Đurić from Ottawa: We Are Establishing a New Partnership Between Serbia and Canada

“After more than a decade, a Serbian foreign minister is visiting Canada. We wish to open a new chapter of cooperation with one of the world’s largest economies. Canada is a member of the Group of Seven, but also a country possessing exceptionally advanced and sophisticated technologies, as well as an economy that is potentially highly complementary to ours. Only two days ago, after 34 years, we reopened a direct air route between Belgrade and Toronto, and we are now continuing discussions with the highest Canadian officials on establishing a new partnership between Serbia and Canada,” Đurić emphasized.

The Serbian Foreign Minister recalled that Canada is home to several hundred thousand people of Serbian origin, which he described as extremely important, as they represent a valuable bridge between the two countries.

“We will also discuss the situation in our region, and I will use this opportunity to present to our Canadian friends all the facts regarding the position of our people in Kosovo and Metohija, while also presenting Serbia as it truly is — a country of great opportunities, a country of the future when it comes to an economy that has tripled over the course of a decade. I am convinced that, in partnership with Canada, we can create new opportunities for the economic development of our country and strengthen our position within the Western world,” Đurić stressed.

According to him, it is high time to refresh Serbia’s image in this important country, which represents one of the key objectives of the visit.

“It is high time that, within the political establishment of a country that perhaps has rarely looked toward the Balkans and last seriously focused on the Balkans in the 1990s, we refresh perceptions and create a far more positive atmosphere. These are the principal goals of our visit, and we are honored that the Serbian delegation will have the opportunity to meet not only with Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand, but also with leaders of the Canadian Parliament and representatives of the parliamentary friendship group,” Đurić announced, assessing that Serbia is opening the door to cooperation with this important country.

The delegation of the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs led by Minister Đurić will travel directly from Ottawa to New York City.

“We will participate in a thematic session of the United Nations Security Council convened at the initiative of China. Parallel to the visit of our delegation to Beijing, I will also have the opportunity to meet and speak with the Chinese Foreign Minister. I would say that this is a week of intensive Serbian-Chinese diplomacy. We have President Vučić’s visit, which is a state visit, historic in nature and an honor for all of Serbia, the visit of Miloš Vučević in his capacity as President of the Serbian Progressive Party, and we will also have a meeting at the level of foreign ministers at UN Headquarters in New York, where we will once again underline the importance of our cooperation regarding Kosovo and Metohija, an issue on which we enjoy the support of our Chinese partners for Serbia’s territorial integrity,” Minister Đurić emphasized.

The Serbian Foreign Minister added that the meetings at UN Headquarters in New York would also provide an opportunity to discuss the importance of the role of the United Nations and, more broadly, the rules and principles of international law in the context of current global geopolitical developments.