BELGRADE, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Serbia is interested in building tighter bonds with Tajikistan and other Central Asian countries, leading Serbian officials told visiting Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin on Friday.
Muhriddin, the first visiting Tajik foreign minister in the 25-year history of bilateral ties between Tajikistan and Serbia, met with his Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic, Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and President Aleksandar Vucic.
"Muhriddin expressed confidence that a visit to Serbia and meetings with Serbian officials would give new impetus to the two countries' trust-based relations," said a Serbian government's press release.
Dacic and Muhriddin signed a memorandum of understanding between the foreign ministries of the two countries and held a press conference, where they identified potential areas for cooperation and announced their agreement to hold annual meetings and to promote economic, cultural and scientific ties.
Dacic said that Serbia should be more visible in the Central Asian countries, and said that trade with Tajikistan should be increased. In 2019, bilateral trade was worth around 7 million U.S. dollars.
Muhriddin also met Vucic, with whom he "agreed that opportunities for cooperation exist in many areas ... with the prior establishment of a legal basis as a precondition for improving economic cooperation."
"Serbia will maintain links with friendly countries, such as Tajikistan, with mutual support in various international forums. We will develop cooperation in areas where there are real opportunities and mutual interest, and that cooperation is becoming increasingly important for us," Vucic said.
