Belgrade [Serbia], March 26 : India and Serbia held the 9th Round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) in Belgrade, Serbia, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Wednesday.
The FOC was chaired by Ambassador Sibi George, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs, from the Indian side and Damjan Jovic, State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from the Serbian side.
Secretary (West) also called on Marko Djuric, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia. They discussed ways to intensify the existing cooperation between India and Serbia and also expand the scope of bilateral cooperation.
India and Serbia share close and friendly relations, underpinned by longstanding bonds of friendship between their people. The Consultations comprehensively reviewed existing bilateral ties, covering areas of mutual interest such as trade and economic relations, defence, science & technology, Fintech, agriculture, culture, and people-to-people ties. The two sides also expressed satisfaction about their strong cooperation in the multilateral forum, as per the statement.
Both sides exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. During the visit, Secretary (West) also interacted with members of the Indian diaspora in Serbia, as per the statement.
Previously, the 8th Foreign Office Consultations between India and Serbia were held on February 3, 2023, in New Delhi. The Indian side was led by Shri Sanjay Verma, Secretary(West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, and the Serbian side was led by Ambassador Vladimir Maric, Assistant Minister for Bilateral Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia.
Both sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, including developments in India's neighbourhood, Ukraine, and the United Nations. India's priorities as President of G20, and its endeavour to take up the cause of Global South, were also shared with the Serbian side.
Both sides agreed on sustaining regular exchanges that have nurtured bilateral relations, as per the MEA.