Selaković: We are honoured to host the NAM meeting with our fraternal country of Azerbaijan

11. Oct 2021.
Today, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Nikola Selaković met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov who is participating in a meeting in Belgrade held on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the first conference of the Non-Aligned Movement and thanked Azerbaijan for co-organizing this great and important event.

At the joint press conference, the head of Serbian diplomacy also expressed gratitude for the serious support of the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, in the realization of the summit.

“We are honoured that, regardless of the fact that Serbia has the status of an observer in the NAM, together with fraternal Azerbaijan, we are the hosts and organizers of the gathering on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the first NAM conference”, said Minister Selaković.

The head of Serbian diplomacy expressed special appreciation that, despite the coronavirus pandemic, a large number of delegations gathered in Belgrade at the summit, much larger than expected.

“The movement is not dead; it has great potential. With such a great response, the friends showed respect for the NAM and us as co-organizers”, stated Minister Selaković and added that Belgrade hosted a total of 116 delegations and 43 foreign ministers.

The head of Serbian diplomacy said that the improvement of bilateral relations was also discussed at the meeting, emphasizing that our cooperation is based on the good relationship between Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and President of Azerbaijan and that their cooperation plans serve as our guidelines.

Ministers Selaković and Bayramov signed three agreements before the press conference.

The head of Serbian diplomacy emphasized their importance, highlighting the Agreement on Military and Technical Cooperation signed by the Azerbaijani Minister of Defence Industry and the Minister of Defence of Serbia.

Minister Selaković stated that the Agreement which abolishes travel visas for the citizens of Serbia and Azerbaijan is a step that will improve contacts and cooperation between our people.

“We have many plans ahead of us, a lot of potential for future cooperation”, said Minister Selaković and expressed hope that we will soon have the opportunity to host a great friend of Serbia and the Serbian people, the President of Azerbaijan.

Minister Selaković said that the agreements signed today are only a part of what we are preparing in the cooperation between Serbia and Azerbaijan, two countries that are bound by a strategic partnership and commitment to common values.

The head of Serbian diplomacy emphasized that Azerbaijan is one of the pillars of support for our territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Minister Bayramov thanked Minister Selaković for the excellent organization of the Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement, which he stated is a very important event.

“I am sure that we will have a successful continuation of the program tomorrow”, said Bayramov, and expressed gratitude to Minister Selaković and the Government of Serbia for the warm welcome, as well as for the repeated invitation for the official visit of the President of Azerbaijan to Serbia, which he is sure will be realized.

Minister Bayramov assessed that the political dialogue between Serbia and Azerbaijan is at a very high level, and that he believes the cooperation within international forums will continue.

As Minister Bayramov emphasized, next year Serbia and Azerbaijan will mark 25 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations.

“With this approach to the development of our relations and strategic partnership, we will be able to deepen cooperation in various fields”, said Minister Bayramov, emphasizing that the political dialogue will be continued on the principles of respecting the norms and principles of international law.

Today, the ministers signed the Agreement on Mutual Abolition of Visas for Holders of Regular Passports, the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Serbia and Azerbaijan on Political Consultations and the Memorandum of Understanding on Consular Cooperation between the two ministries.