Djuric with Saar in Jerusalem: I informed him about the suffering of the Serbian people in Kosovo

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric stated today in Jerusalem that Belgrade is interested in strengthening relations with Israel.

Djuric emphasized that Belgrade has become a hub for many high-tech companies from the United States and other parts of Europe.

"We want to be your partner in shaping our future in this field. I believe we can achieve a lot in the economic sphere. Serbia has had and continues to have a historic Jewish community, which is an incredibly valuable part of its society. On the initiative of President Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia became the first country in Europe to pass a law on the restitution of Jewish property."

The Serbian Foreign Minister stressed that Belgrade wants to see Israel grow and prosper.

"We want to see Israel present at the Expo exhibition, and I want to thank you for agreeing to participate, where your country will have the opportunity to showcase its achievements to Europe and the world. Belgrade will be a gathering place for countries from various regions and continents. We are investing more than $17 billion in this project and invite you to be part of it. We encourage further inflow of Israeli investments. What is very important is that today we discussed our cooperation in improving people-to-people exchanges. We want to see continued visits from Serbian tourists to Israel and Israeli tourists to Serbia," Djuric said, adding:

"We will also continue to work together to commemorate this very important year, marking the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazism and fascism, remembering the Holocaust and all the victims of this totalitarian ideology, while laying the groundwork for new generations. We must ensure that past mistakes are not repeated and jointly tackle the challenges of antisemitism, which, unfortunately, is still present in Europe and beyond today. You can count on Serbia 100% on these issues and more."

He also mentioned discussions on the Middle East situation. 

During a joint press conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, Djuric highlighted the suffering and difficulties faced by the Serbian people in Kosovo.

"I informed the minister and Israeli colleagues about the suffering of the Serbian people in Kosovo, who face hardships and criminal prosecution, as well as our ambition to maintain regional stability constructively, which is essential for Europe's security," Djuric stated.

"As I mentioned, Serbia stands with and supports the people of Israel, as we did after the recent attacks. I also want to take this opportunity to express our sensitivity to the situation of the hostages, as many people are still held captive by Hamas. One of them is Alon Ohel. Alon Ohel is an Israeli-Serbian citizen who was kidnapped at just 22 years old. He was not a soldier. He was unarmed. He is a pianist. He has never harmed a single living being. His family is from Novi Sad, Serbia. He has suffered immensely and has been held captive for 500 days. I want to appeal to all those who can help secure his release and the release of all other hostages so they can return home to their families. We will not stop until we ensure our Alon is back home and safe. I will talk to anyone and go anywhere in the world to bring this innocent young man back," Djuric said.

The Serbian foreign minister also conveyed that the people of Israel have sincere and strong friends in Serbia.

"The ties between the Serbian and Jewish people are very, very strong, and I believe this meeting demonstrates our desire to further strengthen relations between Serbia and Israel. We stand with you in these difficult times and will continue to do so, as we have for years—since the founding of this state. Personally, I am very, very happy to be here," he said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar emphasized that the visit of Serbia’s Foreign Minister Marko Djuric is part of efforts to strengthen bilateral relations with Serbia.

He also mentioned his upcoming visit to Serbia, which, he said, is part of the ongoing process of deepening ties between the two countries.

"We have close contacts, and I have always felt the minister's dedication and concern for Israel and the regional situation. The minister is also a relative of Alon Ohel, our hostage who holds both Israeli and Serbian citizenship. According to available information, he is suffering from extremely harsh conditions in captivity, especially the cold. I expressed our strong commitment to securing the release of all our hostages, and I hope we will soon see Alon here, reunited with his family and parents, whom I personally know," Saar stated.

He added that discussions also covered strengthening cooperation in various fields—economy, tourism, and innovation—and announced that Israel will participate in Expo 2027 in Serbia, which he described as another step in deepening relations.

"Minister, tomorrow will be a difficult day for Israel—we will receive the remains of four of our hostages from Gaza. This is yet another in a series of painful days we are enduring. We are grateful for your solidarity. This reminds us who our enemy is—the one who kidnaps babies, children, women, and the elderly. That is why we insist that Hamas cannot remain in Gaza. Hamas must be eliminated," he said.

He stressed that it is not just about who will manage civilian life in Gaza.

"They are planning to have others handle municipal and health issues while they remain the dominant military force. This is how they seek to continue their fight against Israel. We will not allow it. We have an obligation to our people to ensure that Gaza never again becomes a threat to Israel and its citizens," Saar stated.

He also emphasized another significant issue—Lebanon.

"Iran is making efforts to rebuild Hezbollah using Iranian money, which is being illegally transferred to Lebanon. Unfortunately, Turkey is playing a negative role in this by helping Iran smuggle money via flights from Iran to Istanbul and then from Istanbul to Beirut. The Turks are aware that these suitcases contain millions of dollars that have already been smuggled into Lebanon, and these attempts continue. This is how Iran seeks to destroy Lebanon’s future and keep it under its control. Just last weekend, we saw how Lebanese authorities tried to prevent these transfers, only to witness violent Hezbollah protests blocking roads to the airport and attacking UNIFIL personnel. Hezbollah is determined to obtain this money to maintain its grip on Lebanon," Saar explained.

He called on the international community and all nations to block these efforts and take a clear stance against them.

"The people of Lebanon deserve a better and different future. We will do everything we can because they are our neighbors, but of course, we cannot do everything alone. We have discussed this with our American friends and other allied countries, and we hope we will succeed, as this change is desperately needed in the region," Saar concluded.