National Assembly Speaker Ivica Dacic wished the recently appointed Australian Ambassador a successful mandate, stressing that the peoples of Serbia and Australia share a firm friendship which they should continue to promote, primarily by strengthening cooperation in areas of common interest, especially economic and parliamentary cooperation. The role of parliamentary friendship groups is especially important to that end, as well as direct contacts between the representatives of the two peoples. Seeing how a great many Australian citizens are of Serbian origin, he stressed that our side is committed to the preservation of the Serbian culture and language and their promotion with the aim of strengthening the positive image Serbia has in Australia.

Ambassador Emery agreed that Serbia and Australia should continue to intensify contacts and give that extra impulse to overall cooperation. He underlined that the Serbian diaspora in Australia is vital for the development of close relations between the Republic of Serbia and Australia, adding that an exchange of visits of heads of parliament would prove significant to that end. He said that during his mandate he would work toward strengthening economic ties in view of Australian companies’ growing interest in doing business in Serbia.