Kochanova at meeting with Serbian Ambassador: we’ll continue to strengthen our co-operation

Chairperson of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Natalya Kochanova has met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Serbia to Belarus Ilina Vukajlovic to discuss a wide range of issues

Opening the meeting, Natalya Kochanova said, “Let me congratulate all Serbian citizens on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Belgrade from the Nazi invaders. We have received the news with great warmth in our hearts that you are celebrating these events no matter what. Both Belarus and Serbia, unlike many European countries that rewrite history and say absolutely unthinkable things, are trying to preserve historical memory. Our shared history forms the foundation of friendly relations between the states.”

The Speaker of the Council of the Republic noted that Belarus and Serbia will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in November, “As our President said, speaking in the People’s Assembly in 2019, the opportunity to live on our own land is the most important achievement of Belarus and Serbia. It’s true. Sovereignty and independence are important for any nation and state.”

Ms. Kochanova also recalled the Head of State’s landmark visit to Yugoslavia in 1999. According to her, Aleksandr Lukashenko then showed an example of Belarus’ friendly attitude towards the people of Serbia.

“Since then, we have only strengthened our co-operation, and we will continue to do so,” the Speaker of the Council of the Republic said. “Although I understand how difficult it is now, especially for European countries, when the collective West is trying to impose sanctions against individual states. That’s why, our task is to do our best to strengthen the good and friendly relations between Belarus and Serbia, developing liaisons across absolutely all areas.”

According to Ms. Kochanova, inter-parliamentary interaction plays an important role in this issue. The National Assembly has a working group of friendship for co-operation with the Serbian Parliament. The Speaker assured that everything possible will be done on our part to strengthen relations between the Belarusian and Serbian parliamentarians.

“If we talk about the economic aspect of our interaction, we understand that, of course, a lot of work still lies ahead,” Ms. Kochanova said. “I would like the trade turnover to be more significant. But we will do everything to change the situation, because we understand how important economy is.”

The Chairperson of the Council of the Republic also focused on bilateral co-operation in the areas of culture and religion.

“We’re very happy that this weekend, a temple in honour of St. Sava of Serbia will be laid down in Minsk,” Ms. Kochanova said.

Another important area is to support each other in the international arena and in international organisations.

“Our President has recently returned from a summit in Kazan, where the important issue of building a multipolar world was high on the agenda. I am sure that the support we provide to each other will yield results,” Ms. Kochanova stated.