Selaković: Venezuela's firm commitment to the development of overall relations with Serbia
“After a large number of meetings in Caracas, I can say that this last one in a series of visits during my Latin American tour went more than excellently", said Minister Selaković, who had met in Caracas with President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro, Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Faria, the Vice President of Venezuela in charge of economic affairs, who is also the Minister of Petroleum, the Ministers of Tourism, Trade, Agriculture and Sports and Youth, as well as with former Minister of Foreign Affairs and today Director of the Centre for Attracting Investments Félix Plasencia.
Summarising his visit to Venezuela, Minister Selaković stated that all meetings had taken place in an excellent, friendly atmosphere, expressing his belief that the two countries could deepen their cooperation to mutual benefit in the years ahead.
Minister Selaković emphasised that Venezuela supported the policy of preserving Kosovo and Metohija a part of the Republic of Serbia, respecting the principle of territorial integrity and sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of states.
“Venezuela is a country actively supporting Serbia in every international organisation and making the maximum contribution to Priština not joining various international organisations with its vote”, said Minister Selaković, noting that this was not a calculated act by Venezuela, but an act based on friendship and a firm belief in respecting the basic principles of international law and the international legal order.
Minister Selaković reported that the excellent hosts in Caracas showed admiration for the reforms that Serbia had implemented under the leadership of President Aleksandar Vučić as well as for the sovereign and independent foreign policy that Serbia was pursuing.
“Our friends from Venezuela want to see Serbia as their gateway to the European continent and are interested in establishing cooperation, primarily in terms of economy, as well as in the field of education, culture, sports, tourism, modern technologies, and in exchanging experiences in the area of attracting investments. They also showed a great interest in the developments in our part of Europe, in our region", stated Minister Selaković.
Minister Selaković expressed his belief that better and more active days lay ahead for Serbia and Venezuela, which were celebrating this year the 140th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations.
“Our excellent political relations have not been accompanied to the same extent by our economic relations. There is almost no economic exchange between the two countries", said Minister Selaković, emphasising that Venezuela was one of the countries with the largest oil reserves in the world and that, according to the latest data, it was the fifth country in the world for its natural gas reserves.
During the visit to Caracas, the two Foreign Ministers signed the Declaration on the Political Consultation Mechanism between Serbia and Venezuela, the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Tourism between the Republic of Serbia and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and the Memorandum of Understanding in the Field of Youth and Sports between the Republic of Serbia Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of People's Power for Youth and Sports of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, as well as the Cooperation Agreement between the National Library of Serbia and the National Library of Venezuela.