First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic received a letter of appreciation from the Kingdom of Belgium, addressed by Belgian Ambassador to the Republic of Serbia H.E. Mr. Koen Adam.
Full text of the letter is as follows:

Your Excellency,
Dear Minister,

Almost a month after the state of emergency has been declared, I am pleased to say that we have managed to repatriate most of the stranded Belgian nationals who have expressed the wish to return to their country.

This would not have been possible without the support of the Serbian government, and more in particular your Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I do want to express, also on behalf of the repatriated Belgians, my sincere gratitude for your constructive and supportive attitude, to make this happen.

In this respect I would like to commend in particular the Protocol department of the Ministry, and the working group COVID 19, that have been efficient and reliable partners, granting the necessary exemptions to our citizens aged +65, in order to allow them to reach the airport or border crossing.

Moreover, five of our Belgian nationals have been able to make use of the hospitality offered on the government special flights to Paris, France, on 24/3, 02/4 and 7/04 respectively, a gesture that is highly appreciated. We have also experienced a perfect collaboration between both Ministries with regard to the Serbian repatriation flight from Brussels, organized on 31/3.

Please let me assure you of the continuous Belgian support for all initiatives that could help us collectively to overcome this crisis. Our solidarity with the Serbian people will continue to be expressed through substantial support packages at EU level, as was illustrated again yesterday in the EU Commission Communication, in which considerable aid is envisaged for the Western Balkan region, including Serbia.

Finally, I wish you, Your Excellency, as well as your Ministry staff in Belgrade and abroad, a lot of energy, resilience and above all good health in these demanding times.

Yours sincerely
Koen Adam
Ambassador