29th June, 2024

On June 29, the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Helsinki held a cocktail party for our citizens living and working in Finland. The gathering was organized in cooperation with the Serbian-Finnish Society from Helsinki.

29 May 2024

Ambassador Aleksandar Janković met today with the Finnish Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Tavio.

21 May 2024

For more information click HERE.

17 May 2024

A classical music concert called "The Sounds of Spring" was held at the Embassy of Serbia in Helsinki.

16 May 2024

At the invitation of the President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb, Ambassador Aleksandar Janković attended the traditional annual dinner for representatives of the diplomatic corps at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki.

A presentation of the economic potentials of Serbia and Serbia-Finland economic cooperation was held on 18 April 2024 at the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Helsinki.

5 April 2024

Ambassador Aleksandar Janković visited the Headquarters of the Finnish company NOKIA in Espoo today.

For more information click HERE.

09 March 2024

Our Embassy participated today in the "Tastes of Francophonie" event at the French Institute in Helsinki.

01 March 2024

Ambassador Aleksandar Janković attended today the Ceremony of Inauguration of the new President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb.

Helsinki, 28 February 2024

Ambassador Janković met today with the Finnish Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Anders Adlercreutz. During the meeting, the determination to further strengthen relations and cooperation between the two countries was confirmed, as well as Finland's full support for the enlargement of the EU to the Western Balkans.

The Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Helsinki hosted a reception on the occasion of the Statehood Day of the Republic of Serbia on 26 February 2024.

For more information click HERE.

Helsinki, 24 January 2024

The Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the Republic of Finland Aleksandar Janković presented today his Letters of Credence to the President of the Republic of Finland Sauli Niinistö.

Photo: Matti Porre / Office of the President of the Republic of Finland

For more information click HERE.

The newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the Republic of Finland Aleksandar Janković presented copies of his Letters of Credence to the Chief of Protocol Ambassador Mika Koskinen on 20 December 2023.

On that occasion, the determination to further strengthen traditionally friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries was highlighted in a very cordial conversation.

Elections for the members of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia will be held on Sunday, 17 December 2023.

For information on voting in Helsinki click HERE.

Serbian Film Festival will be held on 17 and 18 November 2023 at Caisa Cultural Center in Helsinki (Kulttuurikeskus Caisa, Leipatehdas Kaikukatu 4 B, 00530 Helsinki).

The Festival is organized by the Serbian-Finnish Society and supported by the Film Center Serbia, the City of Helsinki and the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Finland.

This year's program consists of a diverse thematic scope, including dramatization of historical events, a family story told from the perspective of a twelve-year-old girl and a playful depiction of contemporary society.

Read more about the films HERE.

Join us in experiencing these three unique stories told by women!

Welcome! Tervetuloa!

Extraordinary elections for members of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia will be held on Sunday, 17 December 2023.

All relevant information availabe HERE.

For more information click HERE.

Following the tragic loss of lives at the "Vladislav Ribnikar" Elementary School shooting in Belgrade on 3 May 2023, the Government of the Republic of Serbia has declared three days of national mourning, from 5 May to 7 May 2023.

The Embassy of the Republic of Serbia is grateful for all the messages of support we have received.

A virtual book of condolence can be signed at: office@serbianembassy.fi from 5 May to 9 May 2023.

Experts from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) visited our Embassy on 15 March and presented their upcoming Twinning project on strengthening the capacity of Serbia's health sector for communicable disease surveillance, funded by the EU.

Embassy of Serbia in Helsinki hosted today a working breakfast fоr the members and guests of the Helsinki Diplomatic Association with the topic of EU Enlargement.

Nineteen-year-old pianist from Serbia Bogdan Dugalic won second place at the prestigious International Piano Competition "May Lind", which is held every fifth year at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.

In addition, this exceptionally talented student of the University Mozarteum Salsburg received a special award for the best pianist in the chamber performance category.

During the period from October 1 to 31, 2022, the Census of Population, Households and Apartments is being conducted on the territory of the Republic of Serbia.

According to the Law on Border Control of the Republic of Serbia, a written parental consent is not required for crossing of underage persons, foreign citizens, over the border of Serbia.

For crossing the border of Serbia by a citizen of Serbia under 16 years old, who travels alone or accompanied by a person who is not his/her parent or legal guardian, an attested consent is required from both parents (if they jointly exercise parental rights) or legal guardian. If a child is accompanied by one of the parents, a written parental consent is not required.

Please note that authorities of the countries of transit and starting/final destination may ask for the parental consent, especially if child and accompanying parent have different last names.

A delegation of our experts from the Office of the Government, Ministries and several professional cluster organizations are on the three-day study tour in Helsinki, organized by NALED (National Alliance for Local Economic Development), with aim to learn from Finnish experience in boosting innovations and industry, cooperation between the industry and science, as well as about the opportunities for Serbian innovative ideas to find their place in Finnish market.

At the beginning of this program, Ambassador of Serbia H.E. Mr. Saša Obradović, together with several Serbian IT experts working in Finland, welcomed this delegation.

Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia H.E. Mr Saša Obradović is the new Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Helsinki since April 1, 2022.

This new function, taken over from H.E. Chen Li, the leaving Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, is a great privilege and distinct honour to our Ambassador, as well as to our diplomacy in whole. In fulfilling his new duties, Ambassador Obradović will rely on the support of 60 Ambassadors accredited to Finland.

Ambassador Obradović has been presented his credentials to President of the Republic of Finland on January 17, 2017.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland announced that here.
 

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic stated today that severe examples of endangering the Serbian cultural, historical and spiritual heritage in Kosovo and Metohija are proof of the important role of UNESCO in protecting and preserving heritage.

Distinguished President of the Security Council,

Esteemed members of the Security Council,

Distinguished Special Representative,
I would like to thank Secretary-General of the United Nations Mr. Guterres and Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMIK Mr. Tanin for the report submitted and for their efforts made towards the implementation of the UNMIK mandate. I would also like to thank the members of the Security Council for the continued attention they have devoted to the issue of Kosovo and Metohija. The Republic of Serbia highly values the activities of the Mission of the United Nations in Kosovo and Metohija and supports it in carrying out its work as efficiently as possible, pursuant to the UN Security Council Resolution 1244, and undiminished in scope, aiming to build and preserve lasting peace, stability and security in the Province.
 

Great evening in Helsinki's Musiikkitalo, where we were listening to Serbian music: Needle Soup & Song of a Traveller in the Night by Isidora Žebeljan, Echolocations composed by Aleksandra Vrebalov, Hystory by Tara Jovana Valkonen and beautiful folk songs Ajde, Jano; Jovano, Jovanke; Ederlezi; Niška banja...

Sincere gratitude to Zagros classic ensemble!

Delegation of the City of Kragujevac visited Helsinki and Tampere: Boris Kovačević, Deputy Mayor for International Cooperation & Jelena Atanasijević, Art Professor at University of Kragujevac, with Bratislav Tošković, Parviainen Architects, and Saša Obradović, Ambassador of Serbia.

It was great pleasure hosting our friends and colleagues: farewell dinner in the residence of Serbia, bid to our Dean, H. E. Mme Nawel Settouti, Ambassador of Algeria. Together with us: H.E. Mme Chavanart Thangsumphant, Ambassador of Thailand, and H.E. Mr Ernesto Céspedes-Oropeza, Ambassador of Mexico.

At the building of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Finland, unknown perpetrators displayed the flag of the terrorist KLA (the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army) last night.

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic warned today that Pristina has seriously jeopardised local and regional stability after sending heavily armed special units to the north of Kosovo who are exerting ` against the peaceful Serbian population.
 

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic participated today at the Global COVID-19 summit, organised by the White House, which was opened by US President Joseph Biden.
 

At the margins of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Nikola Selaković has discussed with the Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Eva Maria Liimets.
 

The President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, attended the marking of the Remembrance Day of all the victims and expelled Serbs in the armed operation "Storm" and said that Serbia remembers!

The President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, attended the celebration of the Remembrance Day of all the victims and expelled Serbs in the armed operation "Storm" and said that Serbia remembers!

A new service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs "e-Consulate" was presented in Belgrade today, intended for foreign citizens who apply for a visa and aspire to come to Serbia to work.

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic talked today with World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge about the epidemiological situation and the course of immunisation of citizens in Serbia.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Nikola Selakovic stated today that Pristina further persisted in its campaign of hatred against the Serbian people, which was most drastically seen in the unfounded accusations of mass rapes and genocide.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Nikola Selakovic warned, at the United Nations Security Council meeting, that the political extremism among Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija was not decreasing, but on the contrary, was becoming stronger.

President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic made a statement on the occasion of marking the Day of Remembrance of the victims of the NATO aggression.

"Your Holiness, distinguished Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, distinguished Speakers of the National Assemblies of the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Srpska, distinguished Prime Ministers of the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Srpska, distinguished Ministers of both Governments, dear guests and friends, representatives of the Serbian People from Montenegro, North Macedonia, Croatia, thank you for the fact that we are all together tonight and that the Serbian spirit is unbreakable and invincible...

President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic participated today in the commemoration of the Remembrance Day of 17 March 2004 - Pogrom in Kosovo and Metohija. He said that exactly 17 years ago, a pogrom took place in Kosovo and Metohija, and that pogrom surpassed all other crimes.

"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest, these words of Elie Wiesel, a camp survivor and Nobel laureate, make it forever incumbent upon us not to remain silent against crime, regardless of who and for what reason committed it", President Vucic stated and added that we remembered and learned every lesson in which we were losers, each one in which we were silent to our own victims, and each one when we were ready to forget.   

"Serbia is no longer weak today, nor is it a country of losers, it does not threaten, but it does not forget either, it is ready for talks, but not for humiliation. Serbia, just like everyone else, has the right to take care of its people, their safety and well-being. The right to life is a fundamental human right and we will always defend it", President Vucic said.

President Vucic said that pogrom surpasses all other crimes, because it is not only an act, but an intention, a policy, a premediated attempt to forcibly cleanse persons belonging to other peoples and faiths from a region or a country.

"We have no right to remain silent to that", said the President of Serbia, emphasizing that we have an obligation to be winners without blood spilled and war, to be the best in the economy, healthcare, sports, education and everything else that implies development and progress.

"We also wish others to work on themselves and be successful, because we are aware that crime is a tool for losers that winners do not need, as they remember, but forgive and move on, while the losers keep spinning in the same vicious circle. We Serbs do not want to be that anymore, we want a future in which we will remember, but from which we will not return. We know what happened and we call it by its real name", President Vucic concluded.

Photo: Dimitrije Goll
 

Republic of Serbia, as an associate member of the Francophonie, together with the entire Francophone community in the world, marks the "Month of Francophonie". For all lovers of Serbian culture and the French language, the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia has prepared a rich program, and the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Helsinki invites you to discover the diversity and richness of Serbian culture in French.

La République de Serbie au Mois de la Francophonie

La République de Serbie en qualité de membre associé à l'OIF, de concert avec toute la communauté francophone dans le monde entier, célèbre le Mois de la Francophonie. Pour tous les amateurs de la culture serbe et de la langue française, le Ministère de la Culture et de l'Information de la République de Serbie a préparé un vaste programme et l’Ambassade de la République de Serbie à Helsinki vous invite à découvrir la diversité et la richesse de la culture serbe en français.

Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia Ana Brnabic and Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikola Selakovic today had separate meetings with non-resident Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia to Serbia, seated in Budapest, Kristi Karelsohn.

Brnabic underlined that, bearing in mind that Estonia was one of the world leaders in the IT sector, there was room for improvement of cooperation in that area and added that Serbia was making advances in the development of e-Government.

The two officials also spoke about the fight against COVID-19 and the progress in the immunization of population.

The Prime Minister pointed out that Serbia was not giving up the fight against the coronavirus and that, if this pace of vaccination of population continued, one million citizens would be revaccinated soon.

At the same time, as she added, Serbia was trying to help other countries in the region as much as it could to procure vaccines.

Prime Minister Brnabic expressed gratitude for the invitation to visit Estonia and at the same time invited the Prime Minister of that country to come to Belgrade, emphasizing that there was still a lot of room for improving bilateral cooperation between the two friendly countries.

Selakovic underscored that the bilateral relations between the two countries were good and without open issues, with significant potential for enhancement.

The Head of Serbian diplomacy thanked Estonia for its support to Serbia in the process of European integration and emphasized that reforms remained the focus of the Serbian Government, adding that the significant progress made by Serbia was not adequately reflected in the dynamic of accession negotiations with the EU. The Minister said that Serbia was encouraged by the messages that Estonia supported the EU enlargement agenda.

Minister Selakovic pointed out that Serbia wished to intensify all forms of economic cooperation with Estonia, which included increasing the trade in goods.

Selakovic expressed hope that, by joint efforts, the intensity of political dialogue and exchange of bilateral visits would increase, and having in mind the good relations between our countries, he called on Estonian investors to strengthen their presence on the Serbian market in the period ahead.

Ambassador Karelsohn pointed out that this year marked two decades since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Serbia and Estonia, and that the bilateral relations were developing in a good direction.

Speaking about the economy, she assessed that all countries were in the same or similar situation, and that the Serbian economy was stable even in such difficult times.

The Ambassador noted that it would be good to establish a closer cooperation between Estonian companies and the Serbian Chamber of Commerce.

Belgrade,
1 March 2021

 

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Nikola Selakovic had a video-meeting today with Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Pekka Haavisto.

Selakovic assessed that the bilateral relations between our countries were traditionally good, friendly and without open issues, pointing out that Serbia was committed to the further enhancement of comprehensive cooperation.

The Minister recalled that the long-term character of relations between our two countries was also evidenced by the fact the 90th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations was marked in 2019.

Minister Selakovic said that Serbia had been and would continue to be a reliable partner to Finland, in order for the good political relations to be matched by good economic and all other cooperation.

Furthermore, the Head of Serbian diplomacy emphasized the importance of high- and top-level visits and expressed hope that an exchange of visits would take place once the situation amid the coronavirus subdued.

We are interested in deepening cooperation through exchange of experiences with the Finnish side in the field of economic diplomacy, Selakovic said and added that it would be important to intensify cooperation with the Nordic Business Alliance in Belgrade with the assistance of the Embassy of Finland. He also called on Finnish investors to increase their presence on the Serbian market in the period ahead.

Discussing the importance of regional cooperation, Selakovic said that he was pleased that the  significance of the "mini-Schengen" initiative was recognized, as it was launched aiming to contribute to regional economic connectivity in a concrete way, by creating a single economic space and facilitating freedom of movement of people, goods, services and capital.

Minister Selakovic underlined that full membership of the EU was one of the most important foreign policy priorities of Serbia. He added that the messages from Finland conveying its support to the EU enlargement agenda were encouraging, and said that Serbia expected Finland's support in opening and closing the negotiating chapters.

The Serbian Foreign Minister emphasized that Serbia was committed to the normalization of relations with Pristina, that Belgrade still believed that dialogue can lead to reaching a compromise solution that would be acceptable to both sides and bring lasting peace and stability to the region.

Belgrade,

25 February 2021

As part of the Statehood Day of the Republic of Serbia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has prepared a greeting card, which you can see at the link.

Serbia's foreign policy positions are naturally being adjusted to the new developments at the international level, but our foreign policy priorities have not changed in a long time. Our top and most important interest is to preserve good-neighbourly relations and stability and peace in the region and, in the same context, to find a peaceful and just solution to the problems in Kosovo and Metohija, Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic said in an interview with Politika daily.

Another lasting interest of ours is full membership of the European Union, because this is the type of society we strive for. At the bilateral level, our goal is to strengthen ties with traditional friends, the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China, but also to build new partner relations with the United States. One of the most important tasks of our foreign policy is to improve the position and protect the rights and identity of our people in the region, as well as to provide various types of support to Serbs in the diaspora. All these are very important and more often than not complementary goals, Nikola Selakovic pointed out.

What kind of relations do you expect Serbia to have with the new U.S. administration?

It is too early to speculate about this in public. The new presidential administration in Washington is currently preoccupied with internal issues and this will be the case for some time. There are people in the team of President Joseph Biden who have dealt with our region, and it is likely that the Balkans and Serbia will be the focus of the U.S. foreign policy at some point. I will remind you that President Vucic and President Biden not so long ago had very substantive talks in Belgrade, after which our President stated that he had the opportunity to talk to someone extremely well acquainted with the situation in this part of the world and an extraordinarily prepared interlocutor. Taking their personal relationship into account, but also the importance of enhancing the ties between Serbia and the United States, we have reason to expect that a meeting between the two presidents will be organized in the foreseeable future. I am sure that the nature and dynamics of the relations between Serbia and the United States will be influenced by the fact that Ambassador Marko Djuric now represents us in Washington, whose presence at President Biden's inauguration ceremony is an important signal and, I believe, a harbinger of positive developments in bilateral relations between our two countries.

How would you describe our country's relations with Moscow, Brussels and Beijing?

Russia is our traditional friend and that friendship goes beyond merely political ties. These are deep spiritual, cultural and civilizational bonds, and it is only natural that we have a mutual interest in improving those ties, even though they are at a very high level. We have a relationship with the People's Republic of China which is, in addition to the sincere iron-clad friendship between our peoples and high political representatives, based on deep trust and mutual support. Full membership of the European Union is Serbia's strategic orientation that all our friends are aware of, but our country does not forget its friendships, but strengthens and promotes them instead, and approaches all with honesty and no ulterior motives. In this context, we do not seek any preferential treatment, but only the right to freely and independently make decisions about our future and relations with all who respect us.  

Could Serbia pursue a different foreign policy than the one it is pursuing at the moment?

It is always possible to have a different policy, just look at the foreign policy of Serbia ten, twenty or thirty years ago, examine the results at that time and you will realize how irretrievably expensive that policy turned out to be. Whether a policy is right, at either foreign or domestic level, is measured through its results and effect on the lives of citizens and the fate of the entire state.

Our foreign policy priorities are not being defined on a whim, but are instead the result of a serious and deep examination of our complex position and strategic thinking about ways to improve it. Today, Serbia has a better international reputation and credibility than two decades ago, and the main reason for that is that our results have shown how serious and responsible we are as a country. That kind of credibility is not achieved by trickery, but only by hard and well-thought-out work on oneself. And I need to emphasize on this occasion as well that the main inspiration for such an attitude towards politics, the state and its future comes from none other than President Aleksandar Vucic. As Minister of Foreign Affairs, I have the opportunity on a daily basis to see the level of appreciation and respect President Vucic enjoys beyond the borders of our country.

When can we expect the vacant posts of Serbian ambassadors and consuls across the globe to be filled?

That is one of the main tasks for 2021. This will be a year of reinvigoration and I believe also rejuvenation of Serbian diplomacy. Our country, given its size, has a fairly extensive diplomatic network, which provides it with great opportunities for deepening political and economic relations with countries in all parts of the world. But we need more fresh and energetic staff, people who will be the most honorable representatives of a modern and dynamic Serbia. There are such people in Serbia, and we do need a serious rejuvenation, in order to avoid wide generation gaps in our personnel, and to lay the foundations of a modern career diplomacy.

How would you describe your relationship with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic?

President Vucic and I are, in addition to having close and friendly relations, by virtue of the work we do and our constitutional competencies, the closest collaborators in the realization of Serbia's foreign policy goals. This allows me to talk to him often, and on many occasions learn a lot of new and important things. President Vucic is a man who inspires people around him with his strategic and visionary approach to politics, and I am proud to have had the opportunity to be part of his closest team of associates over the years, and to have had him as a kind of political mentor. In any case, his vision of Serbia as a modern, progressive and prosperous state, which independently and on its own will decides on its destiny, is my wish as well and key motivation for political engagement. For only such Serbia is a country that its own citizens, as well as Serbs beyond our borders, can confidently rely on, while also being an inspiration to the entire region.

Source: Politika

26 January 2021

As of 21 January 2021, Serbian and foreign nationals visiting Serbia for business purposes shall be allowed to enter the Republic of Serbia without a negative RT-PCR test to the virus SARS-CoV-2, under condition that they notify the Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of Serbia prior to travel and that they provide the Chamber of Commerce a negative RT-PCR or antigen test issued by a referential laboratory of the Republic of Serbia within 24 hours from entering Serbia. The Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of Serbia shall forward the travel notification to the border authorities without delay, latest 24 hours before the expected arrival to the airport/border crossing. In case a traveller does not provide a RT-PCR test result within 24 hours from entering Serbia, or the test is positive, the Chamber of Commerce shall notify the relevant public health institute.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic pointed out that Serbia is the first in Europe in terms of economic growth, which will be officially confirmed at the end of March, and that this was possible owing to the reform measures taken since 2014 and the rapid opening of the country after the first wave of corona virus.

The President pointed out that Serbia had a growth of 5.2 percent in the first quarter, while the Eurozone was at minus 3.2 percent, in the second quarter Serbia had a growth of minus 6.3 percent, while the Eurozone was at minus 14.7 percent, and in the third quarter, when the Eurozone was at minus 4.3 percent, Serbia's figure was only minus 1.4 percent.

Vucic stated that Montenegro, for example, recorded as much as 26 percent minus in the third quarter.

Furthermore, the President emphasized that hospitals were built and renovated in our country, and that two hospitals were built from the ground up in just four months.

He said that the state made significant efforts to procure respirators, masks, gloves, protective suits, medicines, everything that was needed, and pointed out that work was being done on 10 general hospitals throughout Serbia, adding that all these were major achievements that were only possible owing to the success of the 2014 reforms, the enactment of the Labor Law, which yielded excellent results, and also through fiscal consolidation measures.

"These are unprecedented results for Serbia. Was Serbia ever before the first in Europe in terms of growth rate? We will get the results on 31 March that will confirm that Serbia is number one in Europe. All that was possible thanks to people who believed in difficult changes", Vucic said.

According to the President, this year, as many as six highways will be built in Serbia at the same time, and in this regard, he noted that Bulgaria has announced that the highway from our border to Sofia will be completed by the end of the year, after which it will be possible to use motorway to travel to Istanbul, which is very important to ensure that our country is on a transport route.

President Vucic emphasized that in 2020, the so-called year of corona, our country had a net inflow of foreign direct investment amounting to EUR 2.9 billion net, and three billion gross, which means that many foreign companies such as Toyota Tires, Boysen, ZTF and Brose have invested in Serbia even in this year of crisis.

The President said that Serbia has the highest average wages in the region, amounting to 511 or 512 euros, and that in February, due to the January increase, the average wage will be 535 or 536 euros, and that only in Belgrade in the last seven years the average wage increased by 180 euros or 40 percent.

That President said that Serbia was fourth in the region in terms of salaries before, and that today we are officially the first, and that the difference in relation to other countries will only increase faster. He also pointed out that the employment rate is growing in Serbia as well as that our public debt increased less than in most European countries. This is illustrated by the data that in Italy the public debt surged to 156 percent, in Germany to 87 percent, in France to 114 percent, in Croatia to 88 percent, while in Serbia it is at 57 percent.

The Serbian President announced that by Sretenje, 15 February, an additional package of assistance to the economy will be earmarked, and as he explained, it will be a new capital injection for companies, the trade, entrepreneurs, small, medium and large enterprises which, as he said, concerns 1,052,000 people within that system.

Vucic specified that it will most likely be help in the form of two or three payments amounting to half a minimum wage each, and that there will also be sectoral aid for tourism, hotel owners, travel agencies, guides, for bus carriers, through another half minimum wage payment.

The President added that efforts will be made to extend the guarantee schemes as well, which proved to be excellent, amounting to 1.5 billion, and this time, through the same system, two more portions amounting to 500 million each could be provided.

Vucic said that the first agreements with DFC worth 300 to 400 million dollars are expected in seven days.

He also stated that the state will endeavor to help pensioners further, in addition to increasing pensions by 5.9 percent in January, which will be reflected in their first checks in February, and added that pensioners should by March receive symbolic aid in the form of packages with vitamin C, D and zinc, which, as the President said, are small things, but they reflect the state's care and efforts made to protect health.

The President announced that negotiations on the procurement of the Chinese vaccine would be completed in the next seven to eight days, after the first quantities of the Pfizer and Sputnik V vaccines have arrived in Serbia, and pointed out that the Chinese vaccine was of exceptional quality, but probably the most expensive, which is why he wrote to the Chinese President and asked for a discount for our country.

Vucic thanked the Americans for deciding to sell the vaccine to our country and noted that no one in the region other than Serbia has received it, except for the small quantity that Albania got.

He pointed out that our state relied on itself and its own capacities, and that our state leadership anticipated that vaccines within the European COVAX plan would arrive late.

The President rejected the claims about bad results of Serbia in the fight against the corona virus and stated that our country has recorded the lowest corona virus mortality rate in the region.

He presented statistical information indicating that Slovenia had 144 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, North Macedonia 126, Bosnia and Herzegovina 123, Bulgaria 115, Montenegro 115, Hungary 110, Croatia 107, Romania 85, and Serbia 51.

"The mortality rate in the region is as follows: Bulgaria 3.9, Bosnia and Herzegovina 3.7, Hungary 3.11, North Macedonia 3.03, Romania 2.48. Slovenia 2.15, Croatia 1.99, Montenegro 1.4, and Serbia 1.0. This can be seen in the graphs and is no fabrication", the President stressed.

He said that the state will fight for vaccines, and that only Serbia, in the Western Balkans, received significant quantities of vaccines, other than a smaller quantity that Albania received, and added that in one day since the registration for vaccination opened, as many as 63,000 persons have registered.

President Vucic expressed his belief that the year ahead will be better than the previous one as well as that the corona virus will be defeated through vaccination of citizens.

Belgrade,

12 January 2021

3 January 2021

Our compatriots living abroad are one of the great potentials that the state has not recognized in the right way so far, which is why a different approach is needed to the issue of how to strengthen our diaspora and use the good will of people who are potential lobbyists for the interests of Serbia and the Serbian people, Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic said.

"When it comes to Serbs in the diaspora, and especially in the region, this issue has been a kind of an unattended crop which requires a lot of work, and even when a lot is done at once this is not apparent immediately ", Minister Selakovic stated in an interview with Tanjug.

He emphasized that the appointment of the Director of the Office for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region for the first time after almost seven years since this body was formed within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, shows that it is one of the priorities of the Ministry he is at the helm of.

Selaković notes that intensive efforts have been long underway on forming a plan to make the diaspora more visible both outside the borders of Serbia and in the mother country itself.

"Every person in the diaspora is a potential lobbyist for the interests of our country and people, and we need to find the right way to use that", he said.

That much can be done in that regard Selakovic illustrates with the fact that only in Switzerland, in 24 cities, there are Serbian cultural and artistic associations which amounts to more than 3,000 young people who get together in order to preserve our tradition, culture, the Serbian language and history.

"If they were able to set up such associations in 24 cities, it speaks volumes about the enthusiasm of these people. There is so much enthusiasm, energy and love in these people. We need to explore ways to help them and use their good will and potential", the Minister points out.

He also cites the example of an emigrant family in Canada, the Varaklic family from southwestern Serbia, who sends Christmas packages for children in the Raska region every year. He adds that they have so far donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to non-governmental organizations for those needs alone, but he says that we do not see that here.

"The state does not recognize this, and these are people who gained success as entrepreneurs working in a distant country, who can be serious lobbyists for Serbia, for Serbian interests, someone who represents us in the best possible way", Minister Selakovic said.

Minister Selakovic also pointed out that Arnaud Gouillon has been appointed as head of the Office for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region and described him as a man of extraordinary energy, great love for the Serbian people, which he showed in his engagement towards Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, where they were seriously endangered.

"By doing so, he showed and set an example to many of our compatriots of what an individual can do. And when one such individual focuses energy, enthusiasm, and love for people, on work done within the state administration system, I think that the preconditions have been created for such activities to yield good results", Minister Selakovic said.

 Source: Tanjug

2 January 2021

This year, Serbia could finally have Ambassadors and Consuls General appointed to about a third of the currently vacant positions in the country's diplomatic and consular missions in the world, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikola Selakovic is convinced that most of these positions will be filled, as he points out, by the best possible people.

"In the next year, I am convinced that the majority of these vacancies will be filled", Selakovic told Tanjug, emphasizing that the work is being done gradually, because the state wants to show that is has a quality staff who will represent Serbia's interests in the best possible way.

The Head of Serbian diplomacy reminded that in a number of diplomatic missions, the four-year mandate of Ambassadors and Consuls General has already expired, so that the procedure for appointing new ones will follow, after their recall.

One of the "vacant" spots is the post of the Serbian Ambassador to China.

"We are working hard to find the best possible solution for our new Ambassador to China and as we appointed one of the best people in the state system as Ambassador to the United States, who, I am sure, will perform his duties in the best possible way, I am convinced that it will be the same for the Ambassador in Beijing", Selakovic said.

The Minister, who took over the foreign policy sector in the Government a little over two months ago, points out that circumstances in the world, as well as Serbia's position in it, have changed, but that Serbia's foreign policy goals do not change: the country remains strategically committed to European integration and, while pursuing the EU path, it will also strengthen traditional friendships with Russia and China, as well as promote and strengthen new partner relations with the United States.

"Relations in the region, good-neighborly relations, regional cooperation are also important for Serbia, because this fits into the set of requirements on the European path. But, even regardless of the European path, it is always important who you live next to, who you live with, what your neighbors are like and what the relations are like in the neighborhood", Minister Selakovic said.

He also points out that the issue of Kosovo and Metohija is of inestimable importance, it being the main national and state issue for Serbia and the Serbian people.

"When I say that circumstances are changing, but not the goals - the EU and European integration was our goal seven years ago as well but look at what our room for maneuver was then, in terms of economic aspects, and look at it today. Circumstances changed, and then you adjust your actions to these changed circumstances, to the best extent possible", Minister Selakovic said.

He reminds that foreign policy priorities for 2021 were also outlined by the President of the Republic, and that maintaining peace and stability in the region is the absolute priority.

"Only in a peaceful and stable region of the Western Balkans and Southeast Europe can Serbia thrive economically, culturally and scientifically - in every respect. Peace and stability in the region are “sine qua non” without which there is no development and progress. Serbia has acted, is acting and will act as a factor that stabilizes the entire region and maintains peace in the region, showing that it is the region that benefits everyone the most", Minister Selakovic said.

Relations in the region have always been complex, and the region, Minister Selakovic noted, is to our great regret, burdened with issues that we cannot have a bearing on, and which concern the past.

Serbia's approach is to seek room to influence what is happening today and what will happen in the future.

In this context, he states that the so-called "mini-Schengen" initiative for market unification of the region, which originated from Aleksandar Vucic and was met with a positive response from the Prime Ministers of Albania and North Macedonia, is one of the opportunities to do much more for the region.

"To show how much more we can do if we act together and if we seek our common denominators, and not what separates and divides us ", Selakovic points out.

When it comes to relations with the United States, Selakovic said that one should not expect the great powers to change their positions the way we would like, want or imagine, but that it is important that the Ambassador in Washington, Marko Djuric, also emphasized that his task, among other things, will be to make efforts to change the climate in bilateral relations with the United States - the most important country in the world, as our lacking communication with them in the past seriously affected the position of the Serbian people and Serbia.

"I am convinced that Djuric will work seriously on that, together with President Vucic, Prime Minister Brnabic and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and contribute to a large extent to changing that climate", Minister Selakovic said.

He points out that it is extremely important for Serbia to promote its partner relations with the United States to a higher level.

"This is a country with which we cooperate closely in many areas and a country with which we must strive, and not give up in doing so, to find what we have in common, our common ground and good examples of our cooperation in the past, and to create space for such cooperation in the future as well", Minister Selakovic concluded.

Source: Tanjug

Preservation of peace, taking care of the health and better living standard are key for Serbia in 2021, underlined President of the Republic Aleksandar Vucic, convinced that even though the completion of this ambitious and by no means easy task will be anything but straightforward, best results can be achieved by working in concert with the Government, while ensuring security and a future of certainty for the citizens.

The President said that Serbia has set for itself great and ambitious goals for the next year, notwithstanding the complex international and regional circumstances, and that it will endeavor to fully preserve peace and stability in the region and the country, while safeguarding the vital national and state interests.

"Serbia will remain on the course of a winning policy - the policy of stability", President Vucic said and stressed that our country remains on the European integration path and that it will carefully foster its friendship with Russia and China, while building a friendship with the United States as well.

According to the President, Serbia will continue to pursue a winning policy, with the country itself as a top priority, i.e., a policy that will enable Serbia to continue being one of the top three countries in Europe in terms of growth rate in the next two years.

A precondition for that, the President noted, is to crack down on criminal groups, but also to ensure even bigger investments in the police and army forces.

"Serbia is the country that recorded the highest growth in Europe in 2020", the President pointed out at the annual press conference and added that he expects to conclude a new arrangement with the IMF, as well as that Serbia, by the end of next year or early 2022, will raise its credit rating to an "investment" one, which will put our country's rating on par with the most developed EU countries.

As the greatest success in 2020, Vucic noted that Serbia will end the year with the highest growth rate in Europe, which, as he said, is expected to be from minus 0.75 percent to minus one.

"I am proud to be the President of a country that is the European champion in terms of GDP",  Vucic pointed out and added that German Chancellor Angela Merkel was also pleased with Serbia's success.

According to President Vucic, this result will encourage Serbia to accelerate its European path, while continuing friendships with those who did not turn their backs on Serbia when it was at its darkest hour, namely Russia and China.

The President pointed out that the activities to attract foreign investors will continue, then that work will be done on investments in agriculture, primarily the food industry, new machinery, and digitalization of agriculture.

President Vucic also emphasized that the goal is for salaries in the public sector to average between 560 and 570 euros by the end of the year. Only in Belgrade, the average salary would be around 700 euros.  

President Vucic reminded that the salaries of health care workers will increase by five percent from January 1, while the salaries of others in the public sector will increase by 3.5 percent and an additional 1.5 percent as of April 1, while corporal, private first class and non-commissioned officer army ranks will get an increase of an additional 10 percent. He noted that the minimum wage will be increased by 6.6 percent and so will pensions from January 1, by 5.9 percent, with the plan that the average pension amounts to 270 euros by the end of 2021. The President especially pointed out investments in health care, reminding that two new covid hospitals have been opened and that the renovation and construction of health facilities continues throughout Serbia, while stressing that Serbia is by far the first in the region in terms of hospitalized persons per 100,000 citizens, which is why it has recorded a low mortality rate , and also that Serbia this year has been among the top three countries in the region according to the number of PCR tests performed.

Speaking about tourism, the President said that, next year, efforts will be made on the development of the Danube basin region, from Apatin to Kladovo, that the Ovcar-Kablar Gorge will be developed, as well as our mountain centers.

Discussing the field of culture and information, President Vucic said that the implementation of the media strategy and the completion of the reconstruction of the National Theater in Subotica are important for next year, and he announced investments in museums, especially emphasizing the relocation of the History Museum to the train station building. He also stated that the floor heating in the Church of Saint Sava will be completed next year.

He pointed out that the state will continue to take care of our citizens in Kosovo and Metohija, that no one can forbid Serbia to help its people, and that Serbia will not give up on helping our people.

As he emphasized, Serbia is ready to send medicines and vaccines to the Albanian population as well, and pointed out that in the upcoming period our country will pursue a policy of peace in the region and will endeavor to cooperate with Zagreb, Sarajevo, Podgorica and others.

29 December 2020

Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia Ana Brnabic received today the first vaccine against the coronavirus made by Pfizer company, at the Torlak Institute of Virology, Vaccines and Sera.

Brnabic, who is the first European Prime Minister to receive the vaccine, pointed out that this day may be the first since 6 March that we have a reason for a smile on our faces as it marks the beginning of the end of the coronavirus pandemic in Serbia, but also in Europe and the world.

As Prime Minister and as someone who leads the COVID-19 Crisis Response Team, I felt obliged to be the first to receive the vaccine, to show that we believe in it as well as in our institutions - the Medicines and Medical Devices Agency of Serbia and experts who worked round the clock to test the vaccine, she said.

Underlining that it was an honour to do this for her country and be the first to pave the way for all citizens, the Prime Minister said that she agreed with President of the Republic Aleksandar Vucic that the two of them receive different vaccines, so he will most likely receive the next one that arrives, most probably the one produced by China.

At the moment we have the Pfizer-BioNTech consortium vaccine, and the vaccines from the Chinese Sinopharm are expected in the near future, as well as certain quantities of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V.

She expressed her belief that at the end of the first quarter or the beginning of the second quarter of next year we will have the vaccine of the company AstraZeneca, and after that the vaccine manufactured by Moderna.

As we promised, all vaccines licensed in their countries and approved by relevant international agencies will be available to our citizens, and of course they will be tested by all of our agencies and institutes as well, the Prime Minister pointed out.

She said that prior to the vaccination of health care workers, Minister of Health Zlatibor Loncar will also receive a vaccine shot as we endeavor to serve as an example and show how confident we are in the vaccines and institutions.

Brnabic pointed out that Serbia, not counting Great Britain, is the first country in Europe to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and the third to start a mass immunization and campaign for giving the vaccine - after Great Britain and Switzerland.

We achieved something very important and we will not stop even for a moment until the immunization of the population is completed, the Prime Minister said.

She specified that our country will receive another 16,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in January, as well as that together with other vaccines we will have a total of one million doses in January, and a total of approximately two million doses during the first quarter of next year.

There is a dynamic on which Pfizer delivers vaccines and it varies depending on the production, and this is the case with deliveries to both Serbia and all other countries worldwide. We expected to receive 10,000 doses from Pfizer-BioNTech in December, however 4,807 doses arrived, the Prime Minister explained.

Serbia demonstrated that it is able to fight and succeed if we all work as a team, Brnabic said and called on all not to see the beginning of vaccination as the end of the fight already, but to continue to apply all measures instead.

This is to be certain and to be able to help our health care workers, and once the immunity is acquired, we will be able to slowly start taking off the masks in 2021, but until then we should not see this as a victory but as the beginning of the end, the Prime Minister concluded.

After the Prime Minister, vaccine shots were also administered to the Minister of Labor, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs and a member of the COVID-19 Crisis Response Team Darija Kisic Tepavcevic and to Predrag Kon who is also on the COVID-19 Crisis Response Team.

Furthermore, vaccine shots were also given to Head of the MMA Department for the Prevention and Control of Nosocomial Infections prof. Dr. Vesna Suljagic and academician Predrag Pesko, professor of Belgrade and Heidelberg universities and full member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts.

The first quantities of the vaccine arrived in Serbia on 22 December, and today they will be administered to patrons of nursing homes in Belgrade and Novi Sad.

Serbia is the first country in the region to receive a shipment of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

In addition to procuring the vaccine among the first countries in the world, even before EU countries, Serbia is one of the rare countries that managed to build and open two covid hospitals in record time. The hospitals with 930 beds in Batajnica and 500 beds in Krusevac are a major contribution to the expansion of capacities and strengthening the health care system in the fight against coronavirus and, as President Vucic said, represent a monument of the future, that will talk about the accomplishments the state made in a short time.

Also, we recall that investments in health infrastructure have been large in Serbia, and since 2016, 80 health centers and clinics have been renovated, and works are underway on six large health centers. This way more than EUR 200 million was invested in the reconstruction, construction and equipping of hospitals and more than 300 million in the renovation of clinics and specialized hospitals, and many have already been completed, such as the University Children's Hospital Tiršova, and KBC Zemun nad KBC "Dragiša Mišović" hospitals.

The absolute priority of the Serbian Government is the successful completion of health infrastructure projects that are underway, but great attention is also paid to health workers,

whose salaries have, by 2020, been increased by 56.8% for specialist doctors, and 66.9% for

nurses, while significant funding is invested in the education of health professionals, as well as in equipment and working conditions.

Like other countries, Serbia has faced great challenges this year, most notably health challenges, and all factors in the state were focused on preventing the spread of the virus and safeguarding the lives and health of citizens. Serbia has faced these challenges better than many wealthier and more developed countries in Europe and the world.

Belgrade,

24 December 2020

The Serbian government stated that at a meeting of the Stabilization and Association Council between Serbia and the EU held today, the overall progress achieved in Serbia's accession negotiations so far was commended, as well as the adoption of an improved enlargement methodology that should accelerate Serbia's EU accession process.

The participants in the meeting exchanged opinions on the current political and socio-economic situation in Serbia, and above all on the further dynamics of negotiations on EU accession, cooperation within the Common Foreign and Security Policy, as well as regional cooperation in the Western Balkans.

Accordingly, they welcomed the fact that the new government has placed European integration, preserving public health and economic growth, as well as normalizing relations with Pristina at the top of its priority list.

At the meeting held via video link due to the pandemic, the Serbian delegation was led by Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and Minister for European Integration Jadranka Joksimovic.

The EU delegation was headed by High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and European Commissioner for Enlargement Negotiations Oliver Varhelyi.

Borrell especially expressed gratitude for the participation of Prime Minister Brnabic, which is not the usual format, but which unequivocally shows how much importance the Serbian government attaches to the stabilization and Association Agreement and Serbia's European path.

The interlocutors discussed current relations between Serbia and the European Union, primarily the process of Serbia's accession to the EU, as well as political and economic criteria, harmonization of domestic legislation with the EU acquis, as well as the implementation of the EU pre-accession assistance.

The EU representatives reiterated the EU's commitment to Serbia's European future and called for proactive and strategic communication between Serbia and the EU.

During the meeting, they also talked about the way in which Serbia is facing the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, both in terms of resolving the health crisis and in overcoming the consequences for the economy in general and the implementation of reforms.

The participants agreed that good neighbourly relations and regional cooperation are key elements of the enlargement process, and to that end welcomed the continued dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and Serbia's consistent commitment to the process.

The EU representatives welcomed Serbia's significant contribution to military missions and operations, as well as Serbia's participation in EU battle groups, stressing the importance of further deepening cooperation on foreign policy issues.

The participants in the meeting also supported the Common Regional Market, launched by Western Balkan leaders at a summit in Sofia on 10 November, and recalled that the Western Balkans Economic and Investment Plan, adopted by the European Commission on 6 October 2020, provides a comprehensive framework to support economic convergence of Serbia and the EU region.

Belgrade, 17 December 2020

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Nikola Selakovic had talks today via video link with Head of EU Delegation in Serbia Sem Fabrizi and Ambassadors of the EU Member States.

On this occasion, the Serbian Foreign Minister emphasized that full membership of the EU remained one of the key foreign policy priorities of the Serbian Government, and that the European integration process was a strategic goal also aimed at promoting the quality of the society.

Minister Selakovic pointed out that Serbia was ready for an acceleration of the accession process dynamic which is why it accepted the new methodology in the first place, and that it is now hoping that it will, in the period ahead, receive clearer guidelines on its implementation in the negotiating process.

The Minister said that Serbia has taken a number of important steps forward in the reform process, which were not fully reflected in the European Commission's Annual Progress Report.

The Minister reminded that our country opened 18 out of 35 negotiating chapters with the EU since 2014, provisionally closing two, and that it is at this point ready to open five new chapters.

Discussing the talks between Belgrade and Pristina, Minister Selakovic noted that the only right path towards a sustainable agreement was through dialogue and compromise.

He explained that it was necessary that topics of the talks include the issues being ignored by Pristina for years, despite having committed to them under the Brussels Agreement, such as the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities.

The Minister added that Serbia is deeply devoted to regional cooperation and that, as an important country of the region aiming to contribute to overall stability, our side has through its steps, among others, significantly contributed to decreasing the tensions with Montenegro.

Minister Selakovic also said that Serbia was very grateful to the EU and its Member States for the financial assistance, particularly amid the coronavirus pandemic.

 Belgrade, 16 December 2020

Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović has held a video meeting today with Michael Roth, the Minister of State for Europe at the German Federal Foreign Office. They have discussed the current epidemiological situation in the two countries and the EU, as well as Serbia’s European integration process.

Joksimović and Roth have also talked about the issues related to the EU’s internal situation, particularly regarding the new seven-year budget, the place and the future of the enlargement policy and the Western Balkans, notably about all aspects of Serbia’s accession process, challenges and expectations from the new methodology, which should bring a faster negotiation process that would be better monitored and directed under stronger political steering.

Joksimović has particularly informed Roth about the fact that the Government of Serbia prepared a concrete implementation plan for the first negotiation cluster on the rule of law, which comprises five rule-of-law chapters that have already been opened, adding that the realization of the plan has already begun.

“This serious implementation plan includes a repeated initiative sent to the National Assembly for the adoption of constitutional amendments, the adoption of the Action Plan for the implementation of the Media Strategy, as well as the Working Group on monitoring the implementation of the Action Plan and the Working Group on journalist safety and protection”, said Joksimović, according to the press release published by the Ministry of European Integration.

She has also stressed that GRECO recommendations for the fight against corruption have been published in a transparent way, and that further actions will be taken in line with them.

She has further presented all other important segments of Serbia’s reform policy in all six clusters, including Green Agenda, digitization, Economic and Investment Plan for the WB, and stable and sound macroeconomic indicators, stressing that, therefore, this year, Serbia has again undeniably demonstrated that it deeply and substantively participates in key EU policies and that it is a credible European country.

Joksimović has emphasized that Serbia understands that the EU and member states will need some more time to define the application of the new methodology to Serbia’s negotiation process, and that it is therefore important to maintain a constant and open dialogue so as to direct the process in line with the new methodology.

She has expressed regret that conclusions on enlargement have not been adopted this year and that, consequently, the political Intergovernmental Conference with Serbia has not been held during the German presidency.

On the other hand, the Minister has expressed belief that the upcoming Stabilization and Association Council will offer an opportunity to discuss all political and economic aspects of Serbia’s process at the highest level.

Roth has thanked Minister Joksimović for the information and issues she shared, as well as for Serbia’s proactive approach regarding reforms and active acceptance of the new methodology.

He has underlined that Germany supports Serbia and the enlargement policy, particularly welcoming all significant steps that the new Serbian Government has already taken, especially regarding cluster 1 – rule of law, where he stressed that they are an important and positive signal for Serbia’s European path.

He has agreed with Minister Joksimović about the need to urgently define the application of the new methodology to countries that are already in the accession process, where clusters of European policies and Serbia’s participation therein become an instrument for measuring progress in the accession process.

He has conveyed that Germany will advocate the holding of the political Intergovernmental Conference with Serbia in the first half of 2021.

The interlocutors have particularly discussed the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, agreeing that it represents another proof that the European Union gives strategic importance to a stable and sustainable development of the region, particularly in difficult circumstances of curbing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Joksimović has thanked Minister Roth for Germany’s long-term and concrete assistance to Serbia’s European integration, not only at the political level, but also through providing development assistance for financing reform projects, and successful strategic investments that have created a significant number of new jobs.

The interlocutors have also agreed that it is extremely important that, through the COVAX Facility, Serbia has ensured that its access to vaccines procured by the EU will be almost simultaneous with the EU member states’ access.

Source: Tanjug

On the occasion of 10 December, the international Human Rights Day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia reaffirms its commitment to the principles and values of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted on this day in 1948.

The principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights have been the foundation for the development of international law in this field, and of the international system for the promotion and protection of human rights, as a unique achievement of modern civilization. It is incumbent upon us today to safeguard and strengthen the international system ensuring respect for human rights, to develop human rights standards, control the implementation of commitments, and also to continue cooperating with international and regional institutions on the protection of human rights.

Serbia is fully committed to the universal values of human rights and implementing in practice the international legal instruments relating to human rights. Our continued cooperation with the Human Rights Council mechanisms in the framework of the United Nations, with the Council of Europe and the mechanisms of the OSCE human dimension, represents an important segment of activities carried out by all state authorities, thus demonstrating our consistent commitment to the implementation of international human rights standards.

The international Human Rights Day is an opportunity to point out once again that Serb and other non-Albanian population is being deprived of its rights in Kosovo and Metohija and to call again on the international community to ensure the respect for the guaranteed international human rights norms and contribute to creating conditions for the return of internally displaced persons and giving them back their usurped property.  

The President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić met today the ambassadors of EU Member States accredited to Serbia and the Head of the EU Delegation Sem Fabrizi in the Palace of Serbia, to talk to them about topics such as dynamics of the accession negotiations between Serbia and EU, stability in the region, regional projects, as well as the Economic and Investment Plan presented by the European Commission together with the Enlargement package.

President Vučić once again confirmed that cooperation with the European Union and fully-fledged membership of Serbia remain one of the key foreign policy priorities of our country. He particularly emphasized that in this respect Serbia is honestly dedicated to further and deeper reforms, approaching them with responsibility and seriousness, and that it tries to adopt and apply the best practice through cooperation with institutions of the EU and its member states.

"Serbia will continue being dedicated to the promotion of peace and stability in the region, by improving bilateral relations with neighbors, and by strengthening regional cooperation while respecting all concluded agreements", President Vučić stated, adding that the European future of the Western Balkans is of utmost importance for both stability of the entire region and security and further prosperity of the EU.

Ambassadors pointed out that declarations on the common regional market and the Western Balkans green agenda, which were signed by Serbia and all leaders of the region, received a warm welcome in Brussels and EU Member Stated, and that good and solid connectivity and integration of the region largely facilitates the cooperation of the very Union with the Western Balkans in all areas of joint interest.

"As much as 70% of foreign investments come from the countries whose representatives are sitting here today", Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Sem Fabrizi said, adding that Serbia can rest assured the EU will continue supporting and investing in the Serbian economy. While Covid-19 has put all economies under stress, Serbian economy has resisted and proved its resilience.  With the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, the EU will remain Serbia's strongest partner for economic recovery which will support infrastructures, green and digital transition. We welcome the announced reforms in the areas of rule of law, including judiciary reforms and media freedom. This is precisely the base for acceleration of the accession process and we encourage the new government to keep working and implementing in this direction", Fabrizi said.

President Vučić pointed out that Serbia highly appreciates that the EU, despite numerous challenges it is facing has managed to preserve the enlargement issue on its agenda, especially through the recent adoption of a new, changed methodology of the negotiation process.

"In this respect, we expect from the EU that Serbia's accession negotiation dynamics follows and values our reform efforts", President Vučić said pointing out that Serbia is ready to continue working with its European partners on implementation of the reforms and numerous joint projects.

President Vučić particularly noted that Serbia welcomes the Economic and investment plan presented by the EC together with the Enlargement package, and expressed our country's readiness to continue working with the partners in the region on the implementation of this Plan so as to improve the economic potential of the region and achieve better infrastructure connection, which would bring us closer to the single European market.

"In this context, we hope the Multiannual financial framework 2021-2027 will be adopted soon, because that will mean a possibility to use funds designed for reform implementation in Serbia and in the region", President Vučić said, reiterating that Serbia remains on its European path with an honest faith in cooperation with the European partners.

"2020 has been an extremely difficult year for all, especially the impact of COVID–19. When I look at new Government's commitment to implement reforms, the Economic and Investment Plan of the EU, the new methodology and increased cooperation to fight COVID-19, I see 2021 with a much more favorable perspective for progressing the enlargement", Fabrizi concluded.

President Vučić also pointed out that Serbia is prepared to work intensively with the EU Member States on finding an adequate response to the new challenges, such as COVID-19 pandemic.

Belgrade, 8th December 2020

My Way, the exhibition of the oil paintings of Serbian artist Filip Jovanović is open at Kultturikeskus Caisan Galleria, Kaikukatu 4 B, Helsinki, and will be exposed there till 19 December.

http://www.caisa.fi/en/events/event/8B9603E2995EF5C5526D002C326302BF/My_Way_

On the sad occasion of the passing away of Head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, His Eminence Irinej, the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia opens, in conformity with the epidemiological recommendations of the Finnish authorities, an e-Book of Condolences. The citizens can convey their condolences via e-mail sent to the following address till Tuesday noon, 24 November 2020: office@serbianembassy.fi. 

The Cabinet of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia has prepared two brochures entitled "Serbia-Emerging tech development hub" and "Guide through measures to support the development of innovative economy", with the aim of promoting the Republic of Serbia as a favorable destination for business and investment in research and development and new technologies.

Brochures can be accessed on the following websites:
1. Brochure "Serbia - Emerging tech development hub" https://innovations.serbiacreates.rs

2. Brochure "Guide through measures to support the development of innovative economy" https://inovacije.srbijastvara.rs

To commemorate the founding of the Prince's Office of Foreign Affairs in 1839, the Serbian Government adopted a decision in 2015 declaring 29 May as the Serbian Diplomacy Day. The establishment of the Office marked the beginning of professional diplomacy in our country.

The Act on the Establishment of the Prince's Office was adopted on that day, in line with Article 5 of the "Turkish constitution" from 1838. The decree on its establishment was also the first law on the organizational structure and activities of the Ministry.

On this occasion, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed today, in memory of all Serbian diplomats through history, youth role model Novak Djokovic, whose success united the people through a strong feeling of happiness and excitement for his extraordinary victories, awakened the dormant spirit and showcased to the world a strong sports nation, proud of its history and tradition.

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic paid tribute to Novak Djokovic for his overall diplomatic contribution, awarding him for his exceptional efforts and contribution to the promotion of Serbia's interests and its people worldwide.

Link: http://www.mfa.rs/en/press-service/statements/19240-minister-dacic-awards-novak-djokovic-for-his-exceptional-efforts-and-contribution-to-the-promotion-of-serbias-interests-and-its-people-worldwide

The media house in Finland, "Olutposti" whose mission is to emphasize and promote the culture of beer and food, published an article named "Sparkling Belgrade," about Serbian craft breweries.

Finnish guests expressed interest in the technology of experimenting with different flavors of a beer chosen by our brewery masters and enjoyed not only the excellent tastes of Serbian cuisine but also the phenomenon of Kafana's.

On 6 May 2020, the Government of the Republic of Serbia revoked its decision on the

State of Emergency concerning the corona-virus pandemic.

In order to facilitate access to cultural contents to the citizens of Serbia as well as to users from other countries during COVID-19 epidemic, the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Serbia made available a large scale of programs of National Cultural Institutions in digital format in different languages (virtual tours, digital audio and video materials, photos, texts, 3D scanned objects, etc). А list of digital cultural content offered by cultural institutions of the Republic of Serbia is on the web site of the Ministry of Culture and Information, as follows: (http://www.kultura.gov.rs/cyr/aktuelnosti/digital-contents----serbian-cultural-institutions-2020 )

Serbian films

1. Next to me (Pored mene, 2015, Сtevan Filipovic, drama, 110 minutes) http://www.fcs.rs/en/films/film-database/?page=film&id=1314 Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpKAFB9QUZc

2. Skinning (Šišanje, 2010, Stevan Filipovic, drama, 98 minutes) http://fcs.rs/en/films/film-database?page=film&id=169 Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsH6IRftCEI

3. Sheitans Warrior (Šejtanov ratnik, 2006, Stevan Filipovic, SF comedy, 94 minutes) http://www.fcs.rs/en/films/film-database/?page=film&id=152 Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgxT0TmisxE

The conversation with Estonia’s Foreign Minister H.E. Mr Urmas Reinsalu at the celebration of the Estonian Independence Day.

Representatives of ten Finnish companies (Fortum, Outotec, UpCode World, KJK Capital, Vöner, Parviainen Architects, Capital Media, Tid Media, Junes Events) visited the Embassy on 29 October.

Topics:

Business and investment opportunities in Serbia;

Incentives;

Economic sectors in focus of international cooperation;

Sharing experience in doing business in Serbia.

The 9^th festival of Serbian movies was held from 25^th- 27^th October in the cinema K-13 in Helsinki. As usual, the organizer of the festival was our Serbian-Finnish Society in cooperation with the Film Center Serbia, Helsinki Municipality and this Embassy.

During three evenings, the audience could watch five films from the newest Serbian production:

Taxi Blues by Miroslav Stamatov,

The Witch Hunters, children movie, by Raško Miljković,

South Wind by Miloš Avramović,

Occupied Cinema, documentary, by Senka Domanović, and

The Load by Ognjen Glavonić.

Consultation in the field of security policy between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Finland were held on 24^th of October in Helsinki. Consultations in this field are an integral part of the ongoing bilateral dialogue between ministries of the two countries.

Our delegation was led by the Assistant Minister for Security Policy in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Branimir Filipović, while the head of the Finnish delegation was the Director General of the Political Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Ambassador Mikko Kinnunen. During the consultations, both sides expressed readiness to promote bilateral cooperation in the field of security policy and exchanged views on a number of topics of common interest, with particular emphasis on the political and security situation in the Western Balkans, the engagement between the two countries within the framework of the Common Security and Defense Policy, participation in NATO Partnership for peace program, as well as the current challenges of European security.

Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Finland Mr. Pekka Haavisto made an official visit to the Republic of Serbia on 1 October 2019.

At the joint press conference held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia in Belgrade, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Mr. Ivica Dačić conveyed the appreciation of the Serbian Government to the Government of Finland for its continuous support to the EU enlargement policy and the European integration process of the Republic of Serbia.

Minister Haavisto emphasized that the Western Balkans is a part of Europe and its role is very important for the EU, therefore it’s of crucial importance for that region to participate in the European cooperation; marking Serbia as an important component of that cooperation. Mr. Haavisto used this opportunity to stress Finland’s readiness to support Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, expressing hope that the dialogue will be continued in due course, as well as the assurance that the EU will be able to help that process.

Minister Dačić pointed out Serbia’s willingness to participate in all Finland’s initiatives concerning the Euro-integration process, emphasizing the readiness of our country to open more chapters during the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU, in order to speed up the progress toward the EU membership.

Two ministers agreed that bilateral relations of Serbia and Finland are very good, with high potential for the further development in various areas, especially in the field of economy.

During the visit, ministers Haavisto and Dačić opened the exhibition “BELGRADE – HELSINKI, 90 Years of Diplomatic Relations”, organized at the Archives of Yugoslavia in Belgrade.

 Links:

Speech of Mr. Ivica Dačić, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2eFgbcePtI&feature=youtu.be

Speech of Mr. Pekka Haavisto, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Finland:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4NboMHVxM4&feature=youtu.be

Photo Exhibition "Applied Nostalgia" (Belgrade-Helsinki) in Europpaasali, Malminkatu 16 (seat of the EC Representation) from 20th to 30th September.

Photographers: Mme Mirjana Piroški (Helsinki) & Mme Tanja Mikkola (Belgrade).

The exhibition is organized on the occasion of the Finnish EU Presidency, as well as in the honour of an important anniversary: 90 years of Serbian-Finnish diplomatic relations.

Speakers at the official opening ceremony held on 23rd September:
Mme Tamara Delić, Assistant Minister of European Integration of the Republic of Serbia;
Mme Johanna Sumuvuori, State Secretary of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Finland;
Mr. Zoran Radojičić, Mayor of Belgrade;
Mr Otso Kivekas, Chairperson of the City Council of Helsinki,
Mme Tanja Mikkola, one of the authors of the exhibition, and
H.E. Mr. Saša Obradović, Ambassador of Serbia.

Mr. Goran Trivan, Minister of Environmental Protection of the Republic of Serbia, participates at the EU Informal Meeting of Environment/Climate Ministers in Helsinki, 11-12 July 2019. Topics: circular economy, biodiversity and climate change. Photo: Welcome by Finnish Minister Mme Krista Mikkonen.

Photos:

1. Commercial Manager of AirSerbia Mr. Joost Den Hartog and FinnAvia CEO Mr. Kimmo Maki at the official openning of the new line Belgrade-Helsinki-Belgrade at the Helsinki Airport on 1 June 2019.

2. Ambassador of Serbia H.E. Mr Saša Obradović with representatives of AirSerbia and the Tourist Organization of Serbia after their presentations for Serbian and Finnish journalists, tourist operators and representatives of Finnish companies in the Embassy (Photo by Andres Teiss, Viisi Tahtea)

3. Mini-concert of Mme Marija Šerifović in the Helsinki downtown, where her funs could listen again "Molitva", the 2007 Eurovision Song winner at the contest held in Finland. (Photo by B. Toskovic)

A group of excellent students of the Primary School Ilija Garašanin from Grocka, with their teachers, visited the Primary School Winelska in Kirkkonummi from 14 to 18 May. It was a return visit under the project Heritage Hubs; while Finnish students in Grocka, earlier this year, enjoyed presentation of their national  Stafettkarnevalen, the students from Serbia had an opportunity last week to see how Finnish performed Serbian Slava.

Photo: Students and teachers of the Ilija Garašanin School with our diplomat Ms Isidora Đorđević in Kirkkonummi.

At Finfringe Festival in Turku, Jacopo Squizzato and Need Teatro from Trieste performed the play about the most famous scientist of Serb origin – physicist and inventor Nikola Tesla. Together with our Embassy, the promoters of this performance that took place on 11^th of May were Istituto Italiano di cultura from Helsinki and Embassy of Croatia.

The joint presentation of investment and business opportunities in Serbia, Romania and Hungary were held in the Centre for Innovations Joki in Turku.

In the program of the European Film Weeks, the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia invites you to watch The Samurai in Autumn by Danilo Bećković.

Tuesday, 2 April, 19.00, at Eurooppasali, Malminkatu 16. Free entrance.

 See you there!

Serbia, Montenegro and Northern Macedonia were in focus of the discussion about the investment and business opportunities which were held in the Business Finland Center in Helsinki on 14^th of March. The presentations were given by H.E. Mr. Pertti Ikonen, Ambassador of Finland in Belgrade, H.E. Mr. Saša Obradović, Ambassador of Serbia in Helsinki, Mr. Igor Madžarević, Economic Adviser of Finnish Embassy, Mme Kirsi-Maarit Poljatschenko and Aleksej Leppanen from Business Finland Oy, Mme Senni Muiniekka, Programme Officer of Finnpartnership and Mme Liisa Tolvanen, Senior Adviser of Finnvera plc.

(Foto: Sandra Pöysäri)

https://www.iltalehti.fi/matkajutut/a/32a94b05-de52-4cfd-a3a8-19d0706ed738

Smile of Serbia

Embassy of Serbia celebrated its National Day, Sretenje, on 15 February, together with the 90-year-jubilee of Serbian-Finnish bilateral relations. 

Ambassador Saša Obradović and Under-secretary of State Pekka Puustinen.

https://www.finavia.fi/en/newsroom/2019/new-airline-helsinki-airport-air-serbia-opens-connection-belgrade

Ambassador of Serbia H.E. Saša Obradović, Ambassador of Hungary H.E. György Urkuti & Romanian Minister Counsellor for Economic Affairs Mr. Adrian Cristea presented the opportunities for business cooperation with their countries on 8^th of February in the Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Tampere.

https://www.ekapija.com/en/after-workhours/2354215/travel-lemming-names-serbia-top-travel-destination-for-2019

“No city makes you feel more like a New Yorker than Belgrade. In Belgrade, people don’t walk, they amble; lunch spans the course of 3 or 4 hours; and drinks are sipped, never knocked back. Despite the slow pace of life, there’s still an unmistakable energy that bursts through the city. Walk the city streets, past towering Communist buildings, graffiti-lined blocks, the banks of the Danube, and bands playing along the main drag, and you’ll feel the city’s pulse. But it didn’t always move with this ease of liberation.

If you’re not familiar with Serbia’s turbulent history, reminders of the country’s tumultuous past are everywhere: from the bomb-blasted government buildings to the post-war Communist blocks that dominate New Belgrade. But today, a sense of liberation can be felt in every nook of the city: inside the restaurants where diners smoke, drink, and dance to gypsy bands until the early hours, and on the splavs (nightclubs on boats), which have turned the city into a nightlife destination. What some might consider vices, Belgraders consider freedom. In Serbia, smoking is a hobby (you can smoke everywhere) and drinking is a way of life. After 500 years of Turkish rule and 50 years of Communism, can you blame them?

It’s in this moment of emergence that Belgrade should be visited. It’s a moment where attractions are plenty, but tourists are few.” (Mary Holland, Vogue, 6 April 2017)

At the exhibition and the presentation of the book Hotel Jugoslavija by Finnish photographer Sakari Viika. 

On 19^th November, the Association of Finnish Students organized a breakfast with Serbian Ambassador in café Ekberg in Helsinki. The topics of the conversation were: life in Serbia, its foreign policy, international relations and Serbian tourist attractions.

The exhibition of the renowned Finnish photographer and a member of the Serbian-Finnish Society Mr. Saku Paasilahti was opened in the Embassy on 13^th of November. Ten art photographs present everyday life and spirituality of Serbian Orthodox monasteries and churches in the territories of Serbia and Montenegro. The artist dedicates this exhibition to two big jubilees this year: celebration of 100 years of the end of the WWI in which Serbia lost 1.2 million people, and 600 years since the foundation of the monastery Manasija in Serbia (1407-1418) founded by Serbian ruler despot Stefan Lazarević. It was a fresco painting from Manasija “Soul of the Righteous in the  Hand of God” inspiring the artist for the name of this exhibition.

The opening hours: Monday – Friday, 10 – 16.00

President of the Republic of Serbia H.E. Mr Aleksandar Vučić and Minister for European Integration Mme Jadranka Joksimović represented the Serbian Progressive Party at the Congress of the European People’s Party held in Helsinki on 7^th and 8^th of November. The high representatives of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (VMZS/SVM) also participated in the work of the Congress.

http://www.narodnimuzej.rs/?lang=en

The 8^th traditional Festival of Serbian Movies will be held from 26^th- 28^th October in the cinema K-13 (Kanavakatu 12) in Helsinki.

The organizer of the festival are the Serbian-Finnish society and the Embassy of Serbia in Helsinki in cooperation with the Film Center Serbia.

Screening Schedule:

- Friday 26.10. at 19:00  Requiem for Mrs. J.(2015), directed by Bojan Vuletić.

- Saturday 27.10. at 17:00  Why did Dragan gather his band (2017), a documentary film, directed by Nikola Spasic.

- Saturday 27.10. at 19:00 Humidity (2016), directed by Nikola Ljuca.

- Sunday  28.10. at 17:00 With my eyes wide open (2017), a documentary, directed by Marko Novaković.

- Sunday 28.10. at 18:00, Bandits in Search of Mom (2018), directed by Kosta Ristić.

Subtitles in English.

The ticket price is 5 €, payment at the card entrance or in cash. Ticket sales starts half an hour before the start of the screening.

Mr. Nenad Popović, Minister for Innovations and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, participated in the Ministerial Conference on Future of  Artificial Inteligence in Europe, which was held in Helsinki on 8 and 9 October. On the margins of this event, Mr. Popović  had meetings with Finnish Minister of Economy Mr. Mika Lintila (photo) and European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mme Mariya Gabriel.

3. October 2018, Europasaali, Office of the Representation of the EU Commission, Malminkatu 16, Helsinki. Opening of the WWI posters from eleven European countries.

Photos:

1. Ambassador of Serbia Saša Obradović and Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Greece Konstantina Kamitsi in front of the Greek poster from 1918 „Brotherhood of Greece and Serbia“.
2. With Ambassador of Poland H.E. Jaroslaw Suchoples near Polish and Serbian posters.

3. „Save Serbia our ally“ by Steinlen, Serbian Relief Committee of America, USA, 1916.

1 October 2018

The exhibition Today and Tomorrow by Mme Sari Stajevic-Teodosin and her son Mr. Viktor Teodosin is now open in the Embassy, keeping thus the practice of nice cooperation between the Embassy and the domestic artists of Serbian origin. The oppening ceremony hosted 50 visitors. The exhibition will be open until 20 October, every working day between 12 and 3 pm.

The Junior Athletics Team of Serbia participated in the World Championship held in Tampere from 10 to 15 July.

Three lecturers in the field of geriatrics at the Ninth Conference of the Serbian Medical Diaspora held in Belgrade from 14 to 16 June 2018 - Prof. Dr. Harriet Finne-Soveri, Prof. Dr. Jouko Valdemar Lavrila and Dr Dimitrije Jakovljevic visited the Serbian Embassy in Helsinki on July 9th. They shared the impressions from the Conference with Ambassador, but discussed also the opportunities for continuation of cooperation with the Serbian institutions in further transfer of knowledge.

Photo: Ambassador Saša Obradović with his wife, professor dr Hariet Finne-Soveri, professor dr Jouko Lavrila, Mme Mia Marttini, journalist of the Rapid Action Group Ltd, and dr Dimitrije Jakovljević, member of the Academic & Business Forum of Serbs in Finland.

Minister for innovations and technological development in the Government of the Republic of Serbia Mr. Nenad Popović met Estonian Minister for enterpreunership and information technology Mme Urve Palo on 18 June in Tallinn. They discussed opportunities for more intensive bilateral co-operation in the field of e-governance and innovations.

During this visit, a nice presentation of E-Estonia was shown to Minister Popović and his delegation.

Representatives of Tigar AD Pirot, D-Company Babušnica and Free Zone Pirot, together with Ambassador of Serbia, visited the headquarter and manufactory plants of the Teknikum Group Ltd. in Sastamala on the 6^th of June in order to discuss the possibilities for the technical co-operation. The discussion will continue in Pirot in the fall of this year.

On the 7^th of June, the delegation from Pirot met Mr. Markus Sjolund, Director of Tampere Regional Chamber of Commerce.

         In the honour of the upcoming football World Cup, a nice tournament named Mondialito took place in Helsinki on the 9^th of June, where the representatives of those nations playing in Russia could compete in their football skills on the grass field (6+1 format). The team gathered and organized by Ambassador of Serbia won 3^rd place.

The scores:

Serbia - World Refugees Team 3:0 (scorers: Chuikov, penalty; Ilić, two goals);

Serbia – Colombia 2:0 (A. Šaponja, free-kick; Chuikov);

Serbia – Portugal 1:0 (Đ. Obradović);

semi-final, Serbia – Russia 1:4 (Chuikov), and

3rd place match, Serbia – Colombia 2:1 (Chuikov, two goals).

In the final, Russia was better than England (1:0).

             Serbian Team, from left to right, up: Nikola Popović, Srđan Vojinović, Branimir Ilić, Goran Ivaniš, Đorđe Obradović, Murat Durmaz & Dmitry Chuikov; down: Vaso Trifković, Miloš Arsić, Ambassador Saša Obradović, brothers Aleksandar and Mirko Šaponja & Milan Đurić.

            One of the best players of the tournament was Dmitry Chuikov, Consul of the Belorussian Embassy, who played with Serbian team and scored five goals. The oldest player in the Serbian team was Ambassador (50), who managed to assist at the goal in the semi-final against Russia, while the youngest was his son Đorđe (20) who scored the winning goal against Portugal.

            The winning goal for the 3rd place position, scored in the last minute of the match after the great pass by Mirko Šaponja, could be seen at the facebook profile of the Embassy (Ambasada Republike Srbije Helsinki).

The team of Serbia dressed the official T-shirts of its National Football Association.

Mme Katarina Dimić from Aalto University and Ambassador of Serbia.

The Office of the European Commission Representation in Tallinn held on  15th of May a seminar named Will the European Union expand again? The keynote speakers were Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia H.E. Mr. Sven Mikser, Ambassador of Serbia H.E. Mr. Saša Obradović, and Deputy Head of the EEAC Office in the European Commission Mr. Clive Rumbold.

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/serbia-best-places-to-visit/index.html

26.04.2018.

President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia Mme Maja Gojković participated in the Conference of Speakers of the EU Parliaments held on 23rd and 24th of April in Tallinn. 

Photo 1: Family photo of the Speakers (author: Erik Peinar). 

Photo 2: Bilateral meeting with President of the Austrian National Council Mr. Wolfgang Sobotka. 

5 April 2018

 Photo: Ambassador Saša Obradović with Mme Venla Hiidensalo, President of the Finnish PEN Centre, the author of the novel Sinun Tahtesi about some family details from the life of the great Finnish painter Albert Edelfelt (left) and Mme Veera Tyhtila, screenplay and theater writer (right).

27 March 2018

Serbia at the Business Finland seminar Explore the Balkans Business Opportunities: Mr. Boris Tasić, Managing Director, Finnpneumatic Oy Ltd, H.E. Saša Obradović, Ambassador,and Dr Dragan Kostić, CEO, Free Zone Pirot.

19.3.2018.

A wonderful friendship between Serbs and Finns were traditionally celebrated this year, on the 17^th of March, in the Koket café in Helsinki.

8 March 2018

Mr. Paul Teesalu, Undersecretary for Political Affairs of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mr. Zoran Vujić, Political Director of the Serbian MFA (photo below).

Serbian Ambassador Saša Obradović participated in the celebration of centenary of Estonian independence, which took place on 23rd and 24th of February in several Estonian towns. 

Photo: Congratulations chat with Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Sven Mikser. Photo below: At the reception in the Estonian National Museum in Tartu. 

The National Day reception took place in the Embassy building on 15 February 2018 (Sretenje), in the presence of numerous members of diplomatic corps, Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Serbian-Finnish Society, Finnish Chamber of Commerce, journalists and many other distinguished guests, entertained by the big jazz orchestra Aninkaisten Sӓvel from Turku (photo below taken by Mr. John Pagni). The guests also had opportunity to see some photos of Belgrade by Estonian art photographer Raut Tuulas, as part of the project „Applied Nostalgia“ of the Serbian Ministry for European Integration.

Dragana Milovanović from Belgrade is a co-author of a very popular multimedial 3D spectacle Monet2Klimt: Art in Motion (https://www.monet2klimt.ee/en/),  performed in Helios Hall in Tallinn (Sauna 1-3, Old Town) since March 2017. The Helios Hall was open for the guests of the Embassy of Serbia in Helsinki in the evening of  the 21^st of December. The exhibition continues in 2018.

Ambassador of China H.E. Mr. Li Chen with his wife visited Ambassador of Serbia H.E. Mr. Saša Obradović and his wife. Chinese Ambassador is fluent in Serbian.

The Skolt Sami Cultural Foundation and Ambassador of Serbia Mr. Saša Obradović organized together a screening of the documentary Caisa’s Enchanted Forest, directed by Mme Katia Gauriloff, which won the Finnish prestigious Jussi Award for the best documentary in 2016, as well as a recent Grand Prix at the International Film Festival The Northern Character in Murmansk. The screening of this film to the diplomats and journalists in the cinema Andorra in Helsinki was financially supported by the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs as a part of the celebration of 100 years of independence.

Mr. Nenad Popović, Minister for Innovations and Technological Development in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, visited Helsinki on 29^th and 30^th November, where he met Finish Minister for Economy Mr. Mika Lintila (see the photo below), visited Finish Funding Agency for Innovation Tekes and participated in the biggest world conference on innovation and startup business Slush 2017.

This year, Serbia was represented at Slush with three startup companies: UrbiGo (urbigo.me) , Sunthetic (www.sunthetic.eu) and Mindy (mindyapp.com). The Embassy organized a small reception for the representatives of these three companies, at which they could meet Minister and his delegation, together with the representatives of the Serbian Fund  for Innovation Activities.

Ambassador of Serbia Saša Obradović addressed the participants of the meeting organized by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland in Helsinki on 29 November. The following Finish companies participated in the discussion: Taaleri, Fortum, KKM, Valmet, Parviainen, Molok, Vaisala и Planmeca.

The exhibition of ceramics and drawings of Finno-Serbian artist Srba Lukić is open in the Embassy from 23rd November to 21 December, and can be seen every working day from 12 to 4 pm. Mr. Lukić is a member of Serbian ULUPUDS, the Association of Applied Artists and Designers, as well as of Finnish Association of Designers Ornamo. He has already had several solo exhibitions in Helsinki, Belgrade, Tallinn, Stockholm and Porvoo, where he lives, and participated also in many group exhibitions. 

Permanent Secretary of Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health Ms Paivi Sillanaukee and her team of experts hosted a delegation of the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs of the Republic of Serbia led by State Secretary Mr. Nenad Nerić and Director of the Republic Institute for Social Protection Mr. Božidar Dakić. The consultations touched issues of current reforms of social systems, rights of veterans, social protection of refugees and imigrants, gender equality, protection against family violence, status of the Roma population and support to the foster families.

Ambassador of Serbia to Estonia, H.E. Saša Obradović, opened the retrospective program of the movies of the famous Serbian and Yugoslav director Emir Kusturica, which is held in the cinema Soprus in Tallinn from 25 to 31 October.

Program:

25.10 at 20.00 – Time of the Gypsies (1989)
26.10 at 20.00 – When Father Was Away on Business (1985)
27.10 at 20.00 - Arizona Dream (1993)
28.10 at 20.00 - Underground (1995)
29.10 at 20.00 - Black Cat, White Cat (1998)
30.10 at 20.00 - Life is a Miracle (2004)

31.10 at 20.00 - Maradona (2006) 

Ambassador of Finland to Serbia H.E. Pertti Ikonen and Ambassador of Serbia to Finland H.E.  Saša Obradović were among spectators of the FIFA women qualification match Finland – Serbia (1:0), which took place in Helsinki Arena on Sunday, 22^nd of October. Under the meteorological conditions, which were still tolerable, two ambassadors used the opportunity to discuss their joint efforts toward improvement of the bilateral economic relations.

Finnish Chamber of Commerce (Finncham) published an interview with H.E. Saša Obradović, Ambassador of Serbia to Finland – Investment and Business Opportunities in Serbia.

Click here:  https://finncham.fi/2017/10/09/interview-h-e-mr-sasa-obradovic-serbian-ambassador-finland-serbia-investment-business-opportunities/

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic received today Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Finland Timo Soini and of the Kingdom of Sweden Margot Wallstrom, who are on a joint visit to Serbia.

In a cordial conversation, the Ministers assessed as good the bilateral relations between Serbia, on the one hand, and Finland and Sweden, on the other, noting that their political dialogue was developed. An interest was expressed to further strengthen all forms of bilateral cooperation, particularly in the economic field.

Minister Dacic expressed his pleasure that the centenary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with Sweden would be observed this year, while the ninetieth anniversary of the diplomatic relations with Finland would be marked the following year.

Foreign Minister Dacic expressed his gratitude to Finland and Sweden for their active support thus far to the European integration of the Republic of Serbia, hoping that it would be continued in the future. He underlined Serbia's particular appreciation of the support and donations received from these two countries through bilateral and development assistance.

The Scandinavian Ministers positively assessed the continuation of comprehensive reforms carried out by the Government of Serbia, and reiterated the readiness of their countries to continue to support the European integration of the Republic of Serbia also in its further process of negotiations with the European Union. They emphasized their commitment to ensure that the enlargement policy remained high on the EU agenda.

Views were also exchanged during the talks on the current situation in the region.

Consultations between the representatives of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Finland were held in Helsinki, on 4 October. Photo: Major General Milan Mojsilović, Assistant Minister for Defence Policy of the Republic of Serbia and Major General Jukka Juusti, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Finland (Source: Finnish Ministry of Defence).

Belgrade's photographer Marko Nikolić and his Tallinn's colleague Rait Tuulas have made this art project upon the idea and support of the Ministry for European Integration of the Republic of Serbia. Each of them took photos of the street scenes in the town of another one, searching for those motives that reminded him of his town. The exhibition of this urban poetry was open on 21 September in Tallinn by Mme Janne Andresoo, Director General of the National Library of Estonia, in which foyer the exhibition was placed; Mme Anja Rović, State Secretary of the Ministry for European Integration of Serbia, Aino Lepik von Wiren, Undersecretary for European Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia and Mr. Saša Obradović, Ambassador of Serbia to Estonia, while photographer Rait Tuulas also addressed the visitors. The exhibition "Applied Nostalgia" will be post in Belgrade in December. 

FOTO:

Аnja Rović, Rait Tuulas, Aine Lepik von Wiren, Saša Obradović and Janne Andresoo. 

Finnish companies interested in doing business in Serbia had an opportunity on 19 September in Helsinki to meet Ambassador of Serbia Mr. Saša Obradović and Mme Jelena Aković, Adviser for Strategic Investments of the Development Agency of Serbia http://www.ras.gov.rs/, as well as Mme Siv Ahlberg, Programme Director of Finnparteship http://www.finnpartnership.fi/www/en/index.php). The round table discussion was organized by the Helsinki Chamber of Commerce (Director Tatu Rauhamaki), Embassy of the Republic of Serbia, the Development Agency of Serbia and Enterprise Europe Network.

Women’s Football National Team of Serbia U-19 won the qualification tournament for the European Cup, which was held in the town of Eerikkila. Young Serbian footballers won over the team of Bosnia and Herzegovina 3:0, Israel 3:0, and played 1:1 against Finland. Ambassador of Serbia visited our National Team, congratulated them and watched a very  interesting match with the domestic team.

Delegation of the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Serbia (dr Dejan Masliković, Assistant Minister of Culture; Mme Tamara Šević, Head of the Department for Digitization; Mme Dragana Milunović and Mme Vesna Jovanović Trifunović, librarians of the National Library of Serbia) paid a three-day study visit to the National Library of Finland, organized by the European Commision (TAIEX program). The program was directed to the legal regulations and good practices in the field of digitization of cultural heritage. 

The introductory lesson was given by Director of the National Library of Finland Mr. Kai Ekholm (photo below), while Serbian delegation was also host by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Culture Mme Anita Lehikoinen.

Minister for European Integration of the Government of the Republic of Serbia Mme Jadranka Joksimovic participated on 7 and 8 September in the informal meeting of the EU ministers (Gymnich) held in Tallinn, concerning preventing and countering radicalisation and violent extremism.

On the margins of the meeting: Minister Jadranka Joksimovic, UK Secretary of State and Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Mr. Boris Johnson and European Parliament's Rapporteur for Serbia Mr. David McAllister. 

Puppet Theatre “Pinokio” from Belgrade performed its play Max Metallic on 31 August at Espan lava stage in the center of Helsinki. The story about life and love of this puppet tall 5,20 meters, who was created in Finland 17 years ago and who became, from 2000 onward, a hero of Belgrade’s Puppet Theatre, was supported by UMO jazz orchestra from Helsinki. The performance took place at the First International Festival of Puppet Theatres in Helsinki – SAMPO 2017.  

28th July 2017

The Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and Government of  Kyrgyz Republic on visa free travel for holders of diplomatic and official passaports, signed in Belgrade, on 2 Decembre 2015, will take effect on 13 July 2017.

Based on this Agreement, nationals of both States, who are holders of diplomatic and official passaports, will have the right to enter into, transit  through and stay on the territory of the other Party without a visa within a period not exceeding 90 days from the date of entry.

4th of July 2017

Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia deposited the ratification instrument for the Convention on the European Forest Institute to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Finland on 4 July 2017. The Convention will enter into force for Serbia on 2 September 2017.

27th of June 2017.

Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Helsinki invites interested companies to submit bids for the following works within 15 days:

1. Reconstruction of the outer wall of the building and sidewalks at the entrance to the Embassy;

2. Repair of the entrance gate and reconstruction of the supporting pillars of the fence (in accordance with the assessment possible

3. Replacing / installing the remote control mechanism for opening the garage doors and repairing the garage doors

4. Repairing / replacing the intercom and the mechanism for opening the entrance doors of the consular department

5. Rehabilitation of the ceilings and parquet in the office of Ambassador.

Bids should be sent unified for all listed works, expressed in euros without VAT.

For any additional information and scheduling an eventual arrival for evaluation, you can contact info.serbia@kolumbus.fi and phone +358 40 810 7965.

13th of June, 2017

Fifteen Members of the Finnish Guild of Travel Writers visited the Embassy of Serbia on 12 June, where Ambassador presented Serbian tourist offer and opportunities. The guests also enjoyed Serbian food and wine.

8th of June 2017.

On 8th of June 2017, H.E. Ambassador Sasa Obradovic presented letters of credence to H.E. President Kersti Kaljulaid and thus became non-resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentary of the Republic of Serbia to the Republic of Estonia.

6th of June, 2017

Please visit the Conference’s website www.serbiandiasporamedical.rs and share this information with your colleagues.

30th of May 2017.

Consultation in the field of security policy between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Finland were held on 29th of May in Helsinki. Consultations in this field are an integral part of the ongoing bilateral dialogue between ministries of the two countries.

Our delegation was led by the acting Assistant Minister for Security Policy in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Branimir Filipović, while the head of the Finnish delegation was the Director General of the Political Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Ambassador Juka Salovara.

30th of May 2017.

Acting Assistant Minister for Security Policy in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Branimir Filipović, participated in the 13th annual NATO conference on the arms control of weapons of mass destruction, disarmament and non-proliferation, which took place in Helsinki in the period from 28th to 30th of May.

23rd of April, 2017

His Eminence Mr. Dositej, Bishop of Anglo-Scandinavian Eparchy of the Serbian Orthodox Church visited on 22 and 23 April Serbian community in Finland and served liturgy in the Church of St. Trinity in Helsinki.

18th of April, 2017.

Serbian film "Next to me" directed by Stevan Filipovic opened traditional Europian Film Week in Helsinki organized by the Europian Commission Representation in Finland and the Europian Parlament Information Office in Finland.

Photo: Ambassador Sasa Obradovic  addresses the audience before the screening of the film.

2nd of April 2017

The Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Helsinki opened a poll station for the first time in the elections for the President of the Republic.

Eighty citizens voted.

Aleksandar Vučić was elected as the new president.

24th of March 2017

Ambassador Saša Obradović, invited by Oulu Diaces of the Finish Orthodox Church, visited orthodox communities in Eastern Lapland: Rovaniemi, Ivalo, Nellim and Sevettijarvi, where he visited also the House of Scolt Sami, one of the rare indigenous people in Europe.  

15th of February 2017

Sretenje, National day of the Republic of Serbia was formally celebrated at the Embassy.

4th of February, 2017.

Employees of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Helsinki attended the traditional anual celebration of Serbian-Finish society in Helsinki.

27th of January 2017

On the thematic lecture during this occasion, which was attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the Republic of Finland, HE Saša Obradović, the students in the Serbian language, performed a hymn to St. Sava.

HE Ambassador Saša Obradović, gave a lecture on St. Sava, its multiple significance in Serbian history, with special emphasis on his work of enlightenment.

17th January 2017

The appointed Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the Republic of Finland, H.E. Sasa Obradovic presented his Letter of Credence to the President of the Republic of Finland Mr Sauli Niinistö,  in a formal audience at the Presidential Palace.

30th of December 2016.

The Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Government of the People's Republic of China on mutual visa exemption for  holders of ordinary passports, signed in Riga, on 5 November 2016, will take effect on 15 January 2017.

Based on this Agreement, nationals of the Republic of Serbia and of People's Republic of China   who are holders of ordinary passaports, will have the right to enter into, transit  through and stay on the territory of the other Party without visa in the period not exceeding 30 days.

28th of December 2016.

His Eminence, Metropolitan Elia of Oulu, visited the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Helsinki, and met with Ambassador Sasa Obradovic.

20th of December 2016.

Mr. Vladan Jovanovic, president of the  “Serbian-finish society”, the association that deals with the development of cultural ties between the Finnish and Serbian nation, strengthening of cooperation and friendship between them, visited the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Helsinki.

During the conversation with Ambassador Sasa Obradovic, both sides expressed readiness to continue cooperation and also discussed concrete possibilities for its further improvement.

13th of December 2016.

Professor Johanna Virkkula from the Slavistic Centre, Department for Modern Languages, University of Helsinki, who teaches Serbian language and culture, visited the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Helsinki.

During the conversation with Ambassador Sasa Obradovic, they discussed the possibilities for intensifying cooperation in the field of promotion of the Serbian language and culture in the Republic of Finland. 

2nd of December 2016.

The Ambassador of the Republic of Finland in the Republic of Serbia, H.E. Pertti Ikonen and his economic advisor Mr. Igor Madzarevic, visited the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Helsinki.

During the meeting, they exchanged impessions from the meeting "The possibilities for bussines in Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro", which was held at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Finland and attended by Ambassador Sasa Obradovic.

30th of November 2016.

Delegation which included representatives from "OrganicNet" company, Ministry of education, science and technological development and Innovation Fund, upon invitation of the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia in Finland, H.E. Sasa Obradovic, visited the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Helsinki.

Representatives of the Republic of Serbia have previously participated at the leading Europian conference for "startup" companies - "SLUSH 2016", which was held in Helsinki from 30th of November until 1st of December. During the meeting they talked about their impressions from the conference and opportunities for cooperation with Republic of Finland in the field of innovative technologies.

23rd of November 2016.

By the decree of the President of the Republic of Serbia on 18th of October 2016, Mr. Sasa Obradovic is appointed as Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia in the Republic of Finland.

H.E. Sasa Obradovic arrived to Republic of Finland on 23rd of November 2016. and assumed his duties.

16th November 2016.

In accordance with the conclusion of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, at the session held on 13th of September 2016, H.E. Slavko Kruljevic Extarordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia in Finland relinquished his duties and left Republic of Finland on 16th of November 2016.

Pending the arrival of his successor, Isidora Djordjevic, deputy head of mission, will be Charge d'Affaires a.i. 

INVITATION TO TENDER FOR THE PROVISION OF REAL ESTATE SALES SERVICES – THE SALE OF DIPLOMATIC REAL ESTATE IN NEW YORK (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA), TOKYO (JAPAN), BONN (GERMANY), AND BERNE (SWITZERLAND)

- Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia, the Republic of Slovenia, and the Republic of Serbia – as the sole Successor States to the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (hereinafter “the SFRY”) – and the co-owners of diplomatic and consular property of the SFRY, as the previous title owner, hereby issue an invitation to tender for the provision of the service of brokering the sale of the following immovable property (The information on property in this invitation to tender are only indicative. The Successor States accept no responsibility for their accuracy. Precise information may be obtained by consulting public databases of the countries where the immovable property is located. The Successor States will submit relevant data in their possession regarding the immovable property listed in this invitation to tender to the successful tenderer after the completion of the selection process.):

a) Permanent Mission of the SFRY to the UN, New York, USA (854 Fifth Avenue, N.Y. 10065); additional indicative data: block 1391, Lot 6, site area 3,600 sq. ft./30 x 120, gross living area 16,125 sq. ft, est. 1910;

b) Residence of the Permanent Representative of the SFRY to the UN, New York, USA (730 Park Avenue, N.Y. 10021); additional indicative data: Apt. 16/17B, cooperative interest, 718/30.000 shares, block 1385, Lot 37, project name: Park 71st St. Corp., gross living area above grade 4,294 sq. ft., Act. Age: 1929;

c) Embassy and residence of the SFRY in Tokyo, Japan (7-24, 4-chome, Kitashinagawa Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo); additional indicative data: land 316-37 Kita Shinagawa 4-Chome, Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, registered total area 995.27 m2 (app. 28 m x 30 m), building 316-37 Kita Shinagawa 4-Chome, Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, total floor area 1,725.70 m2 (size in building design document), time of completion 1965;

d) Embassy of the SFRY in Bonn, Germany (Schlossallee 5, 5300 Bonn 2), additional indicative data: land register Mehlem, entry no. 2,865, building and garden/courtyard area 5,441 m2, Schlossallee 1 and 5, floor area 1,565 m2 (ground floor, cellar, attic, underground garage with 14 parking spaces);

e) Embassy and residence of the SFRY in Berne, Switzerland (Seminarstrasse 5, 3006 Bern), additional indicative data: estate: nr. 199 Bern 4, land area: total 1,760 m2, building gross area 540 m2, garden area/courtyard 1,220 m2, construction year: 1978.

       Ambasada Republike Srbije

  Embassy of the Republic of Serbia

Why Kosovo is ineligible for membership in UNESCO?

Zbog uvedenog vanrednog stanja, prevoz humanitarne pomoći za poplavljena područja izuzet je iz režima multilateralnih i bilateralnih dozvola, i ta vozila će se u R.Srbiju propuštati bez međunarodnih dozvola i po ubrzanom postupku