National Assembly Deputy Speaker Veroljub Arsic met today at the National Assembly House with Qatari Foreign Ministry Secretary General Dr Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi to discuss the two countries’ relations, interparliamentary and overall cooperation and how to improve it.
Besides Deputy Speaker Arsic the meeting was also attended by the Head of the PFG with the State of Qatar Muamer Zukorlic and the Chairperson of the Defence and Internal Affairs Committee Marija Obradovic.
Deputy Speaker Arsic said that the cooperation between Serbia and Qatar had improved in the previous period but that there is still room to expand it. He stressed that Serbia considers parliamentary cooperation very important and he hopes the interparliamentary contacts would advance the two countries’ relations, something which the coming visit of a National assembly delegation to the State of Qatar will undoubtedly help promote.
Arsic reminded his guest that the National Assembly had ratified two agreements concerning reciprocal stimulation and protection of investment and taxation, adding that the ratifications had reinforced the framework for economic cooperation between the two countries. He assured the Secretary General that the National Assembly would endorse any other ratification which finds its way to the agenda.
The Deputy Speaker said that Serbia is following the developments in the Gulf States and urges them to show maturity and normalize relations through dialogue and cooperation, not through ultimatums and sanctions, to overcome the crisis and find lasting solutions which would guarantee peace and stability. Arsic also took the opportunity to ask Qatar for support for the continuation of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and the implementation of the Brussels Agreement.
Qatari Foreign Ministry Secretary General Dr Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi said that Qatar is working toward improving its relations with Serbia as evidenced by the frequent reciprocal visits and ratification of agreements between the states. He said that economic cooperation should indeed be improved, especially trade. Al Hammadi added that Qatar is interested in investing into science, education and sports, assuring his hosts that cooperation would be established in these fields too. He emphasized the importance of tourism adding that with the possible establishment of direct flights, cooperation in this filed could also improve.
The Head of the PFG with the State of Qatar Muamer Zukorlic agreed with Deputy Speaker Arsic that the crisis in the Gulf should be resolved through dialogue, since the ones suffering the most are the people, and added that Serbia has an understanding and respect for the situation. He also said that the coming visit of the National Assembly delegation, which he is to head, would strengthen cooperation and facilitate investment not only into the economy, but also into sport, education, tourism and other areas.
The Chairperson of the Defence and Internal Affairs Committee and member of the PFG with Qatar Marija Obradovic said that there is room to develop cooperation in the field of defence, with a special focus on military education and medicine. She added that the Serbian delegation’s visit to Qatar would be very important for the development relations between the two countries and enable them to discuss, at the interparliamentary level, concrete projects for the future, especially in the field of economy.
