3 July 2018 Deputy Speaker Marinkovic and the Israeli Foreign Ministry Director General

3 July 2018 Deputy Speaker Marinkovic and the Israeli Foreign Ministry Director General

Tuesday, 3 July 2018

National Assembly Deputy Speaker Prof. Dr Vladimir Marinkovic Talks to Israeli Foreign Ministry Director General

National Assembly Deputy Speaker and Head of the PFG with Israel Prof. Dr Vladimir Marinkovic met today with Israeli Foreign Ministry Director General Yuval Rotem.


Marinkovic informed the guest about the recent series of events co-organized by the National Assembly and the Israeli Embassy in Serbia, such as the 25th anniversary of the renewal of diplomatic relations between Serbia and Israel, which the National Assembly is especially proud of. He opined that the relationship between the two parliaments is dynamic, especially at the level of working bodies. The PFG with Israel is one of the largest in the National Assembly and both the ruling majority and the opposition representatives in it fully agree that cooperation with Israel deserves to be advanced, said Marinkovic.

He said that the National Assembly had greatly contributed to the restitution of Jewish property by passing a special law on the matter, becoming the first country in the region to resolve the issue in such a manner. Marinkovic also announced that a law on erecting a memorial for the victims of the Holocaust at Staro Sajmiste is also in the works and took the opportunity to thank the Israeli experts who helped prepare the exhibition about Jasenovac, set up at the UN. He added that Serbia continues to work on keeping the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and by taking part in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

“We respect Israel’s position on the developments in the Middle East and hope that it will persevere in the preservation of its national interests despite the pressures it is exposed to. We are also grateful to the State of Israel on its principled stance on Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. We are committed to the continuation of dialogue and implementation of the Brussels Agreement”, said Marinkovic.

The National Assembly Deputy Speaker opined that there is ample room to expand economic, as well as scientific, cultural and educational cooperation.

Israeli Foreign Ministry Director General Yuval Rotem thanked Deputy Speaker Marinkovic for his personal efforts to advance and strengthen relations between Serbia and Israel. He opined that the two countries have not utilized the full potential of these relations.

Rotem added that a lot of changes are happening in the Middle East and the Israeli-Arab conflict is not the only one. He opined that Arab Spring changed the climate in the Middle East and opened up new possibilities for Israel and its diplomacy. Rotem talked about the plan to set up a Serbia-Israel economic committee to advance economic, IT and agricultural cooperation. The Israeli Foreign Ministry Director General said that his country’s stance on Kosovo-Metohija is a principled decision and he sees no reason to change it.

Member of the PFG with Israel and Chairman of the Committee on Kosovo-Metohija Milovan Drecun said that there is room to advance bilateral cooperation, especially in the sphere of security in view of the common threat of terrorism. He added that Serbia needs modern technology, especially for food production. Drecun thanked Israel for its support of Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, saying that its stance is an example of responsible political behaviour.



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thursday, 28 march
  • 9.00 - consultations of representatives of the parliamentary groups about the election of deputy chairpersons of the National Assembly working bodies (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, hall 1)

  • 10.00 - visit of the students of Stevan Dukic Elementary School to the National Assembly House (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square)

  • 11.00 - visit of the students of Drinka Pavlovic Elementary School Student Parliament to the National Assembly House (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square)

  • 11.00 - press conference of the Green-Left Front – Don’t Let Belgrade D(r)оwn Parliamentary Group (National Assembly House 13, Nikola Pasic Square. Central Hall)

  • 13.00 - the National Assembly Speaker meets with the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Serbia (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, Speaker’s Cabinet)

Full event calendar