The members of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Canada, headed by MA Svetlana Milijic, met today with a delegation of the Canadian Upper House Parliamentary Friendship Group with Serbia, currently in official visit to the Republic of Serbia.
Recalling that the diplomatic relations between Serbia and Canada were established 85 years ago, MA Svetlana Milijic highlighted the contributions the two parliaments’ friendship groups can give to the development of cooperation in areas of mutual interest, such as innovation, artificial intelligence, energy and mining.
She mentioned the substantive Serbian diaspora in Canada and its exceptional contribution to Canadian society, especially in the areas of culture, arts and sports. She said that cooperation in the areas of education, science and environmental protection is of utmost importance, especially emphasising that the introduction of a direct flight between Belgrade and Toronto, after 35 years, enables closer connections between our citizens, as well as the establishment of new business partnerships, which are of mutual interest.
Stressing that Serbia's foreign policy goal is membership in the European Union, Milijic thanked Canada for its support toward that goal.
The head of the delegation of the Canadian Parliament’s Upper House, Ned Kuruc, agreed that the Serbian diaspora significantly contributes to the cultural diversity of Canada and expressed his expectation that this meeting will contribute to the development of dialogue and economic ties between our two countries.
The meeting was also attended by members of the PFG with Canada Danijela Nikolic, Zagorka Aleksic, Dragana Arsic, Ana Miljanic, Tanja Radjenovic, Olja Petrovic and Vesna Nedovic, as well as the Serbian Ambassador to Canada Stefan Tomasevic and the Canadian Ambassador Serbia Michelle Cameron.
In the meeting, the MPs specifically touched on the problems faced by the Serbian population in Kosovo-Metohija, noting that, in the last five years, over 800 ethnically motivated attacks have been carried out against Serbs. They particularly pointed out the brutality of the recent attack and torture suffered by a Serbian citizen by the so-called Kosovo police.
They emphasised that Serbia is committed to continuing the dialogue with Pristina, under the auspices of the EU, as well as respecting international law and United Nations Resolution 1244, and that it expects consistent implementation of all agreements reached, including the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities.
The officials agreed that this meeting is of exceptional importance for the further continuation of cooperation and development of overall bilateral relations between Serbia and Canada.
Photo gallery: National Assembly © Milos Miskov
