First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic held yesterday on the sidelines of the 22nd Ministerial Council of the OSCE meetings with the foreign ministers of Canada, Sweden and Ukraine, as well as with the Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan.
Dacic congratulated Foreign Minister of Canada Stephane Dion on the appointment to the post and wished the new government and the country much success in its work.
During the talks they touched on the prospects of bilateral relations, where both sides expressed willingness to strengthen political dialogue and cooperation in all fields of mutual interest.
Margot Wallstrom and Ivica Dacic
Author:
Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Dacic and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden Margot Wallstrom assessed that bilateral relations between the two countries are good and that there is room for improvement in all areas.
Wallstrom praised Serbia's OSCE chairmanship and reiterated the strong support of Sweden to the process of European integration of Serbia.
The officials also touched on the problem of migration and the need to find appropriate solutions at the European level.
The First Deputy Prime Minister presented Serbia’s experience in dealing with this problem and cooperation with neighbouring countries in this field.
In a meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Kalil Hekmat Karzai, they discussed the possibilities for the revival of cooperation between the two countries.
The interlocutors expressed mutual interest in the maintenance of political consultations between the ministries of foreign affairs in order to define areas of possible cooperation.
Karzai has shown a special interest in cooperation in education, and at the same time conveyed gratitude to Dacic for the hospitality and successful chairmanship of the OSCE.
Dacic also met with Minister of State for Europe in the Foreign Office of the United Kingdom David Lidington, who praised Serbia's chairmanship to the OSCE in terms of coping with serious challenges.
On the sidelines of the Ministerial Council, Dacic held a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavel Klimkin, who expressed satisfaction with the way the Serbian chairmanship of the OSCE responded to the crisis in Ukraine.
Dacic and Klimkin emphasised the need for additional efforts to improve bilateral relations between the two close and friendly countries.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has announced his visit to Serbia next year.