First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic met today in Athens with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic Nikos Kotzias.

"I would like to underline that the essence of our relations is that we are friends, brothers even. This is also reflected in our historical friendly ties and mutual solidarity shown through the ages.

Two Serbian sacred places that every Serb should visit are situated in the territory of Greece, namely the Hilandar Monastery as well as the Island of Vido near Corfu. This proves how deeply we are interconnected and it is incumbent on politicians to follow these mutual bonds existing between our two peoples.

I am glad that the High Council for Cooperation between Serbia and Greece will meet in Thessaloniki on Thursday. The Serbian Delegation will be headed by President Aleksandar Vucic and we will discuss crucial topics concerning our mutual relations, relations in the region, as well as forthcoming major infrastructure projects.

Greece is among the largest investors in Serbia, its investments amounting to over EUR 2 billion. In the previous year, their trade amounted to about EUR 400 million and continued to grow, so we expect an even higher level of exchange to be reached in the coming years.

Serbia and Greece should support and help each other. Serbia remains strongly committed to defending the territorial integrity of Cyprus and we are grateful to both Cyprus and Greece for supporting the territorial integrity of Serbia, and for their position concerning Kosovo and Metohija.

It is very important that we maintain a regular dynamic in communication, discuss regional issues – such as the influence of Turkey in the region, migration crisis, while we should also discuss cooperation in fighting terrorism as well as the negative influence of the Greater Albania factor, and also problems concerning the name of and relations with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

We agreed to meet twice a year, alternating venues of meetings between Serbia and Greece, that consultations between our two respective sectors should be regular and to harmonize our positions aiming for an improved mutual support", said the Head of Serbian diplomacy today in Athens.