Vucic: Serbia, Cyprus to boost cooperation

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said after a meeting with Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides in Belgrade on Wednesday they had unequivocally confirmed a desire to further boost bilateral relations and cooperation, and thanked Cyprus for supporting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia.

"I expressed gratitude to Cyprus for supporting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia and respecting international public law, the UN Charter and UNSCR 1244," Vucic said at a press conference with Christodoulides.

He noted that Serbia fully supported the norms of international public law, the UN Charter and the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Cyprus on land and at sea.

That policy of Serbia is unchangeable, Vucic said, adding that Serbia and Cyprus were true friends.

"I personally had an opportunity to inform President Christodoulides in detail of the situation in Kosovo-Metohija, the course of dialogue and Serbia's desire to solve problems regarding that very difficult issue through compromise and dialogue," Vucic said.

"I also pointed out the difficulties and the gravity of the position of Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija and the difficult position of Serbia, which is now suffering through no fault of its own just because it respects the norms of international public law and the UN Charter and because of a policy of force and destruction of international law by those who are much stronger than it is," he said.

"Christodoulides is a true friend of Serbia and we are proud, happy and grateful he is a guest of our country," he said.

"I wish that you and your delegation may feel at home in Serbia, just like we, too, feel in Nicosia," Vucic told Christodoulides.

Vucic said he had had a closed-door meeting with Christodoulides that had been followed by a meeting of Serbian and Cypriot delegations, and that a ceremonial dinner would be held in Christodoulides's honour in the evening.

Announcing a third meeting of a council on Serbia-Cyprus cooperation for Thursday, Vucic said Egypt and Greece were the only other countries with which Serbia held such summits and noted that this showed the importance of the relationship between Serbia and Cyprus.

The council previously met in 2013 and 2018.