First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic met today Mayor of the Japanese City of Hōfu Masato Matsuura, who also chairs the Japan Association of City Mayors.

In the talks, both sides expressed their satisfaction with the good bilateral relations between the Republic of Serbia and Japan, which are on an upswing, with the tendency of further enhancement.

Minister Dacic conveyed his special gratitude for the decision of the City of Hōfu to play host to both women's and men's volleyball national teams of Serbia on the eve of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The Minister expressed his expectation that cooperation would be significantly enhanced in the context of preparations for the Tokyo Summer Olympics 2020 and thanked for the offers of various Japanese cities to host Serbian athletes.

In the talks, the interlocutors reaffirmed their mutual readiness for further enhancement of bilateral relations and cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and Japan, at the economic, cultural and educational level, and in other areas of mutual interest. Mayor Matsuura conveyed his wish for the City of Hōfu to become a sister city with some of the cities in the Republic of Serbia.