http://www.mfa.gov.rs/en/component/content/article/64-daily-survey/16256-daily-survey-08032017
Press service
Serbia
Wednesday, 08 March 2017.
DAILY SURVEY 08.03.2017.
SERBIA
DACIC DISCUSSES STRONGER PARTNERSHIP WITH ERITREA'S FOREIGN MINISTER
BELGRADE, 8 March 2017 (Beta) - The Serbian and Eritrean foreign ministers, Ivica Dacic and Osman Saleh, agreed in Belgrade, on March 7, that the two states were friends already, but that political and economic partnerships had yet to be developed.
At a joint press conference Dacic said that Serbia and Eritrea maintained good bilateral relations and had no problems, but that their cooperation was underdeveloped.
Dacic said that a memorandum on political consultations between the two ministries would be signed on March 8, setting up a mechanism for regular ministerial meetings once a year, and for the coordination of international initiatives.
Eritrea refused to recognize Kosovo's unilaterally proclaimed independence and voted against Kosovo's move to join the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and has maintained "a consistent, principled stand" on Serbia's territorial integrity and sovereignty, Dacic said.
The Serbian foreign minister said it was "regrettable" that the value of bilateral foreign trade was EUR 12,000 in 2016. It was Serbia that imported Eritrean products worth that much, which also shows that Serbia appreciates friendly states, he added.
Minister Dacic said that the two states could cooperate in the areas of agriculture, processing industry, mining, energy and medicine, and develop military cooperation, too.
Dacic said that President Tomislav Nikolic had decorated his Eritrean counterpart, and that he would deliver the decoration during his next visit to Eritrea.
Minister Saleh, Eritrea's first official to visit Serbia since the establishment of diplomatic relations, said that his visit to Serbia was an opportunity for the development of bilateral consultations aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two states.
