed confidence that it would be the same.

"I know Armin Laschet, I talked to him while he was the Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia. He is very smart and understands the situation in the Balkans, and he will certainly continue Merkel's policy towards our region as the new chancellor", he added.

Vučić also expressed his belief that Russia, if Serbia's accession to the EU were concretized, would not react similarly as in the case of Ukraine, as this is a sovereign decision of Serbia.

To an additional question in this regard, Vučić pointed out that whenever he met with Vladimir Putin, and there were 18 or 19 meetings, he told him that he was grateful for the traditionally close friendship with Russia, but also that Serbia is on a clear course towards the EU.

"He asked if it was our choice and I answered that EU membership is indeed our goal", he added.

When it comes to "Kosovo", Vučić emphasized that a compromise is needed regarding this issue.

"Only in this way can there be sustainable peace. Serbia wants peace, me as well. Let's stop with the madness of the past. Only then can the whole region become the engine of new growth for Europe", said Vučić.

Source: Tanjug
 

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, stated at a gathering dedicated to digitalization and the IT sector, which was held in New York, that since she became Prime Minister, she is most proud of Serbia's success in the field of digitalization.

Brnabić, who is on a two-day visit to the United States, said that when she was elected Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government in August 2016, she wanted to do everything to change the public administration and what bothered her as a citizen.

She stated that, when she took office as Prime Minister, she knew what her priorities were and that first of all, digitalization needed to be raised to a higher level, that the education reform was supposed to begin, as well as work on strengthening the economy.

I believed in a country that believes in its people, because the Serbian people are creative. From 1 June 2017, we started working as an e-Government, i.e. we started exchanging data electronically, said the Prime Minister.

According to her, our citizens no longer had to go to, say, the Tax Administration, and since then, the public administration has exchanged 50 million documents, which means that citizens did not have to go from office to office for 50 million papers.

Brnabić pointed out that she is proud of what has been done in the field of education since she became the head of the Government, specifying that in September 2017, programming was introduced as a compulsory subject in primary schools.

Nobody believed that we could do that, but we cooperated with the private sector and some social organizations and we succeeded. At the moment, we are far ahead of numerous countries in Europe and the world, said the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister pointed out that she was most proud when the cornerstone was laid for the science and technology park in southern Serbia, noting that so far, our country has four science and technology parks.

She pointed out that Serbia has since become one of the most successful countries in the world in the field of technology, and that according to some parameters, it is among the ten countries in the world, or among the five, assessing that this is proof that the country can change quickly.

Answering the question about vaccination, the Prime Minister emphasized that our country has never seen it as a geopolitical issue, but as a health issue.

According to her, Serbia talked with producers from both the East and the West and was among the first European countries to sign agreements with the company Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinopharm.

Unfortunately, many countries have viewed this issue as geopolitical. It did not matter to us, as long as the vaccines were safe, the Prime Minister emphasized and added that this was not the end of Serbia's success, because good organization was also needed.

Brnabić explained that the organization is another important thing in vaccination, because it is a logistically very difficult process, adding that, with the help of digitalization, success has been achieved and that everything we did in the previous years has paid off.

She stated that Serbia quickly established a system through which citizens could express interest in vaccination against the coronavirus and choose which vaccine they wanted to receive, as well as to be informed by a message when to go and get vaccinated.

Now I can log in on my phone, to see how many people have received the vaccine, how many more have registered, so that the effects of digitalization are obvious. We have made everything very efficient and easy for our citizens, the Prime Minister explained.

Answering the question of what she can tell other countries of the world about how to progress faster, Brnabić said that it is important to invest as much as possible in digitalization and education.

You need to teach children how to think, not what to think. Not all children will become IT experts, but what they can learn is an algorithmic way of thinking and how to make decisions, she said.

The Prime Minister mentioned investing in high-speed internet and providing infrastructure for start-ups as an important thing for progress, because more and more economies will be based on start-ups and innovations, emphasizing that people should be helped to start companies and implement their ideas.

Speaking about social networks, she pointed out that fake news has become the biggest problem on these networks and that it will remain so for some time.

This is the biggest challenge I face as Prime Minister, especially during the corona virus pandemic, she said, adding that social networks are also a great opportunity for politicians to communicate with citizens.

Source: www.srbija.gov.rs
Photo: www.srbija.gov.rs

On July 10, 34 members of the „Bukulja“ Mountaineering Association from Arandjelovac, the „Tornik“ Mountaineering Association from Cajetina and the „Planina zove“ Mountaineering Association from Gradiska, climbed the highest mountain peak in the Balkans, Musala. On that occasion, as well as during their tour of Sofia, they were joined by Ambassador Ž. Jović.

The graffiti "Serbs on willows" was written in Latin on the building of the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Serbia in Plovdiv last night.

We call on the competent authorities in Bulgaria to react as soon as possible and find the culprit of this disturbing incident.

The Embassy of Serbia in Sofia officially informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria about this act of vandalism and an unequivocal act of hatred.

It is a shout under which the most monstrous mass crimes were committed against the Serbian people in the Second World War on the territory of the former Nazi puppet state, the Independent State of Croatia, and which was a chauvinistic motto during the expulsion of the Serb population from the Republic of Croatia in the so-called operations "Flash" and "Storm".

We are convinced that this is not a provocation sent by Bulgarian citizens, since our countries and peoples have established a high level of trust and friendly relations, which is exactly why we believe that a quick and decisive reaction will shed light on the incident and bring the perpetrator to justice.

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic participated today in the online Summit of Leaders of the Berlin Process, which discussed the concrete results achieved during its seven-year term, plans for the next period and initiatives aimed at providing support Western Balkans on its way to the European Union.

The focus of the summit was on building a common regional market related to four fundamental freedoms: free movement of people, goods, services and capital, for which the Action Plan was adopted in November last year, and from which the region would have special benefits.

The summit said that the transport and energy infrastructure has been expanded in recent years and connected to the roads of the European Union, and praised the implementation of the agreement on the abolition of roaming fees in the Western Balkans, which began this month.

An important project of the process is the Regional Office for Youth Cooperation (RYCO) in order to connect and build understanding and tolerance in the region.

The activities of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the Secretariat of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) were also praised for their efforts to implement the Common Regional Market Action Plan.

Assessing that the Berlin Process is firmly based on the fundamental belief that the economy of the Western Balkans is part of Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel pointed out that it greatly contributes to stability and connecting the Western Balkans region, which is also in the interest of the European Union.

In her address today, Prime Minister Ana Brnabic thanked German Chancellor Angela Merkel for her strong support and active approach to regional cooperation.

Thanks to the support of Germany and Chancellor Merkel, but also to the internal initiatives of the representatives of Serbia, Albania and North Macedonia, the Prime Minister explained, the implementation of the Action Plan will enable further expansion of economic and trade cooperation in the region, which will make it more attractive for foreign investors.

Brnabic pointed out that Serbia strongly supports the Berlin Process, not only for the purpose of economic development of the region, but also as an idea of connecting and unifying the Western Balkans and its approach to the European Union.

She concluded that support in the region was particularly visible through solidarity with neighbours during the pandemic and assistance with vaccines and medical equipment.

The summit, opened by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, was attended not only by representatives of the region, but also by Slovene Prime Minister Janez Jansa, European Commission President Ursula von der Layen, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, French President Emanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Jakub Moravjecki and Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Majlinda Bregu.

Source: www.srbija.gov.rs
Photo: www.srbija.gov.rs
 

After the meeting of Presidents Aleksandar Vučić and Rumen Radev, in order to intensify and further improve economic cooperation between the two countries, a meeting was held today in Dimitrovgrad between the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Serbia A. Atanasković and the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Bulgaria K. Petkov. On that occasion, the first concrete results of the mentioned meeting were presented, and the possibilities for opening new economic entities in the border zone were discussed. The meeting was also attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to Bulgaria, Ž. Jović and the Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to Serbia P. Dojkov.

President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić participated today via a video link in the conference "Mini Schengen" with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania, Edi Rama, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev. The officials discussed further steps in regional cooperation, as a process vital to the progress of the Western Balkans and the European path as a whole.

The interlocutors agreed that the countries of the Western Balkans need membership in the European Union, but also that the European Union needs the Western Balkans just as much since the region is surrounded by EU borders and the countries aspiring to membership share common European values.

The President of Serbia and the Prime Ministers of Albania and North Macedonia have expressed the wish that the four European freedoms - the movement of people, goods, services and capital, begin to be implemented as soon as possible throughout the region, and that in this context they will provide full support to the regional common market at the Berlin Process Summit to be held on the 5th July.

"We are aware that only by working together and accepting regional cooperation within various regional initiatives such as the common market, regional Schengen, green corridors or the Berlin Process, can we bring our economies closer, increase the well-being of our people and bring in large investments that would otherwise not be possible for any of us individually", is one of the joint conclusions of this video conference.

The interlocutors agreed to meet in Skopje on July 29th to review the progress in the implementation of existing initiatives and projects and to sign additional agreements between the three countries related to the implementation of the Berlin Process commitments, as well as cooperation and assistance in the event of natural disasters and relief measures for trade, export and import.

"We call on and encourage our colleagues from the region to sign and implement similar agreements, so that the vision of a common political and economic space across the Western Balkans would soon, through the single market, become an important part of our citizens' daily lives," said the Serbian President and Prime Ministers of Albania and North Macedonia.

The interlocutors pointed out that despite the delays in the enlargement process, they will continue to try to identify new ways, policy areas and financial instruments for all three countries to increase their contribution to Europe, strengthen ties with the European Union and gradually integrate the region into the single European market.

Speaking on the Green Agenda, the interlocutors issued a joint call to the European Union and the United States to join countries across the region to support the development of projects that could be invested as soon as possible to improve environmental protection and increase the widespread use of renewables as part of the EU Economic and Investment Plan implementation and the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans.

"Our countries have a huge potential for sustainable growth and development of this sector. We will ask for practical support to find out which projects can improve our region in terms of renewable energy sources for our citizens and for the green energy future of the EU ", said the interlocutors during the "Mini Schengen" video conference and concluded that only regional connecting, with the EU support, can contribute to the overall stability and progress of the entire region and Europe.

Source: www.predsednik.rs
Photo: www.predsednik.rs
 

After attending the celebration of the municipal holiday of Elin Pelina, "Шопски празник", the delegation from the municipality of Leskovac, led by Mayor Goran Cvetanovic, visited the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia.

On June 25, 2021, Ambassador Željko Jović attended the solemn celebration of the municipal holiday of Elin Pelina, "Shopski praznik". Addressing the audience, he thanked for the cooperation and professionalism, which resulted to the completion of the cross-border project realized by the twinned Serbian municipality of Leskovac and Bulgarian municipality of Elin Pelin. The event was also attended by the delegation from Leskovac, led by Mayor Goran Cvetanović. 

Ambassador Ž. Jović attended the solemn session of the Municipality of Montana. On that occasion, he addressed the audience, congratulated the Day of the Municipality ("Day of the Holy Spirit"), especially thanking for the professionalism and cooperation that the municipal institutions of Montana have shown so far during cooperation with Serbian municipalities, primarily on cross-border projects.

On the holiday of the Municipality of Montana, "Day of the Holy Spirit", Ambassador Ž. Jović visited the mentioned municipality, where, in addition to the meeting with the municipal leadership and attending the solemn ceremony, he also joined the talks on further realization of cross-border projects, which include the municipalities of Niš-Medijana and Pirot.

On june 17th, in front of the National Palace of Culture in Sofia, during the opening of the 10th Balkan Wine Festival "The Balkans International Wine Competition and Festival 2021" (BIWCF), an award ceremony for the best wines was held. The festival was opened by the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Bulgaria Mr. Hristo Bozukov, the President of the BIWCF Jury, Mr. Igor Luković and the Director of the BIWCF Ms. Galina Niforu. The award for the best organic wine was given to the Serbian winery "Plavnici" (Tamjanika Selena Orange 2020), and the award for the best orange wine was given to the Serbian winery "Vinarium" (Pinoranz 2019). The event was attended by Ambasassador Mr. Željko Jović.

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic stated today, after the plenary meeting of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) held in Antalya, that the Joint Declaration, the Strategic Document for South-East Europe and the annual report of the Council for Regional Cooperation were unanimously adopted at this meeting.

Speaking to the press, Brnabic said that the plenary meeting was marked by two things – the fact that even Pristina voted for all documents, although Kosovo is marked in them with an asterisk, and also that President of the interim institutions in Pristina Vjosa Osmani referred to the Brussels Agreement at one moment.
Brnabic underlined that in the Strategic Document for South-East Europe, in every place where “Kosovo” is mentioned, it is marked with an asterisk and a footnote.
It is also interesting that at one moment Osmani invoked the Brussels Agreement and said that according to it, asterisk is not put every time, but only the first time “Kosovo” is mentioned.
We see now that the Kosovo side invokes the Brussels Agreement when it suites them, and when it doesn’t suit them, then the agreement doesn’t exist. That is why I hope they will finally return to the Brussels Agreement, first and foremost in order to form the Community of Serb Municipalities, the Prime Minister underlined.
That has been constructive from them today and totally contrary to everything it could be heard in the Pristina parliament – that they would not allow the adoption of such documents.
Brnabic said that the meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was very good and that Erdogan once more sent an invitation to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to visit Turkey.
www.srbija.gov.rs

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Nikola Selakovic took part today in Antalya in the Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the South-East European Cooperation Process participants.

Selakovic underlined that the key foreign policy and strategic goal of our country was to achieve full membership of the European Union.
“I hope that the European Union will continue to support the process of integration of SEECP participants into the EU, which will, I am confident, bring lasting stability and prosperity to the region and help the consolidation and development of Europe as a whole”, Selakovic said.
The Minister pointed out that peace and stability had no alternative, representing the guiding star on the path of our region towards the European Union. Furthermore, he emphasized in particular that Belgrade was determined to resolve all open issues through dialogue and in good faith - as a responsible and predictable partner, and in line with the principles of international law.
“We need to make sure that what is agreed upon is also respected and fulfilled on the ground later on, because our agreements primarily concern the well-being of our peoples, but they also reflect who we are and what kind of future we want”, the Serbian Foreign Minister said.
Selakovic stated that Serbia devoted full attention to the promotion of regional cooperation and good-neighbourly relations, stressing that the strengthening of economic ties within the region also contributed to the relaxation of existing political relations.
“Through participation in various formats we have committed to undertake the necessary reforms and promote regional cooperation in numerous areas, and among them, as particularly important and being in the general interest of the entire region, I would like to underline the joint infrastructure projects in the transport and energy sectors”, Selakovic said.
As concrete positive results of regional cooperation, the Minister underlined the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), the Western Balkans Fund, the Regional Youth Cooperation Office, the Southeast Europe Transport Community, the Western Balkans Chamber Investment Forum, and the signing of the "Agreement on the Price Reduction of the Roaming Services in the Western Balkan region".
Selakovic commended in particular the establishment of “Green Lanes” in our region during the coronavirus pandemic, while pointing out that it was now necessary to enable their extension to border crossings with neighbouring EU member states.
The Minister also stated that Serbia welcomed the Common Regional Market Action Plan and added that this document was largely based on concrete proposals stemming from the initiative launched by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in cooperation with the Prime Ministers of Albania and North Macedonia.
In addition, Selakovic emphasized that Serbia had demonstrated its commitment to enhancing regional cooperation with its neighbours in the region - by sending vaccine shipments and enabling vaccination in Serbia,
“So far, Serbia has sent 120,000 vaccines to the region and vaccinated around 65,000 citizens from countries of the region on its territory, which means that we have provided a total of around 200,000 vaccines for our neighbours”, the Minister said.
In his statement, the Head of Serbian diplomacy also touched upon the importance of the Regional Cooperation Council which, as a pivotal regional initiative, provided concrete results and contributed to achieving economic progress and deepening cooperation, and said that he expected that the implementation of the South East Europe 2030 Strategy, once it is adopted, would benefit our region. 
Selakovic congratulated Turkey on its successful chairmanship and wished Greece every success as the upcoming chair.
 

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic assessed today in a meeting with Ambassador of Bulgaria to Serbia Petko Doykov that Bulgaria is an important economic and trade partner of our country and pointed out the importance of developing project cooperation in the future.

Brnabic pointed out that the key project is the completion of the motorway from Sofia to the border between the two countries, adding that Serbia is also interested in a joint gas interconnection project between Nis and Dimitrovgrad, as part of the "Balkan Stream".
The Ambassador of Bulgaria emphasised that Serbia is a partner with which very good neighbourly relations are being developed, assessing that our country is also the most important factor of stability in the Western Balkans.
Apart from economic cooperation, he pointed out the possibilities of joint action in the areas of education and the environment.

www.srbija.gov.rs
 

At the 3rd European multi-game competition in Taekwondo, which was held in Sofia from June 10 to 16, 2021, the Republic of Serbia was represented by numerous clubs of all ages. At the competition in the senior category, Milica Mandić, the member of the Serbian national team in taekwondo, won a gold medal. Ambassador Ž. Jovic visited the Serbian competitors, wishing them a lot of success and luck in further competitions within this tournament, as well as the in upcoming Olympic Games, which will be held this year in Tokyo.

Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia Ž. Jović, visited the municipality of Kostinbrod, where he met with Mayor T. Mladenov. The meeting was attended by the Mayor of Babusnica, I. Stojičić and her deputy M. Iskrenov, while on the Bulgarian side, the meeting attended the president of municipatily Kostinbrod, A. Nenov, deputy mayors T. Gogov and V. Ivanov, as well as representatives of the social center " New Life-1919 ”, from Petarč, S. Milanova and T. Georgieva.
The disscusion was focused on the possibilities of improving the collaboration of the municipality of Kostinbrod with the municipalities of the Republic of Serbia on the implementation of existing and future cross-border cooperation projects, primarily in the field of sports, culture and economy.

Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to Bulgaria Ž. Jović and Defense Attaché of the Republic of Serbia to Bulgaria Ž. Simic, visited the members of the Serbian Army who participated in the military exercise "Shabla 2021". The exercise was held from June 7 to 10, 2021 at the Shabla military site in the Republic of Bulgaria (the exercise was interrupted on 9 June due to the crash of the Bulgarian MIG-29 aircraft).

On June 10, 2021, Ambassador Ž. Jovic met with the mayor of Pliska town, Ms. Tonka Angelova Naceva. Given the historical significance of the city of Pliska, which was also the first capital of Bulgaria, where the archeologically protected site of the ancient city (Great Basilica) is located, as well as the cultural-historical museum "Cyrillic Courtyard", Ambassador Jovic and mayor Naceva discussed the possibilities of tourist cooperation with Serbia. After the courteous meeting, Ambassador Jovic visited the archeological site of the Basilica and the historical museum "Cyrillic Courtyard".

On June 10, 2021, Ambassador Ž. Jovic visited the Municipality of Dobrich, where he held a meeting with the Mayor of the Municipality, Mr. Jordan Jordanov. On that occasion, the possibilities of economic and tourist cooperation between the two countries were discussed. Considering that in the territory of the Municipality of Dobrich, in addition to light industry, the most represented industries are agriculture and tourism, it was agreed that in the forthcoming period the Embassy will establish possible cooperation with institutions of the Republic of Serbia.
After the meeting Ambassador Ž. Jovic visited the military cemetery in Dobrich, one of the largest in the Republic of Bulgaria, where in September 1916, after the battle of Dobrich, soldiers of the Serbian, Bulgarian, German, Turkish, Russian and Romanian armies were buried. This year, Ambassador Jović laid a wreath on the grave of the deceased Serbian Officer Aleksandar Ivanović.

Dear Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, members of the delegations

I would point to a few ongoing issues in my speech that refer to the competences of the Mechanism, namely, the possibility of serving the sentences passed by the ICTY and Mechanism in the Republic of Serbia, with the current practice of disabling early release of the sentenced persons as well as obligation of the Mechanism regarding protection of sentenced persons.

The second part of the speech will be dedicated to issues that are opened by the six –month Report on the work of the Mechanism by Mechanism President Mr. Agius and Report by the Chief Prosecutor Mr. Serge Brammertz, especially regarding current cooperation of the Republic of Serbia and the Mechanism.

The third part of my speech, and I noticed that in many of your statements even today, is going to be the view of Serbia on everything that took place in The Hague Tribunal and what the Tribunal verdicts brought to people in the region of former Yugoslavia.

The Republic of Serbia has initiated before the Security Council, on several occasions, the issue of possibility of serving sentences passed by the ICTY and Mechanism in the Republic of Serbia. Beside the efforts to move this issue from “square one”, not a single response was obtained from the Security Council. The majority of persons that are serving their prison sentences are citizens of the Republic of Serbia, and it comes naturally that the Republic of Serbia is interested in enabling them to serve their prison sentences in the Republic of Serbia.

ICTY and the Mechanism are making references to the Security Council as an institution in charge of dealing with this issue.

I am ready to reiterate here the readiness of the Republic of Serbia to take over obligations and liability for executing prison sentences that the Tribunal or Mechanism passed on the citizens of the Republic of Serbia, under the monitoring of the Mechanism and full respect for the authority of the Mechanism regarding early release.

Mr. President

A particular problem that we are facing with is disturbance by the judicial institutions established in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, which is within Serbia and which is under Interim Administration of the UN. We are witnesses of attempts of retrial for two citizens that are serving their prison sentences for which they had already been trialed before the ICTY. More concretely, in previous period there was an attempt for hearing of Nebojša Pavković and for obtaining extradition of Vlastimir Đorđević.

I urge on the Mechanism and Security Council to prevent attempts of violation of the principle ne bis in idem, a civilization principle that was confirmed in Article 7 (1) of the Statute of the Mechanism and to disable retrials for persons already convicted by the ICTY, particularly to make sure that it is not done in the territory which is under interim UN administration.

Mr. President,

President of the Mechanism (Mr. Carmel Agius), apart from the regular Report, delivered also on 11 May 2021 a letter to the President of the Security Council, whose subject is the alleged omission of the Republic of Serbia to apprehend and turn over to the Mechanism Petar Jojić and Vjerica Radeta, indicted of contempt of court, claiming that in this way the Republic of Serbia was acting contrary to its obligations towards the UNSC Resolution 1966 (2010) and asking the Security Council to take measures in order to ensure that Serbia meets the alleged obligations in accordance with the Mechanism Statue and Resolution 1966.

The point of the argumentation of the President of the Mechanism comes to that that the Republic of Serbia has the obligation to deprive of liberty and extradite to the Mechanism its citizens accused of contempt of court, regardless of the nature of accusation, circumstances under which such an order was made and consequences that might result from its implementation.

It is about accusations that do not refer to sever violations of international humanitarian law and that are related to a case before the ICTY, which ended in 2018 (Vojislav Šešelj case), by acquitting the defendant in the first instance, and upon the Prosecutor’s complaint the defendant was declared guilty and sentenced to a 10-year imprisonment, which was covered by the time he spent at the UN Detention Unit.

Judge Agius states that Serbia ignores its obligations in accordance with the Resolution 1966 (2010). Quite the opposite- the Republic of Serbia takes seriously its obligations regarding cooperation with the Mechanism. After the warrant for apprehension and extradition of the two persons accused of contempt of court to the Mechanism had been introduced, the Higher Court in Belgrade established that assumptions for their apprehension and extradition to the Mechanism had not been met. The decision is founded on the rules of international law and domestic law of the Republic of Serbia and it is mandatory for holders of the executive power in the Republic of Serbia.

I would remind here that the first decision of a sole judge (Aydin Sefa Akay, 12 June 2018), that was acting in this case was that the criminal prosecution of V. Radeta and P. Jojić for alleged contempt of court was to be forwarded to the judicial authorities of the Republic of Serbia. In procedures that followed, the argument of the alleged unwillingness of the witnesses to cooperate with the judicial authorities of the Republic of Serbia was stated for the first time, and the decision on deprivation of transferring the case to the jurisdiction of the judicial authorities of the Republic of Serbia was based on the respective argument.

The Republic of Serbia expressed its readiness to take over the court procedure against Petar Jojić and Vjerica Radeta on several occasions and it provided appropriate guarantees. Additionally, the Republic of Serbia fully recognizes and accepts the obligation of the Mechanism to monitor trials that were transferred to national courts with the help of international and regional organizations, as well as to take measures envisaged by Article 6 of the Statute of the Mechanism.

I would remind here that the Republic of Serbia extradited to the tribunal all the persons indicted by the Prosecutor’s Office, and among the respective mostly highest political, military and police officials; it enabled presence of vast number of witnesses, delivered extensive documentation. Obligation of the Mechanism, in accordance with the Resolution of this Security Council, is to take measures that enable transfer of cases to national justice system. In previous practice, 13 cases were transferred to Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2 to Croatia and only one to Serbia.

The last but not the least, I want to remind all of you here of the fact that France- of course as a sovereign and independent country- upon request for apprehension and extradition of Florence Altman for publishing documents and contempt of court, refused the request for extradition, with an explanation that it does not extradite its citizens. For far smaller offence you ask as to extradite our citizens Jojic and Radeta, showing both the distrust to Serbian justice and judiciary and Serbian State, as well as a fact that the rule from ancient Rome is still valid – quod licet lovi non licet bovi.

It does not harm to underline that high-level officers and politicians were not trialed for crimes against Serbs, and that crimes against Serbs remained unsanctioned before ICTY and Mechanism. Let me remind you, just as an example that Ademi and Norac case for ferocious crimes against Serb civilians in Medački Džep was left to Croatian justice institutions. Proven crimes against Serbs, like those of Ramuš Haradinaj, Naser Orić, then Ante Gotovina and other indicted for military operation “Storm” that led to a complete ethnic cleansing of Serb population in the big part of today’s Croatia, resulted before the ICTY in acquittals. Many horrible crimes against Serb civilians that were committed in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, and that resulted in ethnic cleansing, simply were not the subject of interest of the ICTY.

What’s very important and not to leave anything unclear, Serbia is a country that condemns all crimes and all criminals who perpetrated them in the region of former Yugoslavia. However, it is interesting that despite often criticism Serbia is the only one that speaks openly and condemns crimes perpetrated by Serb nationals, while in other regional countries they do not speak at all about crimes that representatives of those nations committed against members of Serbian people.

And I want to emphasize once again here in front of you that Serbia condemns terrible crime in Srebrenica and extends its deepest condolences to the families of all killed in that massacre. And there are no “buts” about the respective.

Nevertheless, we are here to analyze results and penal policy of ICTY and the Mechanism and it was such that it has never gained trust among Serbian people, no matter where they live. And not because we Serbs do not acknowledge crime committed by some of our compatriots, but because The Hague Tribunal, with exceptions, was judging only to Serbs and in all three territories of former Yugoslavia- Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo and Metohija, which some of the SC Member States see and name of course, contrary to law and legal norms and UN Resolutions, as an independent state. I would try to plastically prove to you how The Hague justice was tailored even though I know that it will not come to understanding of many of you, but to me it is important because of the history, facts, and school books that will be made in accordance with the facts.

Namely, Serbs were sentenced to totally 1138 years of imprisonment, and to 8 life imprisonments. At the same time, The Hague Tribunal did not sentence a single Croat for crimes against Serbs, neither in actions Medački Džep, nor Flash and Storm. How politically cunning it was done in the Tribunal, and all wrapped in the form of law and justice. Prosecutors of The Hague Tribunal chose on purpose three military and political leaders of Croats, Bosniac Muslims and Albanians, on all three mentioned territories, committed against Serbs. – Ante Gotovina, Naser Orić and Ramuš Haradinaj. It is interesting that following the same pattern, the same pattern, this injustice was shared. Namely, all of them were sentenced in the first instance procedure, with the exception of Ramuš Haradinaj, because not a single witness survived. Gotovina was sentenced to 24 years’ imprisonment in first-instance procedure, while by a mysterious decision of the second instance council and 3:2 judge ratio, the verdict was changed to acquittal. Naser Orić, for crimes against Serbs, was also sentenced in first instance verdict, but by a mysterious decision of the second instance court, and again 3:2 ratio decision was an acquittal and he was set free of any liability. Let me reiterate, all witnesses in process against Ramus Haradinaj, either committed suicide or were killed under very, very strange circumstances.

Let me conclude, I do not want to believe that someone wants to say that there had been no crimes against Serbs, but judging by the verdicts of The Hague Tribunal, no one- absolutely no one- is responsible for those crimes.

Nevertheless, we in Serbia will show responsibility and we will fight for peace, stability and reconciliation in the region.

We ask UN Security Council Member States to help us with rational and pragmatic approach and respect for international law and not by attempts of further humiliation of Serbia. Serbia is a small country, with proud and courageous people, the one that gave the biggest sacrifice during the WWI and WWII; people who wants to leave in peace with their neighbors. And when I am asking you for this, I do not think I am asking for too much.

At the very end, Serbia is the fastest growing country of the Western Balkans region and we cannot progress unless our relations with neighbors, friends and other countries are good, solid and better. That is why- despite the selective justice that was applied in The Hague Tribunal- we will be open for any dialogue, any kind of cooperation and we will look towards the future and not towards the past. And I have only one message for the citizens of Serbia and citizens of Serbian nationality in the entire region- keep your heads up, neither Serbia nor Serbian people are convicted of anything and it is up to us to work even more diligently, to open factories and to fight for our children and our future.

Long Live Serbia!

On June 8, 2021, organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia and the Agency for the Promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises of the Republic of Bulgaria (BSMEPA), a working meeting of the "Serbian-Bulgarian Business Forum" was held. The meeting, which was held at the Embassy, was opened by Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of Bulgaria, Kalina Konstantinova, Director of BSMEPA Boyko Takov, Director of the Planning and Analysis Sector of the Development Agency of Serbia (RAS) Vladimir Jovanović, Director of the Regional Chamber of Commerce of Nisava, Pirot and Toplica Administrative Districts (PKS) Aleksandar Milićević and Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia in the Republic of Bulgaria Željko Jović.

Representatives of the Bulgarian Investment Agency and the Development Agency of Serbia presented the current business climate in Serbia and Bulgaria, modalities for economic development, as well as investment opportunities in the two countries. The meeting was attended by about 40 representatives of business entities from Serbia and Bulgaria, who, after the plenary session, held individual (B2B) meetings and exchanged information of mutual interest, in order to achieve possible future business cooperation. The structure of the companies was primarily in the domain of IT technologies, production and distribution of medical and laboratory equipment, machine industry, textile and food production sector, as well as energy.

At the invitation of the organizers of the mountain race "Sky Trail Stara Planina", on June 5, 2021. Ambassador Ž. Jović and the Bulgarian ambassador to Serbia, Petko Doykov, presented awards and medals to the best runners of the mountain race (which was held on the routes of 13, 34 and 64 km).
The event was also attended by the Consul General of Bulgaria in Nis, Dimitar Canev. Ambassador Jović, who also participated in the 13 km race, thanked the organizers and participants of the race, especially emphasizing the fact that this is a prestigious international race, in which about 500 runners from 14 countries participate, and that it is realized on Stara Planina. , which in this sports way best connects Serbia and Bulgaria and Serbian and Bulgarian athletes.

During the conversation with the Mayor of the Municipality of Vidin, Cvetan Cenkov, the possibilities of renewing cross-border cooperation between the two countries were discussed. C. Cenkov pointed out the need to strengthen contacts between economic entities in Vidin and the border region of Serbia, in order to overcome the economic consequences of the crisis caused by the Covid pandemic in the shortest possible time19. In this regard, the Mayor of Vidin mentioned that in previous years the annual trade fair was held in that city, which was attended not only by traders from Bulgaria, but also from neighboring countries, and that the Municipality plans to support the tradition with the support of chambers of commerce and agencies. He is organizing the International Trade Fair in Vidin again at the end of August this year. In addition, C. Cvetanov pointed out the upcoming events in the cultural program of the municipality of Vidin, inviting participants from Serbia to join them.
At the end of the talks, the possibility of holding a regional economic forum on July 14 was discussed, which would be attended by the mayors of Negotin, Zaječar and Calafat, regional leaders (regional mayors) and the ambassadors of Serbia and Romania.

During the meeting with the President of the Municipality of Montana, Zlatko Zivkov, and his deputy Tihomir Antonov, amb. Ž. Jović pointed out to his interlocutor his readiness to participate and support cross-border projects in the next period in the Municipality of of the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Bulgaria. Having in mind the above, Z. Zivkov pointed out the long-term cooperation of the Municipality of Monatana with the Municipalities of Pirot, Medijana-Nis and Vranje, with the Municipality of Pirot being the leader in the European cross-border cooperation program Bulgaria - Serbia, with 12 completed projects.

During the meeting between the President of the Municipality of Vratsa, Kalin Kamenov, and Ambassador Željko Jović, the possibilities of joint cooperation between the two countries were discussed, primarily in the field of tourism and economy. In the last few years, the municipality of Vratsa has significantly developed the economic sector, primarily in the field of automotive industry, and has great potential in the field of tourism (mountain), which opens up opportunities for future cooperation. It was agreed to organize a working meeting with the representatives of "Ski Resorts of Serbia" in the next period, in order to provide the Bulgarian side with advisory and logistical support for the expansion of the existing ski lift system. Also, it is planned to hold a humanitarian match between the clubs of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Serbia.

President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić met today in Dimitrovgrad with the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev. After a meeting with representatives of the Bulgarian national minority, the two presidents attended the unveiling ceremony of the monument to St. Cyril and Methodius and toured the reconstructed building of St. Cyril and Methodius High School.

In the address after the meeting, President Vučić said that the relations between Serbia and Bulgaria are good, that the two countries foster friendly ties and added that members of the Bulgarian national minority in Serbia can always count on the open arms of the state. In addition to the topic of textbooks in the Bulgarian language and historical issues, the President primarily talked with his guest about the economy, employment and investments.

President Vučić pointed out that members of the Bulgarian national minority should be a bridge between Serbia and Bulgaria.

"We will strive to adhere to the things that bind and bring us closer, as well as to solve the things that separated us in the past," said President Vučić and stated that the trade exchange between the two countries is good, but that it can and must be higher. He noted that there are many joint projects, which are very important for both countries.

"We have built a highway to the border and Bulgaria is building a fast road i.e. a highway to Sofia. We are carrying out a complete reconstruction of the railway and at the beginning of next year, works will begin on the Niš-Dimitrovgrad section, worth 270 million euros. When we reconstruct that railway, and we have an agreement with the EU on a fast railway to Nis, we will additionally bring two countries and our two capitals closer", explained President Vučić and added that the interconnector project, worth 89 million euros, represents an important investment for Serbia because, along with the Balkan Stream, it will enable further diversification of energy sources.

President Vučić thanked Bulgaria for supporting Serbia on its European path and said that he wished all the best to the fraternal Bulgarian people.

"We do not see any problems between our two countries. I wish all the best to the Bulgarian people, wherever they live. We are friends and brothers. It is important that we look to the future together and build it," said President Vučić and thanked President Radev for his commitment to building friendly relations with Serbia.

Source: www.predsednik.rs
Photo: Dimitrije Goll
 

A new service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs "e-Consulate" was presented in Belgrade today, intended for foreign citizens who apply for a visa and aspire to come to Serbia to work.

On that occasion, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Nikola Selakovic said that this service was one of the indicators of good development of our country, which, as he pointed out, was becoming a magnet for serious foreign companies, which brought a large number of workers from other countries to work in Serbia.

"Not to be pretentious, but completely realistic, this service represents a turning point in the functioning of our system. E-Consulate and digitalization of the procedure for issuing work visas for foreign citizens who want to work in Serbia, is the first electronic service offered by the Foreign Ministry, and I can promise you that this is indeed our first, but by no means the last e-service", Selakovic emphasized.

The Head of Serbian diplomacy pointed out that "e-Consulate" reflected the modernization of an extremely important segment of the activities of diplomatic and consular missions of Serbia, and that we were actually talking about something that was essential for the further development processes of our country.

The Minister recalled that, when the President of the Republic visited the construction site of the Moravian Corridor, he was told that some construction works were delayed because Bechtel company was not issued work visas on time.

“The moment we saw that and heard the President, I alerted the services in the Ministry. We were surprised, as we knew that the issuance of visas in Turkey had a good dynamic, and then we determined that it was actually workers from Bangladesh who applied for a visa through our Embassy in India, where we have a problem with staff shortage”, the Minister explained.

As he added, this is a demanding and laborious task, each of our employees had to receive the documentation on paper, check it, then request additional information, and only then forward it.

"Today, this has been fantastically perfected for our consular officers, all that documentation is submitted in electronic form. We used to have two filters to check the documentation, now we actually have three. And the work is significantly more efficient", Selakovic pointed out.

As he emphasized, this is a service which was promised less than four months ago and it becomes available on Monday, in 95 diplomatic and consular missions of Serbia, i.e. in all our embassies and consulates general.

The biggest result of that endeavor, the Minister pointed out, apart from the advantage it would bring in the future work, was the fact that it was not a project of one state body, but a joint endeavor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, IT and eGovernment Office, General Secretariat of the Government, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs, National Employment Service.

“We did an extremely good job in record time. This is to the pride of our Ministry, to the pride of the entire state. I am convinced that in the period ahead, we will further modernize our affairs and make Serbia one of the few countries that has such mechanisms and such state-of-the-art provision of consular services", Selakovic said.

Speaking about the "e-Consulate" portal itself, the Minister explained that there is a cartoon of Nikola Tesla and the building of the old railway station with one crane, which actually symbolizes a historical fact - that Tesla was in Belgrade in the year when it was built.

"Today it is the place behind which the Belgrade of the future is rising, and what we managed to do together is an indicator of something that is the future of Serbia, the development of artificial intelligence, IT and creating conditions for more people to live and arrive here in Serbia in the future seeking good life and employment", concluded the Minister.

The Director of the Office for IT and eGovernment, Mihailo Jovanovic, said that this was the first time that e-services were focused on foreign citizens, which was the case with our citizens so far.

In the period from 1 January 2019 to 17 May this year, the most applications for Serbian visas were submitted at the Embassy in Beijing, 6,766 applications, then in New Delhi - 2,973, Shanghai 2,115, Tokyo 1,798, and Cairo 1,756.

In that period, 1,270 requests were submitted in Algiers, 1,095 in Jakarta, and 1,077 in Beirut.

In terms of their nationality, Serbian D visa for employment is most requested by citizens of China - 9,516 applications, followed by India 1,955, and Ukraine - 673.

Children, parents and instructors from the dance school „Balerina“ from Pančevo, who participated in the traditional International Youth Olympics in dance and art, held in Sofia, visited the Embassy of Serbia, where they were hosted by Ambassador Željko Jović.

With the hope that better times will come, the traditional International Youth Olympics in dance and art was held in Sofia. In addition to teams and competitors from Bulgaria and the Russian Federation, children from Serbia from the „Balerina“ dance school from Pančevo also participated in the Olympics. Ambassador Željko Jović, together with the organizer of the Olympics, Evgenije Veda, and the Russian cultural attaché, officially opened the competition and addressed the audience, emphasizing the importance of our increased care for children, their proper socialization and intensive networking among children from different countries.

Yesterday, in Sofia, was held a humanitarian football match, between the veterans of Bulgaria and the women's team of FC Mašinac Trace from Niš. All the collected money was donated to the Municipality of Dimitrovgrad, for the needs of the construction of the monument of St. Brothers Cyril and Methodius. The match and cocktail were attended by the Ambassador of Serbia, Željko Jović, the Ambassador of Bulgaria in Belgrade, Petko Dojkov, the former Ambassador to Serbia, Radko Vlajkov, the Consul General of Bulgaria in Nis, Dimitr Canev, the owner of Trace Company, Nikolaj Mihajlov, and the management of Dimitrovgrad Municipality, led by the mayor, Vladica Dimitrov. Minister in the Transitional Government of Bulgaria, Andrej Kuzmanov, and the Advisor to the President of Bulgaria for Sports, also joined the event.

Today in Plovdiv, in the presence of officials from several Bulgarian institutions, representatives of municipalities and dozens of ambassadors and consuls general accredited in Bulgaria, the Consulate of the Republic of Serbia, which will be headed by the Honorary Consul, Mrs. Anastasia Solakova was officially opened.
The consulate was officially opened by Ambassador Željko Jović and the Mayor of Plovdiv, Zdravko Dimitrov. In his address, Ambassador Jović pointed out his great satisfaction with this act, because this is the first consulate of Serbia, which will be headed by an honorary consul, and which is open on the territory of Bulgaria. Ambassador Jović mentioned that the beginning of the work of the consulate is happening at a time when Serbia and Bulgaria are recording the most developed bilateral relations in the common modern history. He also said that this is proof of the two countries firm determination to continue in the same direction, to deepen their ties even more, to enhance cooperation and contribute to the creation of a stable, secure and economically prosperous region through joint efforts. Ambassador Jović estimated that the work and dedicated engagement of the honorary consul will contribute to the development and strengthening of cooperation, primarily in the field of culture and economy.
In addition to the above, the ambassador conveyed to those present the expectation that the consulate premises will be available 24 hours a day to everyone, not only friends from the world of politics and business, but also ordinary people, who should actually be our biggest concern.
After the opening ceremony, an appropriate cultural and artistic program was prepared, in which one of the most dominant places was the Serbian song Tamo daleko, performed by the Plovdiv folklore ensemble Trakija.

Today, Ambassador Željko Jović received the visit of the new Ambassador of the Republic of India, Sanjay Rana. During a very warm meeting, during which both ambassadors presented the problems and successes that the two countries have faced since the beginning of the pandemic, the traditionally good relations between the two countries, opportunities for further deepening of overall ties, and readiness for intensive cooperation between the two embassies in Bulgaria were discussed, in all future activities where the possibility arises. Ambassador Jovic also thanked India for its principled support for Serbia's territorial integrity and our position on the issue of the unilaterally declared independence of the so-called "state of Kosovo".

President Vucic said tonight that the visionary idea of Robert Schuman brought a true victory of the new trust after the Second World War and faith in the unification of differences in peace and solidarity, with the message that Serbia has that faith, as well as hope that it will become a country that will be gladly regarded in the European family of nations.
Congratulating everyone in Serbia and the EU on Europe Day, Vucic reminded that 9 May was also the day when the great victory of freedom is celebrated, which was won with huge sacrifices.

"While the horrors of war were still fresh in memory and Europe was healing the wounds of World War II, it also had people like Robert Schuman who understood that future can only be created based on the reconciliation of nations and their unity", Vucic said at the reception on the occasion of Europe Day.
He pointed out that the European peoples dared to see the recent adversaries as future allies.
"Schuman's visionary idea that peace will be preserved, if the creative forces are commensurate with the dangers that threaten, that Europe will emerge from specific achievements, has brought a true victory of newly found trust and faith in uniting differences in peace and solidarity", Vucic said.
He said that Serbia, although it did not always look like that, had that faith, as well as the hope that our concrete achievements, on the long and not easy path to EU membership, would be adequately valued.
“And that with your help, support and criticism, Serbia will become a country that you will be happy to see in the European community of nations. I believe that with our support, help and criticism, we would also contribute to the EU becoming an even better place to live", Vucic said.
Full membership of the EU, with a compromise solution to the issue of Kosovo and Metohija, is a way to achieve the goal and make Serbia orderly and successful, which would mean that we are on a good, European path, the President of Serbia said.
Vucic said that we still had to make a lot of efforts in reforms, not because someone is asking us to do that, but because we know that it brings us and the country a benefit.
He also pointed out that the reforms in the rule of law were exceptionally important, which were now being approached with much more responsibility.
"In our country, there is a race in who will say that they are more in favour of Europe, while saying under the table that they are the least for Europe. Europe does not belong only to those who would like to use European money, it does not belong to those in the government who say that they are on the European path because they believe that they are in that way preventing the opposition from coming to power, nor to those who think that this is the only way to get hold of power. It belongs to all of us, but we cannot take from Europe only what we like without accepting what we do not like", he explained.
I know, he added, how difficult it is to us in Serbia to hear criticism concerning Kosovo as well as in the field of the rule of law.
"I saw for myself that we are the ones who did not pay enough attention and apply a dedicated approach to the burning problems in that area. I believe that with greater zeal we will be able to change the attitude of the citizens of Serbia and gain greater respect from the EU for what we are doing", he pointed out.
President Vucic also pointed out that the EU was undoubtedly the largest donor, investor, and by far the most important trade partner of Serbia, and recalled that about two-thirds of all trade and even more service activities were EU related and that these were facts, whether someone liked it or not.
He pointed out that seven years ago when he became the Prime Minister, three times fewer people were employed in companies that came from EU countries than today.
"Despite all the problems, it shows how much we managed to do together and make good results, to provide people with life, security at work, to show that we can take care of them more", Vucic said, noting the great EU assistance in the field of education.
He said that during the recent visit to the EU, which he assessed as the best one so far, Serbia received additional support for infrastructure projects, primarily for modernization, i.e. essentially the construction of a new Belgrade-Nis-Presevo railway.
He said that this was confirmed in the letter of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, pointing out that this was the best letter he had ever received from Brussels.
"I am grateful to Von der Leyen for pointing out that this is a game-changer in our relations. It is a turning point because that support exceeds everything we have done together when you look at the scale, strength and significance of that project", he said.
He said that Serbia and its citizens considered Europe as their home and that is why we wanted to give our best contribution to peace through regional connectivity, the Berlin Conference and mini-Schengen.
"Encouraged by the message of European officials, I hope that I will be able to host them soon so that we can discuss the further acceleration of our European path", Vucic concluded.
Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia Sem Fabrizi hosted a reception tonight on the occasion of marking 9 May, Europe Day. In addition to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, the reception in the Belgrade City Assembly was attended by Serbian Parliament Speaker Ivica Dacic, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic, European Integration Minister Jadranka Joksimovic, representatives of the diplomatic corps and public figures.
Europe Day was established in memory of the beginning of the creation of the European Union (EU) and the Day of Victory over Fascism in the Second World War. The reception is held in memory of 9 May 1950, when the Schuman Declaration was signed, which laid the foundations of the European Union, a project that brought the longest period without war on the Old Continent.

Source: Tanjug
Photo: Tanjug

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Nikola Selakovic extended a congratulatory message on the occasion of 9 May, Europe Day, to High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, expressing confidence that the idea of uniting in diversity, in peace and solidarity, would continue to be the guiding idea of the European Union. 

"I am deeply convinced that the Republic of Serbia, through a policy of peace and good-neighbourly cooperation, can contribute to the European Union becoming an even better place to live, with the sincere belief that our achievements on the path to membership in the European family of nations will be adequately valued", reads the congratulatory message by Minister Selakovic, adding that the European perspective gave a strong impetus for our country to comprehensively implement political, economic and social reforms with the aim of becoming a full member of the European Union in the foreseeable future.

The Serbian Foreign Minister underlined that Serbia historically, culturally and in terms of values, belonged to the circle of countries united under the flag of the European Union and expressed hope that not only our country, but also our neighbours in the Western Balkans, would have the opportunity in the near future to become a part of what is without a doubt the most successful peace, democratic and economic project in the history of our common continent.

Selakovic also took the opportunity to extend gratitude on behalf of Serbia to the European Union for its assistance in the fight against the infectious Covid-19, emphasizing that our country highly appreciated the expressed solidarity and support in the difficult times of the pandemic outbreak and expressing confidence that the period ahead would see us contribute by joint forces to identifying solutions for overcoming the economic consequences of the corona virus pandemic.

Ambassador Željko Jović visited, on May 08. the prestigious competition in wrestling, for men and women, freestyle and Greco-Roman style, which was held in Sofia's Arena Armeec. These were the qualifications for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Among our athletes, Viktor Nemeš and Zurab Datunashvili participated. Ambassador Jović was a guest, at the mentioned competition, of Nenad Lalović, a member of the IOC EB and president of the World Wrestling Federation (FILA).

On May 06, 2021. Ambassador Željko Jović attended the XV International Folklore Festival " St. George's Day festivities", at the invitation of Lilia Donkova, President of the City Municipality of Kremikovci. Also, on that occasion, the ambassador visited the monastery " Св. Георги Победоносец", where he talked to the elder of the monastery. A special topic of conversation was the possibility of a visit of a group of children from Serbia, considering that the monastery itself practices the organization of gatherings and seminars, in which primarily participate children from fraternal Orthodox countries.
The monastery actively participates in helping children with special needs, and on this occasion Ambassador Jovic agreed to visit the centers established for this purpose, with which the monastery is closely cooperating.

On May 04, 2021. Ambassador Željko Jović visited the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky. On that occasion, the Church Council, Father Kostadin Gavrilov, presented the history of the church itself, in the context of its significance for Orthodox Christians, but also for the whole world. Rumen Petkov, the president of the ABV party, was also present during this visit.

On April 22, 2021. Ambassador Zeljko Jovic met with a representative of the UNHCR office in the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Narasimha Rao. On that occasion, the possibilities of further developing and strengthening of cooperation were discussed.

President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić talked today via a video link with the representatives of the delegation of the International Monetary Fund led by the Head of the Mission, Jan Kees Martijn. The interlocutors concluded that Serbia's main goal remains to preserve the hard-earned reputation of a fiscally secure country, as well as to continue with a responsible fiscal policy so that public debt does not exceed 60 per cent of GDP, whereby Serbia continues to work on further economic growth.

During the conversation, President Vučić and Jan Kees Martijn especially referred to the incentive measures and adopted three packages of measures to help the economy and citizens, which preserved macroeconomic stability and even achieved a higher employment rate. Martijn commended the responsible economic policy of Serbia and the successful crisis management during the pandemic.

"Serbia achieved one of the best results last year despite the challenges of the pandemic", Martijn said, noting that Serbia was one of the few countries to which the IMF did not adjust the initial projection of the 5% growth rate it gave last year.

President Vučić added that following the first quarter of 2021, Serbia is well on its way to achieving the planned growth of 6% as planned, since one of the main focuses of the Government is investing in large infrastructure projects and intensifying work on attracting foreign direct investments.

"In 2020, Serbia was at the very top in terms of economic growth in Europe, and I am convinced that this year we can enter the first three or four countries in terms of growth", said President Vučić, adding that he was satisfied that Serbia still, despite the pandemic situation, has an extremely strong inflow of investment.

President Vučić and Jan Kees Martijn also discussed a new advisory arrangement, which is of special importance in light of the improvement of the general investment climate in Serbia, as well as in the context of even greater investor assurance.

"Given Serbia's tremendous progress over the past eight years, the priority goal of this arrangement will be to preserve the results achieved, but also to provide support for further implementation of structural reforms aimed at even faster, stronger and more sustainable growth", said President Vučić and thanked the IMF and the personal engagement of Jan Kees Martijn in the professional and expert support that Serbia is counting on.

President Vučić pointed out that Serbia will pay special attention to reforms in public companies, and that priorities will continue to be investments in infrastructure, creating an even better climate for investments, greater investments in the environment, science and capital projects, which will further contribute to the long term stable financial growth in the coming years.

Source: www.predsednik.rs
Photo: www.predsednik.rs
 

President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić met today with the Regional Director of the World Health Organisation for Europe Hans Kluge, to discuss cooperation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as cooperation in improving health care in our country and other joint activities.

President Vučić thanked Dr Kluge for his personal engagement and support during the current pandemic, especially for technical assistance and expertise. On this occasion, he informed the WHO official about the results of immunisation in Serbia and plans on how to provide the vaccine to all citizens who want to get it.

Dr Kluge congratulated President Vučić on his leadership and personal commitment to provide vaccines. He emphasised that Serbia, with its good immunisation strategy, ranked among the global leaders, thus becoming an example of humanity and solidarity by enabling vaccination of elderly people in rural areas, foreign citizens and donating vaccines to other countries.

"Serbia has accepted the vaccine as a life-saving product and has not looked at it geopolitically", said Dr Kluge.
 
The two interlocutors agreed that the world should increase production capacities for vaccines, as well as develop new adequate therapies for the fight against COVID-19, and, in this regard, work on increasing the level of citizens' trust in science.

President Vučić informed Dr Kluge about the plans for improving the work of the Institute for Virology, Vaccines and Sera "Torlak".

"We want to make 'Torlak' one of the best vaccine factories in Europe", said President Vučić.

Source: www.predsednik.rs
Photo: www.predsednik.rs
 

On April 19, 2021 Ambassador Željko Jović met with the Executive Chairman of the Tourist Union of the Republic of Bulgaria - The Future for Tourism, Ms. Pavlina Ilieva. On that occasion, the possibilities of improving and developing cooperation in the field of tourism between the two countries were discussed, with special reference to the impact of the current epidemiological situation, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic talked today with World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge about the epidemiological situation and the course of immunisation of citizens in Serbia.

Brnabic expressed gratitude for the cooperation in the fight against the pandemic, technical assistance and expertise, emphasising that the support of this organisation is very important for our country.

She informed the WHO Regional Director for Europe about the course of immunisation of citizens in Serbia, expressing her belief that, thanks to the large number of vaccinated people, we will be able to create collective immunity and return to normal life.

Kluge assessed the immunisation process in Serbia as impressive, and added that Serbia has made a good decision to offer citizens all available vaccines used in the fight against coronavirus.

Expressing concern over the emergence of new strains of the virus, he stressed the need to speed up the immunisation process and show mutual solidarity.

The WHO Regional Director for Europe praised Serbia for the humanity it has shown by donating vaccines to the countries of the region and enabling vaccination for those who do not have a sufficient number of vaccines for their citizens.

The Prime Minister said that Serbia will continue to cooperate with the countries of the region and help in accordance with its capabilities.

When it comes to the project "Roadmap for Health in the Western Balkans 2021-2025", it was stated that, if epidemiological conditions allow, a regional meeting will be held in Belgrade at the end of the year, important for future improvement of cooperation between countries in the field of health challenges.

Source: www.srbija.gov.rs
Photo: www.srbija.gov.rs

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Nikola Selakovic stated today that Pristina further persisted in its campaign of hatred against the Serbian people, which was most drastically seen in the unfounded accusations of mass rapes and genocide.

At the UN Security Council meeting discussing the Report of the UN Secretary-General on the work of UNMIK, Selakovic emphasized that the efforts of the provisional institutions in Kosovo and Metohija to create a narrative about mass rapes of Albanian women were obvious, and that propaganda methods and lies were used for that purpose.

"It is clear that there were victims on all sides in the conflict, as well as that our side has evidence of numerous Serb victims. But the precondition for ensuring the protection of rights that belong to each individual victim is a rational and well-argued approach", Selakovic said responding to the slander of the Pristina representative.

Selakovic underlined that, contrary to the claims of politicians from Pristina about 20,000 raped Albanian women, the information provided by the Commission for the Verification and Recognition of Sexual Violence Victim Status indicates 912 raped persons, however, failing to include in this number the Serb women who were victims of violence.

"Let me emphasize that Serbia condemns every act of sexual violence in conflicts and is committed to achieving justice for all victims. The number of victims certainly does not diminish the horrific effect of this type of violence on each victim individually, but also, speculating on numbers does not contribute to justice being served and leads to politicization and slowing down the reconciliation process", Selakovic said.

Regarding the genocide accusations, Minister Selakovic stated that they only went to prove that Pristina further persisted in its campaign of hatred, propaganda and open hostility towards the Serbian people.

"Through statements given on a daily basis, they attempt to paint a picture that Serbia is to blame for everything and that genocide was committed against Albanians, all in order to hide their own responsibility for the committed crimes", the Serbian Foreign Minister said. 

He underlined that anyone who knew what the definition of genocide implied would understand that it was not Serbia that committed something, but that the Serbian people was instead a victim of the "state-building" project of the Kosovo Albanians, based on the dangerous idea of ethnically clean territories, as evidenced by more than 200,000 expelled Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija.

"We are convinced that the civilized world will not agree to be their accomplice in concealing and covering up their crimes, and that a clear message will be sent to them that they must take responsibility for their actions", Selakovic said.
He reminded that until 1999, around 40,000 Serbs lived in Pristina, and that today there were only about twenty of them, that around 17,000 Serbs lived in Pec, and that today there were only the Serbian nuns in the Patriarchate of Pec, that around 12,000 Serbs lived in Prizren before the war, and that today only 17 families remained there, and that in Urosevac, out of 10,000 Serbs who lived there before the war, only the family of a Serbian priest remained.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Nikola Selakovic warned, at the United Nations Security Council meeting, that the political extremism among Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija was not decreasing, but on the contrary, was becoming stronger.

At the meeting discussing the Report of the UN Secretary-General on the work of UNMIK, Minister Selakovic recalled that the obligation to form the Community of Serb Municipalities  remained unfulfilled for 2,917 days now and that, in fact, 19 April marked eight full years since the agreement was reached in Brussels, while Pristina still refused to follow up on its commitment and enable the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities. 

The Minister reminded that the current Prime Minister of the provisional institutions of self-government in Pristina repeatedly threatened to unite the self-proclaimed Kosovo and Albania, and that he also stated that the dialogue with Belgrade was low on the list of his priorities.

Minister Selakovic pointed out that it was high time for Albanian leaders in Pristina to show responsibility in fulfilling their commitments, but also a sincere commitment to reaching a compromise solution and building mutual trust.

"Serbia is determined and will not give up on identifying a compromise solution, which will be sustainable for future generations as well. The only way to build lasting peace and stability in our region is by working to build trust and insisting on positive political agendas", Selakovic concluded.

According to the Minister, lasting peace and stability can only be achieved if none of the participants in the dialogue pursued maximalist demands and insisted on the complete humiliation of the other.

He pointed out that the Serbian and Albanian peoples, as the two most numerous peoples in the Western Balkans, needed to find a way to reach reconciliation and a basis for cooperation, both in terms of the economy and in achieving shared prospects for membership of the European Union.

"Belgrade has made sincere steps in that direction, by being one of the initiators of the idea of relaxing the flow of people, goods, capital and services, popularly referred to as "mini-Schengen", the Minister underlined.

Pointing out that Serbia had time and time again demonstrated its commitment to dialogue as the only way towards a peaceful, political solution to the problem in Kosovo and Metohija, Selakovic underscored that the recent elections in the Province confirmed that political extremism among Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija was not decreasing, but on the contrary, was becoming stronger, which could be seen during the recent pre-election process.
Minister stressed that political pressures on Serbs continued even after the election process was completed, by denying Serbs fair representation in provisional institutions as the new so-called government in Pristina decided to assign only one ministry to the Serb community.

"Serb returnees represent a particularly vulnerable category, who spend their every day in fear of being attacked. I remind you that the southern Serbian province is still an area with the lowest return rate of displaced persons in the world", the Minister said and emphasized that, in the last year alone, more than 80 attacks and incidents took place in our southern province, targeting Serbs, their property and religious sites.

It is particularly worrying for the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, Selakovic noted, that in the previous period, and especially in March this year, there were frequent physical attacks on the property of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

"A striking example of the disrespectful attitude towards Serbian cultural and religious monuments in the Province, whose exceptional universal value UNESCO confirmed by inscribing them on the World Heritage List, is the case of the Visoki Decani Monastery", the Minister underlined.

Furthermore, the Serbian Foreign Minister assessed as concerning the breaking into the Health Center in Strpce by police inspectors and officers, in January this year, who conducted a search aiming to discover Covid-19 vaccines there, originating from central Serbia.

"Although we consider this to be an intrusion into a health care institution, our reaction was restrained this time as well. We did not want our decisions to cause escalation and politicization of activities that are solely aimed at protecting public health. We organized the vaccination of citizens from Kosovo and Metohija at three locations in central Serbia and thus clearly demonstrated that people's lives are the top priority to us", the Minister stressed.

Minister Selakovic stated that Serbia highly valued the activities of UNMIK mission in Kosovo and Metohija and that it supported it in carrying out its work as efficiently as possible and undiminished in scope, aiming to build and preserve security in the Province.

Selakovic said that the international missions in Kosovo and Metohija - UNMIK, KFOR, EULEX and the OSCE mission, under the administration of the United Nations and in line with UNSC Resolution 1244, played a key role in the preservation of peace and protection of the population.

"We support and respect their engagement and efforts made in the framework of their mandates, with the common goal of creating conditions for a peaceful and safe coexistence of the inhabitants of Kosovo and Metohija. The Serb and other non-Albanian population in Kosovo and Metohija have the utmost confidence in the international presence and consider it a guarantor of security and a barrier against the arbitrariness of the provisional institutions in Pristina", the Minister emphasized.

He said that this demonstrated the need that international missions remain engaged in an undiminished scope, in order to consistently implement UNSC Resolution 1244.

Selakovic further emphasized the importance of KFOR international forces and pointed out that any unilateral attempt to assign to someone else or that someone else assumes a part of KFOR's mandate and responsibilities constitutes a violation of UNSC Resolution 1244.

The Minister also noted as unacceptable the unilateral decisions on the formation of the Pristina "Ministry of Defence" and launching the process of transforming the so-called "Kosovo Security Forces" (KSF) into the so-called "Kosovo Army". 

At the beginning of his statement, Minister Selakovic lodged a protest against the abuse of the video format of the session by the representative of Pristina as she had a flag of the self-proclaimed "Kosovo" placed behind her, and the representative of Russia did the same.

Below is an integral version of the speech of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikola Selakovic

Distinguished President of the Security Council,

Distinguished Special Representative,

Esteemed members of the Security Council,

At the outset, I have no choice but to lodge a protest against the abuse of the video format of this session on the part of the representatives of Pristina in order to promote the symbols of the so-called statehood of Kosovo. Despite the fact that the representatives of Pristina were warned on several occasions, including by the President of the Security Council at the previous session, that such abuses of Security Council sessions are absolutely unacceptable and constitute a flagrant violation of the Security Council rules on participation of representatives of the provisional institutions of self-government in Pristina, under Rule 39 of the UN Security Council Rules of Procedure, we are again faced with their reckless disregard for the rules of this distinguished body. Let me reiterate our call for the necessary steps to be taken to prevent such abuses.

It is my great pleasure to address this august body at the meeting on the work of the Mission of the United Nations in Kosovo and Metohija. At the outset, I would like to thank Secretary-General of the United Nations Mr. Guterres and Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMIK Mr. Tanin for the report submitted and for their efforts made towards the implementation of the UNMIK mandate, and also to the members of the Security Council for the continued attention they have devoted to the issue of Kosovo and Metohija. The Republic of Serbia highly values the activities of the Mission of the United Nations in Kosovo and Metohija and supports it in carrying out its work as efficiently as possible and undiminished in scope, aiming to build and preserve security in the Province.

Mr. President,

In the previous period we have faced political instability in Kosovo and Metohija. We recently had elections in the Province, which unfortunately confirmed that political extremism among Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija is not decreasing, but on the contrary, is becoming stronger. We have witnessed Albanian leaders competing among themselves in efforts to find the best way to provoke an incident in Serb communities, in order to score political points of the Albanian electorate. Under the pretext of amending the voter list, a large number of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija were deprived of one of their fundamental political rights - the opportunity to elect their political representatives. Out of approximately 140,000 of citizens of Kosovo and Metohija who were removed from the voter list in the latest election process, 85% are Serbs.

Despite numerous challenges and problems, the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija have shown, by high turnout and a convincing victory of the Serb List which won all ten seats reserved for Serbian representatives, that nothing can stop them from resolutely defending their position. Political pressures on Serbs continued even after the election process was completed, by denying Serbs fair representation in provisional institutions as the new so-called government in Pristina decided to assign only one ministry to the Serb community.

Distinguished members of the Security Council,

Unfortunately, it was not only during the election activities that we witnessed the unreasonable anti-Serb policy being pursued by the provisional institutions in Pristina. This goes to the length of breaking into the Health Center in Strpce, in the south of Kosovo and Metohija, by police inspectors and officers from Pristina, in  January this year, who conducted a search aiming to discover Covid-19 vaccines there, originating from central Serbia, which they did not find. In doing so they demonstrated force and threatened to arrest the director of the Health Center, medical staff and doctors. At a time when the whole world is fighting the pandemic with vaccines being the only way to end this challenge, while Serbia is showing support and solidarity by donating vaccines and medical equipment to all in need in the region, Pristina wants to destroy vaccines only because they originate from central Serbia. As the whole world expresses gratitude to medical doctors, who have made great and heroic sacrifices in combating the virus, the provisional institutions in Pristina are attacking Serbian doctors for doing their job.

Although we believe that intrusions into health care institutions are inadmissible, our reaction was restrained this time as well. We did not want our decisions to cause escalation and politicization of activities that are solely aimed at protecting public health. We organized the vaccination of citizens from Kosovo and Metohija at three locations in central Serbia and thus clearly demonstrated that people's lives are the top priority to us. Serbia continues to be ready to help all in need of assistance, and we call for reason and responsibility, especially in such difficult times.

Mr. President,

Attacks targeting Serbs and their property have been on the rise. In the last year alone, more than 80 attacks and incidents took place in our southern province, targeting Serbs, their property and religious sites. According to the information provided by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and Metohija, in the second half of last year, the number of incidents increased by more than 30% compared to 2019. Therefore, we cannot agree with the assessment that the "security situation in Kosovo remained stable, with a few incidents reported affecting non-majority communities". Last weekend, for example, an entirely unprovoked physical attack by a group of Albanians on two Serb young men took place in the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica.

Serb returnees represent a particularly vulnerable category, who spend their every day in fear of being attacked. The fact that one family of returnees was the target of seven attacks clearly indicates the persistence of those who do not want Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. There is absolutely no trace of political will in Pristina for 212,995 displaced Serbs who have been living outside Kosovo and Metohija for 22 years to return to their homes. Since 1999, the rate of sustainable return of internally displaced persons in Kosovo and Metohija has been only 1.9%, which according to the UN data is officially the lowest percentage of return of expelled population after a conflict anywhere in the world.

At the same time, while arresting internally displaced persons, Pristina authorities are exerting the strongest of pressures on the Specialist Chambers in The Hague. The aim is to completely prevent the further processing of a number of cases against members of the terrorist KLA, on charges of serious crimes committed during the conflict in Kosovo and Metohija against both Serbs and persons belonging to other nationalities. President of the Specialist Chambers Madam Trendafilova recently warned that, should the pressures continue, this would have very dramatic consequences to the trials in progress. President Trendafilova underlined as highly problematic the phenomenon of witness intimidation, who are key for conducting proceedings successfully and rendering a proper verdict.

Although the wait to raise indictments was far too long, we consider it commendable that efforts have finally been made to punish the perpetrators of numerous serious crimes which were committed during the armed conflicts a little over two decades ago, but also upon the arrival of the international forces to Kosovo and Metohija. For example, no one has been held accountable to this day for the killings and abductions of 17 journalists in Kosovo and Metohija, which is currently the largest number of unsolved cases of murdered and kidnapped journalists in Europe. Furthermore, the perpetrators of any of the mass crimes committed against Serb civilians after 1999 have not been brought to justice. I will remind you of only a few of these cases: 14 Serb farmers were killed in the village of Staro Gracko, 12 displaced Serbs were killed and 43 wounded in the attack on the "Niš Express" bus in Livadice near Podujevo, and in Gorazdevac near Pec unknown persons fired automatic weapons on children who were swimming in the Bistrica river. Two Serb children were killed then, and four were seriously injured.

We expect the EULEX Mission to continue to support the Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor's Office, as well as its additional engagement in the field of the rule of law. Special attention needs to be devoted to witness protection, and determining the fate of missing persons.

International missions in Kosovo and Metohija - UNMIK, KFOR EULEX and OMIK are an integral part of the international civilian and security presence in our southern province, under the administration of the United Nations and in line with UNSC Resolution 1244 (1999), and play a key role and make an outstanding contribution to the preservation of peace and protection of the population. We support and respect their engagement and efforts made in the framework of their mandates, with the common goal of creating conditions for a peaceful and safe coexistence of the inhabitants of Kosovo and Metohija. The Serb and other non-Albanian population in Kosovo and Metohija have the utmost confidence in the international presence and consider it a guarantor of security and a barrier against the arbitrariness of the provisional institutions in Pristina. This further demonstrates the need that international missions remain engaged in an undiminished scope, in order to consistently implement UNSC Resolution 1244.

I would like to further emphasize the importance of KFOR international forces and point out that any unilateral attempt to assign to someone else or that someone else assumes a part of KFOR's mandate and responsibilities constitutes a violation of the UNSC Resolution 1244, while also being a potential source of instability and tensions. I will remind you that Pristina, contrary to international law and completely ignoring the interests and positions of the Serb community in the Province, would not abandon its plans to install a new security actor in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija. We consider the unilateral decisions on the formation of the "Ministry of Defence" and launching the process of transforming the so-called "Kosovo Security Forces" (KSF) into the so-called "Kosovo Army" to be unacceptable. I would like to reiterate that such unilateral moves on the part of Pristina constitute a gross violation of the UNSC Resolution 1244 and the Military Technical Agreement, according to which only the International Security Forces, that is KFOR, have the mandate for all military aspects of security in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija.

In this context, an additional reason for concern is the announcement of the construction of the largest base of the "Kosovo Security Forces" in the southern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, which Serbs in the north of Kosovo and Metohija perceive as the most open provocation and threat to their physical safety.


Distinguished members of the Security Council,

It is particularly worrying for the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija that in the previous period, and especially in March this year, there were frequent physical attacks on the property of the Serbian Orthodox Church. In just two weeks, as many as seven Orthodox landmarks in the province were targeted by vandals, at a time when we all remember the March 2004 pogrom against Serbs and Serbian holy sites in Kosovo and Metohija. The condition of the Serbian cultural and spiritual heritage in Kosovo and Metohija is humiliating, including the four monuments that are inscribed on the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger (Visoki Decani, Holy Virgin of Ljevisa, Gracanica and the Patriarchate of Pec). Numerous administrative and technical barriers are imposed on priestly and monastic communities, which makes it more difficult or even impossible for them to survive on church property.

A striking example of the disrespectful attitude towards Serbian cultural and religious monuments in the Province, whose exceptional universal value UNESCO confirmed by inscribing them on the World Heritage List, is the case of the Visoki Decani Monastery.

Distinguished members of the Security Council,

The reason for the nervous behaviour of Pristina is all too obvious, as the project of the so-called independence today fails to be recognized by more than a half of the United Nations Member States, including five members of the European Union. However, it is high time for Albanian leaders in Pristina to show responsibility in fulfilling their commitments, but also a sincere commitment to reaching a compromise solution and building mutual trust.

I will remind you that the current Prime Minister of the provisional institutions of self-government in Pristina has repeatedly threatened to unite the self-proclaimed Kosovo and Albania in the past. A member of his party publicly said last weekend that the self-proclaimed Kosovo and Albania would be united, I quote, "with rifle and gunpowder, or referendum boxes".

I need not explain why such dangerous ideas constitute a direct threat to peace and stability. They violate Resolution 1244, while continuously destabilizing not only our southern province, but the entire region as well, and in no way contribute to the dialogue process, but instead hamper it again.

We have demonstrated time and time again our commitment to dialogue as the only way towards a peaceful, political solution to the problem in Kosovo and Metohija. Even today, after many years of negotiations, but also failure to fulfill what was agreed and constant unilateral moves and provocations on the part of the provisional institutions in Pristina, we are still ready to sit down at the table and talk.

We are ready for dialogue but not to be blackmailed and threatened and especially not for ultimatums recently presented by Prime Minister of the provisional institutions of self-government in Pristina. I will remind you of his statement that the dialogue will be low on the list of priorities of the Pristina authorities. It is bewildering how Pristina refers to ultimatums completely undermining any chance of dialogue, as the European Union also pointed out, as "principles" and how it persistently insists that Belgrade should recognize the unilaterally declared independence of "Kosovo", upon which, they believe, all else would be resolved. What is the purpose of the dialogue then, if Belgrade is only expected to recognize the so-called Kosovo? Does the dialogue imply that one side should give up everything only for the other to win it all? And does the dialogue, in Pristina's opinion, imply that what was agreed should not be fulfilled?

I will remind you that Pristina still refuses to follow up on its obligations arising from the agreements reached so far and does not agree to discuss their implementation within the dialogue. And the situation is quite simple - in April 2013, the first agreement was signed in Brussels, which envisaged four obligations: one for Pristina and three for Belgrade. Belgrade has fulfilled all obligations, while the only obligation that the provisional institutions in Pristina had - to form the Community of Serb Municipalities - has remained unfulfilled for 2,917 days now. In fact, 19 April marks eight full years since the agreement was reached in Brussels, and of Pristina's failure to fulfill the obligation to form the Community of Serb Municipalities.

Distinguished Mr. President,

Regardless of the discouraging messages heard from Pristina and the fact that the dialogue has been in progress for many years, Serbia is determined and will not give up on identifying a compromise solution, which will be sustainable for future generations as well. Lasting peace and stability can only be achieved if none of the participants in the dialogue pursues maximalist demands and insists on the complete humiliation of the other. The Serbian and Albanian peoples, as the two most numerous peoples in the Western Balkans, need to find a way to reach reconciliation and a basis for cooperation, both in terms of the economy and in achieving shared prospects for membership  to the European Union.

Belgrade has made sincere steps in that direction, by being one of the initiators of the idea of relaxing the flow of people, goods, capital and services, popularly referred to as "mini-Schengen".

As far as Serbia is concerned, we are convinced that the only way to build lasting peace and stability in our region is by working to build trust and insisting on positive political agendas. The inhabitants of Kosovo and Metohija, of any nationality, whether they are Serbs or Albanians, do not deserve anything less.

Thank you for your attention.

On April 12, 2021 His Holiness Porfirije, Serbian Patriarch received in the Serbian Patriarchate, the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Željko Jović. On that occasion, Serbian Patriarch Porfirije pointed out that he was glad that the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, led by Patriarch Neophyte, was cultivating good relations with the diplomatic representative of the Republic of Serbia in the Republic of Bulgaria. Ambassador Jovic informed the Serbian Patriarch about the current situation in Bulgaria and emphasized that he is making great efforts to establish stronger and closer relations between the two close nations on the basis of mutual trust and respect.

On April 12, 2021, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, N. Selaković met with the newly appointed Honorary Consul of the Republic of Serbia in Republic of Bulgaria, Ms. Anastasiya Rosenova Solakova. Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia in the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Željko Jović also attended the meeting.

The taekwondo national team of Serbia participated in the competition of the European Senior Championship in Sofia, in the period from April 7 to 11, 2021. Serbian taekwondo national team members Milica Mandic and Mahdi Hodabahsi, members of the Galeb taekwondo club, won silver medals in this competition.

President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic received letters of credence today from the newly-appointed Ambassador of the Republic of the Republic of Bulgaria Petko Doykov.

Welcoming the Ambassador, President Vucic emphasized Serbia's commitment to strengthening all-round relations with Bulgaria, in the spirit of friendship and mutual understanding.
Ambassador Doykov conveyed to President Vucic greetings extended to him by President Radev and Prime Minister Borissov. Returning the greetings, President Vucic said that the relations between the two countries had been raised to a significantly higher level through joint efforts. The interlocutors noted that Bulgaria was one of the most important partners of Serbia in terms of the volume of trade in goods, and also pointed out that there were opportunities for enhancing cooperation in the field of investments, joint production capacities and programs, as well as joint participation on third markets.

They also stated that the completion of the motorway from Sofia to the border between the two countries, as well as other infrastructure projects, would be of utmost importance for Serbia and Bulgaria.

President Vucic thanked for the support that Bulgaria provided to the process of European integration of Serbia.

President Vucic also emphasized the significance of cooperation in the format of the Quadrilateral, i.e. the High-Level Cooperation Council of Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania and Greece, as he considered it to be very important for the development of good neighborly-relations and promotion of the policy of peace and stability in the region, as well as for social and economic development.


Source: predsednik.rs
Photo: predsednik.rs / Dimitrije Goll
 

President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic made a statement on the occasion of marking the Day of Remembrance of the victims of the NATO aggression.

"Your Holiness, distinguished Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, distinguished Speakers of the National Assemblies of the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Srpska, distinguished Prime Ministers of the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Srpska, distinguished Ministers of both Governments, dear guests and friends, representatives of the Serbian People from Montenegro, North Macedonia, Croatia, thank you for the fact that we are all together tonight and that the Serbian spirit is unbreakable and invincible.

One child a day and a little more than that. That is the most difficult, sickening and painful number of the NATO aggression from 1999. Killed, stopped, guilty of nothing, having committed no sin, without the right to defence, without the right to justice and without the right to life.

No one has ever been held accountable for this crime, a crime greater than a crime. No one, for the 2,500 killed civilians, but also soldiers and policemen who were only guilty of guarding, protecting themselves and their homes. No one has ever been held accountable for more than 6,000 persons injured.

Even today, 22 years after the aggression, it is not possible to explain that, there is no universal justification, despite all the work done to that end, there is no reason, it makes no sense, and only names remain, as eternal as sin.

Miljana Milic, fifteen years old,
Vladimir Milic, twelve years old,
Miomir Mladenovic, fourteen years old,
Dragan Dimic, three years old,
Julijana Brudar, ten years,
Olivera Maksimovic, twelve years old,
Miroslav Knezevic, thirteen years old,
Dajana Pavlovic, five years old,
Stevan Pavlovic, eight years old,
Marko Simic, two years old,
Milica Rakic, three years old,
Ivan Ivancic, seven years old,
Marko Ivanovic, three years old...

And the list goes on, eighty nine names, not only Serbian ones...

The senselessness of sheer killing did not choose. Sixteen children, aged two to seventeen, from the Ahmetaj and Hasani families, were killed in a convoy returning home to Prizren.

In one headline in the West, this was simply explained as a "tragic mistake". The deaths of Marko Roglic, Milan Ignjatovic, Gordana Nikolic, Irena Mitic, Milica Stojanovic, Bojana Tosovic, Branimir Stanijanovic, our Sanja Milenkovic...could not expect or get even such an explanation.

Those deaths were not tragic, for those who caused them, much less a mistake. It was just an excuse, a miserable excuse.

They were a result of intent and a clear decision, as a severe judgment against one country, its people, its children.

And that is why today we will refrain from speculation in giving a name to everything that happened during the spring of 1999. Because a crime happened, a heinous and terrible one. And it was an aggression, not a bombing, not an intervention, not a campaign, not an operation. An aggression is what happened. An attack on a sovereign country, without a decision of the United Nations, without a sufficient reason that would justify attacking the then Yugoslavia or a neighbouring or NATO country.

No one was attacked by Serbia or the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia at that time. They attacked us, with one goal. To defeat us, to keep killing us, and in the end to take away a part of our territory.

And no matter how much we analyze things today, no matter how harsh and critical we are towards ourselves, our policy and leadership at the time, it is clear that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Serbia were left with almost no choice then. The choice was horrible, either the loss of territory and people on the one hand, or the complete disappearance of the Serbian state, morals, honour, Serbian spirit, names and surnames. And we could not help but lose. Nineteen big ones attacked one small country, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. They attacked both Serbia and Montenegro. And even when they don't talk about it today, in one of the two independent countries, those are the facts. And that small country, and that small nation, to all nineteen of them so great and powerful, held a lesson in what matters most - honour, morals and love for freedom that a nation can have.

Yes, justice, lest we forget justice. All those nineteen great ones today still silently talk about their military success, avoid answering questions, while - can you imagine, one small, only numerically small Serbian people, that small but magnificent nation, with sadness, tears in their eyes, proudly remembers their resistance and struggle against the nineteen cruel and arrogant ones.

We lost a lot, we lost our fathers, brothers, spouses, children, but the honour and Serbian heart are still there, to protect Serbia, which is eternal and indestructible.

We lost children, we lost people, we lost control over a large part of the territory, we lost billions because of the destroyed infrastructure and economy.

And all that was left for us was the body of a tortured, destroyed country, a country in disintegration, mutilated, looted, wounded, deserted, and guilty, condemned for everything that happened not only in the 1990s, but throughout history.

A country that, even ten years after the aggression, did not have the strength to stand up, rise to its feet, and do anything but be silent, or bow its head and obediently apologize, for everything, even for its dead, even for its murdered children.

Today, it is no longer that failed, tortured, devastated, mutilated Serbia.

Today, it is Serbia, which has found its strength and its pride again.

Serbia, which calls things by their real names.

Serbia, which turned its back on war and defeats, and started working.

Serbia, which rose to stand on its own feet and has a voice of its own.

Serbia, which, even when they don't believe it, they listen to. Which is capable, which is growing, and is no longer part of the problem. Serbia, which is and will be, at least we will do our best to this end, the very solution that enables the entire region to live in peace and understanding.

And that Serbia, today, when there are still many more bombs in the world than vaccines, sends not bombs, but precisely those vaccines to the region. Today, it is ready to produce them as well, and in just a few months we will do just that, but not only for ourselves, but also for others, for the entire Balkans.

We are ready, and we are willing to help.

We are not ready to be and we will not be silent, nor be humiliated again.

We draw the right to that not only from the victims we had, but also from the fact that we stopped looking at others only a long time ago, and looking for fault and guilt only in them, and not sometimes in ourselves as well.

We looked at each other and admitted. Every loss, every defeat and every crime that someone committed in our name, every failure and every wrong policy.

And we are no longer doing anything that could endanger anyone.

We continue to work and work, and grow more and more, gaining strength with only one goal - to be the best in economy and education, health, in culture, science, sports...

And we want to be safe, on our own. We want our army to be much stronger than it was in 1999. So that we never again face a situation that someone is killing our children, destroying the country, or expelling our people.

We want to remain free, to decide our own destiny, and for no one to take everything away from us ever again, and give us nothing.

And that nothing today, and I will repeat it as much as necessary, is the idea of some great, powerful ones, but also those who serve them, the idea that "Kosovo" should recognize us, so that we could recognize "Kosovo".

We do not need that recognition. And Serbia will not allow you to walk over our victims, our history, our past, but also to walk over our future. You will get the answer of reasonable, kind and responsible people. We need a compromise. We need all the obligations that we and Pristina have assumed to be fulfilled, but only we have fulfilled them so far.

And this is not our whim. It is not a phantasmagoria about a Serbian world that we want to create.

Even today, when they threaten us with the formation of a Greater Albania, when they say that the Community of Serb Municipalities is not going to happen, it is ours to be calm, to take care of our people in Kosovo and Metohija, but to send a clear message to all those great, powerful ones that we are not as weak as we were, that we will be able to preserve what is our own, not touching anything that belongs to anyone else. After all, Serbia is not and will not be but a handful of oats that every crow from the whole wide world can eat. As for those who used the strength and power of the nineteen arrogant and cruel ones, I only ask them not to threaten us. Please, please, don't threaten us. They should not think that Serbia is broken and that it will not have the strength to respond. Please, please, our Albanian neighbours, do not threaten us. And we ask all others, who have demonstrated their cruelty towards Serbia, not to help you in that. That is all we are asking and nothing more.

And we will respond to calls for peace, calls for compromise, and always with good will, because we do not want to have children killed again. And we do not want the children of others to suffer again. But do not underestimate Serbia, and do not look at Serbia with the same eyes as you did in 1999.

Today, Serbia is much stronger, much more powerful. Today, Serbia is a united country of togetherness, not a divided one. Today, Serbia is incomparably stronger and better in every aspect than it was in 1999, from the economy to our army. And we will never threaten anyone, we just ask you and request from you to respect us and nothing more.

Today, we are building roads that will connect us, among ourselves, with the region and with the world. Until the end of the year, we will work on eight motorways, on eight routes in the entire Balkans, not only Serbia, eight roads of peace and cooperation.

Only a crazy person would trade this for war, for dead children, for demolition and new loss. And yes, we want to have the closest relations with everyone who took part in the aggression against our beautiful Serbia, we have forgiven a long time ago, but no, we will never forget. And don't ask us to. That one day, every year, we will remind both ourselves and you. The nineteen of you, the most powerful, strongest, greatest in terms of might and force, but not so much when it comes to honour and morality. We will keep remind you and ourselves, just so it would never happen again. Not to us only, but to none other freedom-loving people in the world.

And if we have an offer, today it reads as follows: we are ready to make the whole Balkans a winner, for everyone to win, as long as no one tries to make Serbs the only losers.

And the path to this goal is not difficult at all.

We just need to respect and understand each other and not try to humiliate each other.

And not to touch into what everyone paid the highest and bloodies price for. Freedom. And we, Serbs, know the price of freedom.

Into our right to have it, to keep it and to remember all the victims who are part of it.

And our defeats, our lives and our children are built into ours. And the lives of our heroic pilots, and our giants from Kosare and Pastrik, and our children, innocent, completely innocent, and only guilty of living in Serbia.

This is too high a price to be quiet about it.

Because that would mean that we are ready for another defeat, for another humiliation.

And we are not.

And when all go quiet, we will keep repeating.

A child a day, and a little more. This was how much you killed us. In an aggression that even you did not understand why you carried it out.

And we will keep repeating this, just so it does not happen to us again.

With special reverence, we are fulfilling our obligation to pay tribute to all innocent Serbian victims who laid their lives on the altar of the homeland, both civilians and our heroic soldiers and policemen, the heroes of Kosare, Prizren, Mitrovica.

Today, for us Serbs, life in Kosovo and Metohija is like Via Dolorosa, using their last strength on the road to Golgotha, but we would not be Serbs if we were not capable to "exist in a terrible place".

And today, tonight, I can conclude with one important sentence. On the soil of Europe, there was, and today is stronger than ever, an indomitable, unwavering, unconquerable and never conquered Serbia.

May eternal glory be to all the victims of the NATO aggression and let us all exclaim together - long live free and proud Serbia", President Vucic said.

Source:www.predsednik.rs
Photo:www.predsednik.rs

President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic participated today in the commemoration of the Remembrance Day of 17 March 2004 - Pogrom in Kosovo and Metohija. He said that exactly 17 years ago, a pogrom took place in Kosovo and Metohija, and that pogrom surpassed all other crimes.

"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest, these words of Elie Wiesel, a camp survivor and Nobel laureate, make it forever incumbent upon us not to remain silent against crime, regardless of who and for what reason committed it", President Vucic stated and added that we remembered and learned every lesson in which we were losers, each one in which we were silent to our own victims, and each one when we were ready to forget.

"Serbia is no longer weak today, nor is it a country of losers, it does not threaten, but it does not forget either, it is ready for talks, but not for humiliation. Serbia, just like everyone else, has the right to take care of its people, their safety and well-being. The right to life is a fundamental human right and we will always defend it", President Vucic said.

President Vucic said that pogrom surpasses all other crimes, because it is not only an act, but an intention, a policy, a premediated attempt to forcibly cleanse persons belonging to other peoples and faiths from a region or a country.

"We have no right to remain silent to that", said the President of Serbia, emphasizing that we have an obligation to be winners without blood spilled and war, to be the best in the economy, healthcare, sports, education and everything else that implies development and progress.

"We also wish others to work on themselves and be successful, because we are aware that crime is a tool for losers that winners do not need, as they remember, but forgive and move on, while the losers keep spinning in the same vicious circle. We Serbs do not want to be that anymore, we want a future in which we will remember, but from which we will not return. We know what happened and we call it by its real name", President Vucic concluded.

Photo: Dimitrije Goll
 

President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić met today with the Head of the Delegation of the European Union, Ambassador Sam Fabrizi, to discuss the continuation of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges in the mass vaccination process.

President Vučić thanked the EU for its support to Serbia in the conditions of the pandemic and expressed hope that the first contingents of vaccines from the COVAX program will arrive soon.

"Serbia was among the first to join this programme, thus proving again to be a reliable partner of the European Union," said President Vučić and stressed that our country has taken a serious and responsible approach to fighting the pandemic, as evidenced by comprehensive measures adopted by the Serbian Government to preserve the health and lives of people, both citizens of Serbia and its surrounding.

Ambassador Fabrizi assured that the EU will continue to provide full solidarity to Serbia. Last week, the European Commission announced the allocation of 12 million euros for Serbia from the EU Solidarity Fund, which is another indicator of the EU's support for Serbia since the outbreak of the pandemic. The EU will continue to work to ensure a fair and global distribution of vaccines. In this regard, Ambassador Fabrizi stressed the importance of the COVAX program. The EU and Team Europe, as a true global donor, have already pledged more than 2 billion euros for the programme. The Ambassador commented positively on Serbia's contribution to the COVAX program and congratulated Serbia on the results achieved in the vaccination process, as well as on the timely and decisive measures taken in the fight against the coronavirus.

On this occasion, President Vučić also confirmed that cooperation with the European Union and full membership of Serbia remains one of the key foreign policy priorities of our country. He particularly emphasised that Serbia is sincerely committed to further reforms, which it approaches with responsibility and seriousness, and that through cooperation with the institutions of the Union and its members, it strives to adopt and apply best practices.

Ambassador Fabrizi pointed out that despite the current challenges caused by the pandemic, the EU keeps the issue of enlargement very high on its agenda, given the new methodology to be presented by the European Commission.

President Vučić pointed out that Serbia expects the European Union to monitor and evaluate the dynamics of Serbia's accession negotiations and evaluate its reform efforts, and that our country is ready to continue working with its European partners on the implementation of reforms and numerous joint projects. In this regard, they also discussed specific joint infrastructure projects.

"We will continue to work intensively on fulfilling the European agenda, aimed at opening new chapters and faster progress on the path to EU membership," concluded President Vučić.

President Vučić and Ambassador Fabrizi discussed the process of harmonising the legislation of Serbia with the legislation of the European Union and agreed that more energetic work is needed in the area of the rule of law.

The two interlocutors also discussed judicial reform, including the constitutional process, the fight against corruption, media freedom and the resumption of inter-party dialogue.

Ambassador Fabrizi particularly underlined the need for concrete improvements to provide a suitable environment in which the freedom of the media and the role of civil society can be realised unhindered and without pressure.

President Vučić especially emphasised that he advocates that the representatives of all media do their job in an atmosphere of complete freedom of expression and that he remains personally committed to that since media freedom is one of the greatest achievements of democracy.


Belgrade,
17th March 2021
 

The Republic of Serbia, as an associate member of the Francophonie, together with the entire Francophone community in the world, marks the "Month of Francophonie". For all lovers of Serbian culture and the French language, the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia has prepared a rich program, and the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia invites you to discover the diversity and richness of Serbian culture in French.

On March 16, 2021. Ambassador Željko Jović, handed over the exequatur to the newly appointed Honorary Consul of the Republic of Serbia in Bulgaria, Ms. Anastasiya Rosenova Solakova. The Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Serbia in the city of Plovdiv will after opening, cover the consular area that includes the territories of Lovech, Veliko Trnovo, Gabrovo, Stara Zagora, Plovdiv, Haskovo, Pazardzhik, Smolyan and Kardzhali.

On March 10th, 2021, Ambassador Željko Jović met with the Executive Director of the Bulgarian Agency for Promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises, Mr. Boyko Takov. On that occasion, the possibilities for improving and developing of bilateral economic cooperation were discussed, primarily in the field of trade.

On March 09th, 2021, Ambassador Željko Jović attended the meeting of the Мayors of the twinned municipalities of Elin Pelin, Ivailo Simeonov and Leskovac, Goran Cvetanović. In addition to the discussions regarding the implementation of a joint project of the two municipalities, funded by the EU, the possibilities of further deepening cooperation were considered, especially in the domain of connecting young people.

On March 09, 2021, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to Bulgaria Ž. Jović met with the director of the National Gallery in Sofia, Jaroslava Bubnova. On that occasion, the possibilities of developing and deepening cultural cooperation between the two countries were discussed.

The elementary school Branislav Nusic from Belgrade and the elementary school Ivan Vazov from Silistra, have this year organized the exchange of gifts "Martenice", which the pupils of the mentioned schools have made on the occasion of the holiday "Baba Marta". The exchange and opening of gifts were attended by students of both schools through a video call, during which they wished each other a lot of health, happiness and success.

The gifts “Martenice” that the pupils have made, can be seen on the following links:
 

http://www.facebook.com/groups/769043449970788/permalink/1659223607619430

http://www.facebook.com/milja.zec/posts/10219644170803038?notif_id=1614605075933542&notif_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Nikola Selakovic said today that the fight against all forms of crime was a top priority of the Serbian Government and an integral part of the EU accession process.

"It is also our moral duty, in order to leave a better world for the generations to come", Selakovic said participating via video-link at the 14th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, held in Kyoto.    

Minister Selakovic emphasized that Serbia, in its Second Serious and Organized Crime Threat Assessment from 2019, identified as its goal to eliminate cybercrime, human trafficking, terrorism and irregular migration.

The Serbian Foreign Minister pointed out that our country had established in a timely manner a normative and institutional framework that regulates prevention of abuse in this area, as well as that the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Cybercrime, a special court department and a special police unit were established. 

The Minister underlined that, in the field of the fight against corruption, Serbia was guided by the postulates set out in the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the UN Convention against Corruption.

Selakovic pointed out the efforts made by the Anti-Corruption Agency, as an independent state body, to protect the public interest, build individual and institutional integrity, strengthen transparency and accountability of the public administration.

"We strongly condemn all forms of terrorism, including extremism and radicalism, and call for them to be fully eradicated, while implementing the relevant UN resolutions and conventions and the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy", the Head of Serbian diplomacy underscored. 

In order to combat these complex phenomena efficiently and successfully, Selakovic said, it was of vital importance to build capacities of our societies and states, while exchanging experiences at the regional and global levels.

Minister Selakovic thanked Japanese Ambassador Hikihara for the skill he showed in conducting the talks on harmonizing and adopting the Kyoto Declaration, which, as he stressed, was an important indicator of the commitment to creating and maintaining the institutional framework for crime prevention as one of the main preconditions for promoting sustainable development goals.

"Back in 1970 when Japan hosted this event for the first time, we demonstrated strong political will to draw attention to the problem. Today, it is incumbent upon us to reaffirm this willingness and resolve and translate it into concrete steps", the Serbian Foreign Minister said.

The speech can be viewed here