Reception marks 115 years of Serbia-Egypt diplomatic ties

BELGRADE - Egyptian Ambassador to Serbia Bassel Salah hosted a ceremonial reception on Wednesday evening to mark Egypt's National Day and the 115th anniversary of the country's diplomatic relations with Serbia.

The event was also attended by Serbian PM Ana Brnabic and Parliament Speaker Vladimir Orlic, as well as by many public figures and foreign diplomats, including the ambassadors of the US, Russia, Turkey, France and Italy.

In a statement to Tanjug, Salah said celebrations of the anniversary would culminate in a visit to Egypt by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who made a historic visit to Serbia last year.

The ambassador noted that Sissi's visit demonstrated the strength of the friendly ties and a desire on both sides to give strong encouragement to bilateral relations in all fields.

He said many Egyptian officials, including the governor of South Sinai, had recently visited Serbia.

He also said Serbian Minister of Internal and External Trade Tomislav Momirovic and Defence Minister Milos Vucevic were scheduled to visit Egypt as early as in July and August, respectively, and that there were plans to sign an agreement in the health care sector.

He said there was strong potential for development of cooperation in all fields, from agriculture, business and tourism to information and communications technology.

He said the traditional relations between Serbia and Egypt were based on firm ties and identical objectives and views dating back to the era of Tito and Nasser, when the two countries had leading roles in the establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Orlic told Tanjug his Egyptian counterpart was due to visit Belgrade in two weeks' time.

"The relationship between our two countries is excellent and based on the exceptional personal relationship between our leaders, as confirmed during the Egyptian president's historic visit to Serbia and further based on agreements on strategic cooperation," Orlic said.