Serbia and Belarus are reliable friends and partners, and this friendship has been tested by time, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Serbia to the Republic of Belarus Ilina Vukajlović said in an interview with BelTA on the occasion of the national holiday of the country - Statehood Day, which is celebrated on 15 February. The head of the diplomatic mission emphasized that the friendship between the leaders of the two countries is an important basis for the development of Belarusian-Serbian cooperation. She also spoke about the exchange of experience in science and technology, artificial intelligence, Serbia's chairmanship in the Global Partnership for Artificial Intelligence and preparations for EXPO 2027 in Belgrade.
Madam Ambassador, what, in your opinion, makes the basis of bilateral cooperation between Belarus and Serbia?
Serbia always publicly emphasizes its fraternal and warm friendly relations with the Republic of Belarus.
A large number of our Belarusian friends from various walks of life attended our celebration of the Day of Statehood of the Republic of Serbia in Minsk, which testifies not only to good relations but also to cooperation at all levels.
To the sounds of the Serbian and Belarusian anthems, we celebrated our friendship and cooperation on that day.
I would like to note that good contacts between the leaders of our countries are a guarantee of interaction between Serbia and Belarus.
The meeting of the two presidents, Aleksandar Vučić and Aleksandr Lukashenko, in Baku in November 2024 gave an additional impetus to the development of our bilateral relations.
By the way, the Republic of Belarus has hosted the Serbian deputy prime ministers, ministers and other high-ranking officials in the last six months, which attests to the depth of our cooperation at all levels.
What is the state of cooperation in economy between our countries? How effective is the exchange of experience in science and technology, AI?
The interaction between Serbia and Belarus is traditionally friendly and based on mutual benefit. Our countries have many plans to intensify relations in the academic, cultural and economic avenues.
This week the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has organized a meeting with Belarusian businessmen interested in cooperation with Serbia. It was an honor for me to tell the Belarusian businessmen about the favorable conditions and benefits that Serbia offers for doing business.
I was also very pleased to see how well informed my Belarusian friends are about the economic achievements of our country. Serbia has paved the way to become the leader of our region in innovative technologies and their application in industry, which is another common feature that we share with friendly Belarus.
I would like to point out that we have very good communication and cooperation with the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. We are pleased to see how much Belarus is investing in innovation, development and application of artificial intelligence, biotechnology. These are the areas that Serbia, as the country chairing the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, sees as the basis for further economic development.
Serbia adopted its first strategy for the development of artificial intelligence in 2019, becoming the first country in Southeast Europe to do so. Serbia was also the first in the region to approve the National Strategy for the Development of Artificial Intelligence for the period from 2020 to 2025. The first Artificial Intelligence Research Institute in Serbia and in the region has been founded in Novi Sad.
We are also proud of the BioSense Institute, a research and development institute of information technology for biosystems. Founded in 2015 it is pioneering the digital transformation of agriculture in Serbia. By exploring the scientific and technological frontiers of innovative application of IT in agriculture, the institute aims to offer the best digital solutions for agriculture both in Serbia and globally, with the goal of producing higher yields at lower costs.
Novi Sad also won the first award in Europe as part of Horizon 2020, one of the European Commission's most prestigious competitions aimed at establishing European research and innovation centers, which will ensure more competitive position of countries in the global value chain and strategically include them in Europe's innovative growth path.
In my opinion, the Republic of Belarus has a fantastic healthcare system. Many people from Serbia come to Belarus for treatment, especially for organ transplantations. Serbia would like to expand cooperation in this field as well as in other promising areas with the Republic of Belarus.
One of our groundbreaking projects is the construction of a complex called Bio4 Campus. The complex will cover almost 20 hectares and wil focus on four key areas: biomedicine, biodiversity, biotechnology and bioinformatics. The campus will house our largest R&D centers, universities, start-ups. It will offer a space where young scientists, students and entrepreneurs will be able to implement ideas and grow businesses.
The intergovernmental economic cooperation commission will intensify its work. Minister Nenad Popović, who has recently visited Minsk, has been appointed co-chairman of the commission. We keep in touch with Serbian and Belarusian entrepreneurs, study their business experience and try to do everything in our power to contribute to the economic growth of our countries.
The Republic of Belarus makes high-quality products, and Serbia is interested not only in buying them, but also in promoting its products on the Belarusian market.
- What Serbia’s achievements of recent years could you single out?
- As Aleksandar Vučić has repeatedly said, over the past 12 years, Serbia has demonstrated the highest economic growth in its history, becoming the second fastest growing economy in Europe and attracting a record inflow of foreign direct investment of €5.1 billion.
We have also made significant progress in concluding free trade agreements: the agreement with China has been in force for six months, agreements have been signed with Egypt and the UAE, and negotiations have been launched with the Republic of Korea. All “made in Serbia” products have duty-free access to a market of more than 3 billion people.
In 2024, for the first time Standard & Poor's Global improved Serbia's credit rating moving the country to an investment grade with stable outlook. Serbia has become a true economic hub of the region, and we are committed to maintaining and improving this status. All these facts confirm that Serbia is on a path of stability. We are committed to continuing our cooperation with all our friends, among them, certainly, the Republic of Belarus.
Serbia will be hosting the prestigious EXPO in 2027. How are the preparations for this large-scale event going?
Belgrade will be hosting the prestigious specialized exhibition EXPO in 2027. Our President Aleksandar Vučić has sent a letter to Aleksandr Lukashenko to invite Belarus to participate in this event. I am confident that Belarus will display one of the most eye-catching pavilions that will attract a large number of visitors. This will certainly be a great opportunity to further strengthen our economic and cultural ties.
Serbia hopes that more than 40, or perhaps 45, out of 53 African countries, over 65% of Asian countries and more than 60% of countries of Central and South America will take part in the exhibition. Russia, China, the USA and Germany have already confirmed their participation.
EXPO and all related projects, in which Serbia is investing a significant amount of funds, represent a great and unique opportunity for economic growth and overall development of the country. This will make Serbia a center of the world once again, as it has been the case many times before. Our president visits the construction site to inspect the progress. We are all proud to see our country developing so rapidly like never before.
You have recently arrived in Belarus. Could you share your impressions of working in our country?
We are two countries of similar sizes, with similar population numbers and similar languages.
A while ago, I told the Serbian media that Belarus demonstrates respect and understanding for the Republic of Serbia, our president, and our people everywhere. It is pleasant to know that we have sincere friends among the Belarusian people who support our country.
Serbia will always be open for friendship and cooperation with the Republic of Belarus.
Alina GRISHKEVICH,
BelTA
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