Selaković: Cooperation between Serbia and São Tomé and Príncipe continues to deepen

Noting that São Tomé and Príncipe was the first country to withdraw its recognition of the unilaterally declared independence of the so-called Kosovo, Minister Selaković said that this year’s 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations was an excellent opportunity to further intensify the cooperation between the two countries. 

Minister Selaković added that he had engaged in productive discussions with Minister of Foreign Affairs of São Tomé and Príncipe Edite Ramos da Costa Ten Jua and Prime Minister Jorge Bom Jesus. The discussion was, among other matters, about the ways to help eliminate the consequences of floods that had affected São Tomé and Príncipe this year.

Emphasising that São Tomé and Príncipe’s economy is based on agriculture, fishery and tourism, Minister Selaković highlighted, as something very important for the future cooperation between the two countries, the fact that one of the intergovernmental agreements signed today was an agricultural cooperation agreement.

According to Minister Selaković, the hosts expressed great interest in scholarships under the project “World in Serbia”. He stressed that Serbia would increase the number of scholarships for students from São Tomé and Príncipe.

Minister Selaković stated that he hoped that Serbia would have its first honorary consul in São Tomé and Príncipe by the end of spring. The person in question is a former student of the Belgrade University on a scholarship awarded to him by our country.

At a prior press conference, Minister Selaković had highlighted the historical significance of the visit, as this was the first time that a senior official from Serbia had visited São Tomé and Príncipe.

After also visiting Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, Minister Selaković will conclude his multi-day tour of Central African countries on Monday, with an official visit to Cameroon.