Today, the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Prof. Dr Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic and the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs Luis Amado discussed the improvement of relations between the two countries, and parliamentary cooperation in particular.

The officials agreed that parliamentary cooperation is extremely important for the improvement of overall bilateral relations, particularly within the oversight role where parliamentarians can help improve the quality of all joint activities. “Increased cooperation between parliaments also gives a sense of security to the economic sector which in turn leads to new types of cooperation and investment of both Portuguese companies into Serbia and vice versa”, said Amado. Amado thanked the NARS Speaker for her personal engagement in promoting good relations between Serbia and Portugal, particularly on the parliamentary level.

The leader of Portuguese diplomacy reminded that the two countries enjoy good diplomatic cooperation particularly in the last several years and added that Portugal has always been ready to promote closer cooperation between Serbia and the European Union, for which the Speaker thanked him. Amado expressed gratitude for the Republic of Serbia’s support of Portugal’s election for non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, adding: “We are in a very complex and difficult situation, which is why it is important for us as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council to hear Serbia’s opinion on certain crisis issues and conflicts”.

Djukic-Dejanovic reminded that two years ago the Serbian and Portuguese parliaments signed a Memorandum of Cooperation and announced that a NARS delegation, headed by the NARS Speaker who is at also the head of the NARS Friendship Group with Portugal will visit Lisbon in June.

The NARS Speaker stressed that 2011 marks 100^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which will be commemorated by the placement of a plaque onto the former building of the Serbian Embassy in Lisbon where Jovan Ducic, a prominent Serbian poet and diplomat, served.