Parliament speaker heads to Serbia marking 110 yrs of diplomatic relations

CAIRO – 19 July 2018: Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal departed to the Serbian capital, Belgrade, on Wednesday July 18, upon an invitation from his Serbian counterpart Maja Gojković.

The invitation marks the 110th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, according to the official statement issued by the Parliament. Abdel-Aal is accompanied by a high-level parliamentary delegation, including Tareq Radwan and Karim Darwish.

Abdel-Aal is expected to give a speech in the Serbian Parliament on Thursday after meeting with Gojković.

In April, Egypt’s ambassador in Belgrade, along with several Arab ambassadors, contributed in launching the first Serbian-Arab Friendship Day during a cultural ceremony in the National Library of Serbia.

It was stated that two opening speeches were delivered in the cultural ceremony; the first was by the Palestinian ambassador on behalf of the secretary general of the Arab League, and the second was delivered by the assistant minister for bilateral affairs on behalf of the Serbian foreign minister.

Ambassador of Egypt in Serbia, Amr al-Jowaily, said that the Arab ambassadors were keen to organize a celebration which included poetry, music and food, in a pioneer collective activity that reflects the demeanors of the Arab culture.

Jowaily noted that the high participation of diplomats and politicians, especially the Serbian national figures, in the cultural ceremony reflects the international interest in Arab culture.

The ambassador of Egypt in Belgrade praised the speech of the secretary general of the Arab League, which highlighted that the first celebration of the Arab Friendship Day in 2018 coincides with the 110th anniversary of the start of relations between an Arab country and Belgrade, when the Kingdom of Serbia established a diplomatic mission in Egypt In January 1908.

The speech also highlighted the Arab countries' appreciation of Serbia's supportive stances toward the Arab issues, most importantly the Palestinian cause.

Jowaily revealed that the Council of Arab Ambassadors agreed to donate 1,000 books to create an Arab pavilion in the Serbian National Library. “We plan to publish a joint book entitled: 'Serbia by Arab Eyes', in a wider series of activities aimed at strengthening relations between Serbia and the Arab world in the coming years."