Dacic: Principled positions of Indonesia and the Philippines on non-recognition of Kosovo

Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivica Dacic, spoke with the Foreign Ministers of Indonesia and the Philippines, Retno Marsudi and Luis Manalo, and on that occasion, he expressed gratitude for the principled position of those two countries regarding the preservation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia.

As stated by the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Marsudi once again confirmed that Indonesia would not change its position regarding the non-recognition of Kosovo's unilaterally declared independence, despite ongoing pressure to alter this decision.

The head of Serbian diplomacy thanked Indonesia for its support and assistance to Serbia during the decision-making process within ASEAN regarding the request to join the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia. They discussed opportunities to further intensify political dialogue and consider high-level visits to enhance bilateral and multilateral cooperation between the two countries.

"The Ministers agreed that there was significant potential for cooperation development in numerous areas, expressing interest in fostering economic collaboration, increasing trade volume, investments, agriculture, tourism, and ICT cooperation," the statement said.

Regarding his conversation with the Foreign Minister of the Philippines, Mr. Manalo, Dacic discussed enhancing relations between the two nations, with additional impetus stemming from the recent signing of the Instrument of Accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.

On a bilateral level, the focus of the discussions was on strengthening political dialogue at the highest and high levels, including through reciprocal visits, the preparation of a Memorandum of Understanding on political bilateral consultations, and further development in economic, cultural, educational, and scientific-technical cooperation.

The interlocutors considered mechanisms and modalities for cooperation enabled by ASEAN, not only in terms of advancing political, trade, and economic relations with member states but also within broader multilateral frameworks.

"Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dacic expressed gratitude to the Philippines for its principled and consistent support for preserving Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, which is reflected in the support we receive in international organizations, with hopes that it will continue in the future," the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.