The President of Israel Isaac Herzog ended a very successful visit to Serbia, which confirmed the close ties between the two countries and laid the foundations for strengthening the bilateral partnership.
On that occasion, the Serbian Foreign Minister welcomed the President of Israel, expressing his belief that this visit to Serbia will further enhance the friendly relations between the two countries:
- ברוך הבא לסרביה, נשיא יקר! (from Hebrew - Welcome to Serbia, dear President!)
It was an honor to welcome President Isaac Herzog to our capital. This visit is yet another strong signal of the historic friendship that has bound the Serbian and Jewish people for decades, - marked Marko Đurić in his X .
The welcome with military honors was also attended by Serbian Ambassador to Israel Miroljub Petrović and Israeli Ambassador to Serbia Avivit Bar-Ilan.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has welcomed Israeli President Isaac Herzog with the highest state honours outside the Palace of Serbia in Belgrade. The ceremony has been followed by a tete-a-tete meeting of the two presidents.
A plenary meeting of the Serbia & Israel delegations headed by Vucic and Herzog was held as part of Herzog's official visit to Belgrade. The two presidents spoke to reporters and delivered keynote speeches at a round table discussion on synergy in innovation.
At the round table "Synergy in innovation and trade: talks between Serbia and Israel", in the presence of the two presidents, three Memorandums of Understanding were signed between the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia and partner organizations from Israel, as well as a Joint Declaration in the field of technological innovation between the Office for IT and eGovernment and the Israel Innovation Authority.
On his X page, Isaac Herzog said:
- Thank you President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić for the wonderful gesture of friendship, it is an honor to see the streets of Belgrade decorated with Israeli flags. You are a true friend of Israel, and I deeply appreciate all that we do together to deepen and strengthen our fruitful cooperation in numerous fields.
The dark shadows of war and evil are no strangers to our peoples, and as Israel continues to fight terror throughout its region, I am grateful for your nation's support.
I stand here with Edith Ohel, an Israeli whose family originates from Serbia, and whose son Alon is captured by Hamas terrorists, along with 100 other hostages who are brutally held in Gaza. We want to see Alon and all the hostages home and I appreciate all that you are doing to help in this highest human and moral duty that must remain at the top of the world's agenda.
During his visit to Serbia, the President of Israel attended the Jewish cemetery in Belgrade:
- I stood in Belgrade, remembering and grieving, together with the Jewish community at the Memorial to the Jewish victims of the greatest tragedy that befell our nation. The shadow of anti-Semitism is far from a distant memory. We continue to face that ancient evil today as our brave soldiers fight terror and as we rise up around the world against the anti-Semitism that is present on the streets, on college campuses and on social media. The proud Jewish community with a long history in Serbia stands as a beacon, and together with friends and partners from Serbian society, we remember the dark days, strengthening our determination and commitment, with the message: Never again.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, seeing off the President of the State of Israel Isaac Herzog at Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport, expressed his gratitude for the visit to Belgrade, pointing out that high-level meetings are always an additional impetus for improving relations between the two countries.
The Serbian and Jewish people share a centuries-old friendship, emphasized Đurić, and today the importance of relations with the State of Israel far exceeds the framework of the Middle East or just our bilateral relations.
The head of Serbian diplomacy also thanked President Herzog for his support for the specialized exhibition Expo 2027, which Serbia is hosting, and expressed satisfaction with the potential for cooperation that was seen during the visit.
The President of Israel Isaac Herzog ended a very successful visit to Serbia, which confirmed the close ties between the two countries and laid the foundations for strengthening the bilateral partnership.
Serbia, thank you for the warm welcome!