Djuric meets Rijiju, thanks him for India’s support in preserving Serbia’s territorial integrity

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric met today, as part of the High-Level Commemorative Meeting marking the 65th anniversary of the First Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries, with India’s Minister for Parliamentary and Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, whom he thanked for New Delhi’s support in preserving Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as for its support in international organizations.

Welcoming his counterpart to the gathering in Belgrade, Djuric expressed his satisfaction that India, as one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement, would make a significant contribution to the meeting and to the contemporary relevance of the principles of non-alignment, according to a statement from Serbia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The interlocutors discussed the traditional friendship between the two countries and Indian President Droupadi Murmu’s visit to Belgrade in 2023, marking 75 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations. Emphasizing that this was the first visit by an Indian president to Belgrade in half a century, which gave fresh impetus to political dialogue at all levels, Minister Djuric reiterated Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and extended an invitation to his counterpart, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, to visit Serbia.

The head of Serbian diplomacy pointed out that ties between Serbia and India are also developing in the economic sphere. In addition to cooperation in trade and investment, he particularly emphasized the potential for cooperation in artificial intelligence and digital technologies, which was discussed at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi in February this year, attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Djuric expressed particular satisfaction that India will present its rich cultural heritage and economic potential at the specialized Expo 2027 exhibition in Belgrade, the statement added.