First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic spoke on the phone with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif to whom he expressed condolences following the toll on life taken by coronavirus epidemic in the Islamic Republic of Iran, while conveying expressions of deepest sympathies and solidarity to the friendly people of Iran.

The Minister voiced hope that the Islamic Republic of Iran would successfully overcome this difficult period and that the measures undertaken by Iran would soon yield results. He informed Minister Zarif about the measures introduced by the Serbian Government aiming to prevent contracting and spreading the COVID-19 infectious disease and to eradicate it, in line with WHO projections and recommendations. Due to the difficult situation and the risk of the disease spreading, the provisionally imposed ban of entry into the Republic of Serbia also applied to the citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Minister stressed that this measure had a temporary character, introduced with the aim of not only preventing the influx of coronavirus into Serbia, but also in the context of activities to thwart the further spread of the virus globally, and expressed sincere hope and good will that the situation would allow that such measures be lifted around the globe as soon as possible.

Minister Zarif expressed thanks for the solidarity shown by Serbia and conveyed his expectation that a disciplined adherence to all of the recommended measures and mutual solidarity and understanding would result in us all, at the global level, overcoming one of the biggest health crises and challenges in modern history.