25 March 2024 The participants of the meeting

25 March 2024 The participants of the meeting

Monday, 25 March 2024

National Assembly Deputy Speaker Sandra Bozic Has First Meeting in XIV Legislature with Cuban MP

National Assembly Deputy Speaker Sandra Bozic met today with Cuban MP Fernando González Llort, currently in official visit to Serbia, with the Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to our country, Leyde Ernesto Rodríguez Hernández, also attending the meeting.


At the very beginning of the meeting, Sandra Bozic expressed her satisfaction with the opportunity to have the first official meeting in the XIV National Assembly legislature with the Cuban MP, as she said hero of the modern era, adding that she hoped this meeting was the beginning of deeper parliamentary cooperation. The Deputy Speaker thanked Llort for attending the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the NATO bombing of FR Yugoslavia, stressing that the wounds are still painful and fresh. On the occasion, she thanked the MP for his principled stance on the issue of non-recognition of the unilaterally declared independence of the so-called Republic of Kosovo and support in international institutions when it comes to defending Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. "It seems to me that even in these difficult times we are on the same side of history," said Bozic, referring to the geopolitically difficult situation in the entire world.

Llort thanked the Deputy Speaker for the opportunity to meet, adding that it was a great honour for him to attend yesterday's commemoration of the beginning of the NATO aggression against Yugoslavia. "It seems to me that 1999 was the moment when disrespect for international law and peacekeeping institutions began, which continues to this day," said the Cuban MP. He reiterated that the territorial integrity of Serbia with its constituent part of Kosovo-Metohija is a position that Cuba will continue to support and defend at the international level.

The MP added that the similarities between the two nations are undeniable and that Serbia and Cuba, although small and surrounded by a very complex geopolitical context, are resisting in order to preserve their national identity and independence. He said that for years Cuba has been trying hard to defend itself against attempts to impose agendas that the Cuban people do not want and that these efforts include the economic war against Cuba, which, he said, has been going on for 62 years. Llort informed the Deputy Speaker in more detail about the economic situation in Cuba, which has an impact beyond Cuba's borders. "The development of trade relations with Serbia and investments between Serbia and Cuba are of great importance to us. For the Cuban embassy in Serbia and for Cuba itself, it is very important to establish and strengthen trade ties, as well as exchanges in the academic sphere and cooperation in the field of agriculture, and especially parliamentary ties that open all doors for us and help us understand each other better." He pointed out that the he Cuban Parliament’s International Relations Committee is looking forward to the establishment of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Cuba in the National Assembly, in order to establish parliamentary ties and help cooperation in all areas.

Bozic conveyed the greetings of National Assembly Speaker Ana Brnabic, who is currently attending the 148th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva. She added that Serbia is very well aware of how sanctions and economic bans affect the development of a country, pointing out that Cuba will always find understanding and support in Serbia, a practice which it will continue in international forums. "I am grateful to you for all the support you have given Serbia in international organisations and Serbia still faces various challenges in terms of the Council of Europe and NATO," said Bozic. She also estimated that the international communities render the work of their organisations meaningless and that the postulates of the state, statehood and territorial integrity of a country are often violated, and that this practice dates back to the Congress of Vienna and the Treaty of Versailles, when the principles of international cooperation and international law were established. Bozic also said that, in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, there is more talk about indications of further arming of states, and not about establishing peace in the world. "In these difficult geopolitical circumstances, it is important to preserve peace, stability and the economy and to enable our people to live as normally as possible and away from the problem that is in front of all of us," Bozic concluded on this topic.

She pointed out that there is room for cooperation, especially in the fields of agriculture and culture, and highlighted the possibility of cooperation with the BIO4 Campus, a multidisciplinary project that will cover the fields of biomedicine, bioinformatics, biotechnology and biodiversity.

The officials agreed that both nations proudly defend their culture and identity and defend their history from oblivion. They agreed that mutual support and finding solutions in very challenging times is of great importance. They also discussed mutual visits, as soon as parliamentary friendship groups are established.



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