Djuric from Ottawa: We will discuss the situation in the region, as well as the position of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric, who is on an official visit to Canada, stated ahead of his meeting with Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand that they would discuss the situation in the region, and that he would also present all relevant facts concerning the position of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija.

Djuric also emphasized that the objective of the visit is to create new economic opportunities for Serbia.

“We will also discuss the situation in our region. I will use this opportunity to convey to our Canadian friends all the facts regarding the position of our people in Kosovo and Metohija, but also to present Serbia as it truly is — a country of great opportunities, a country of the future when it comes to an economy that has tripled in just over a decade. I am convinced that, in partnership with Canada, we can create new opportunities for the economic development of our country, that together with Canada we can strengthen our position within the Western world, and that the time has come to refresh the image of Serbia within the political class of a country that perhaps last looked toward the Balkans in the 1990s. It is time to create a far more positive atmosphere,” Djuric stated.

The Serbian Foreign Minister noted that Canada is a member of the Group of Seven, as well as a country possessing highly advanced and sophisticated technologies and an economy that is potentially highly complementary to Serbia’s.

Djuric further underlined that a direct air route between Belgrade and Toronto had been inaugurated two days earlier, after a 34-year interruption.

“We are now continuing discussions with the highest Canadian officials on establishing a new partnership between Serbia and Canada,” he said.

He also announced that the Serbian delegation would travel to New York City to participate in a thematic session of the United Nations Security Council convened at the initiative of China, and confirmed that he would meet with the Chinese Foreign Minister.

“I would say that this is a week of intensive Serbian-Chinese diplomacy. We have President Vučić’s state visit, which is historic and an honor for the whole of Serbia. We also have the visit of Miloš Vučević in his capacity as President of the Serbian Progressive Party, and we will have a ministerial-level meeting at UN Headquarters in New York, where we will once again underline the importance of our cooperation regarding Kosovo and Metohija, where we have the support of our Chinese partners for our territorial integrity. We will also undoubtedly discuss the importance of the role of the United Nations and, more broadly, the rules and principles of international law in the context of global geopolitical developments,” Djuric stated.

As announced by the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during the visit Djuric will also meet with the Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada, Francis Scarpaleggia, as well as members of the Canada–Serbia Parliamentary Friendship Group.