Minister Selaković spoke with the Secretary-General of ASEAN

24. May 2022.
On the second day of his visit to Indonesia, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Nikola Selaković met with Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Lim Jock Hoi.

Minister Selaković said that Serbia was following closely the activities of the ASEAN with which it shared common values ​​and political principles. According to Minister Selaković, those principles were based on mutual respect for independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national identity of all people, non-interferance with the internal affairs of other countries, endeavouring to amicably overcome any controversy and encouraging overall development and progress.

Minister Selaković familiarised his interlocutor with the political situation in our region, especially the results of economic and infrastructural reforms in Serbia, conveying a clear message of Serbia’s commitment to strengthening the cooperation and partnership with the ASEAN.

Minister Selaković stressed that his visit to Indonesia was the first in his tour of the region and that he would continue to intensify contacts and visits to the ASEAN member states in the period to come.

Regarding cooperation with the ASEAN, Minister Selaković explained that in 2021, trade exchange with the ASEAN reached 621 million dollars, mostly from exchange with Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia. He added that 95% of that figure was accounted for by Serbia's import from the ASEAN member countries, but that Serbia was interested in having a more balanced ratio and strengthening cooperation in many areas.

Yesterday, Minister Selaković ended his two-day visit to Jakarta with a meeting held at the ASEAN seat, where he spoke with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, as well as representatives of Indonesian national food companies.