Address by Minister Dacic at the meeting with consular representatives accredited in the Republic of Serbia

Esteemed consular representatives,

Esteemed colleagues from other departments,

Esteemed representatives of the media,

Dear friends,

It is my great pleasure to greet you and wish you a welcome to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as a successful beginning of the new working and calendar year. I am convinced that we will continue our joint engagement in promoting cooperation in all areas, especially in the consular area.

The reason for today's gathering is to have our guests, consular representatives, become closer acquainted with the work, organization and functioning of the Consular Affairs Sector, as one of the most important segments of the overall work and activity of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. All who have chosen to work in the consular field know very well how much dedication, years of work and continuous learning is needed to build the capacities to perform consular tasks, whose priority goal is the welfare of citizens.

With today's gathering, our wish is to build another bridge of cooperation between the consular departments of embassies, foreign honorary consuls, the consular service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the institutions of Serbia, and I personally believe that this channel of communication is very important for the best possible coordination in a broader approach to consular issues.

Dear friends,

It is well known how important it is to have an efficient consular service, which is always vigilant, available and ready to act. Consuls are at their place of work at all times, they have no working hours and they are the first on the spot, which makes them the first address in all crisis and unforeseen situations. Therefore, the engagement of consuls was particularly visible at the time of the outbreak of the global pandemic in 2020. It is particularly noteworthy that Serbia is one of the few countries, if not the only country, that did not subsequently charge for repatriation flights, and with the support of diplomatic and consular missions seated in Belgrade, around 1,000 foreign citizens also returned to their homes on these flights.

The challenges we are faced with require high efficiency in work, and in order to be efficient, the Serbian consular service continues to modernize, develop its technology for connecting and building a network among all subjects of society. In the daily activities of our consular services in the country and abroad, all available digital tools have long been present facilitating work and enabling quick action, which contributes to the better functioning of the state as a whole, and at the same time raises the quality of services provided, which, all combined, contributes to building trust.

Dear friends,

I am convinced that today's meeting will be an excellent opportunity for you to learn more about the organization of the Consular Affairs Sector and to make direct contact with representatives of our Ministry and other ministries who will inform you about the most important segments of their work and activities. We will strive to have the tradition of such gatherings take root in order to build solid foundations for future cooperation.

In conclusion, I assure you that in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs you will always have an adequate and credible interlocutor, support and reliable partner in all matters.

I wish you all the best in your endeavours and success in your numerous tasks.