The Head of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with France MA Jadranka Jovanovic met today, in the National Assembly House, with the newly-appointed Head of the French National Assembly’s France-Serbia Friendship Group in the Yael Menache and Group member Jocelyn Dessigny.
The Head of the PFG with France MA Jadranka Jovanovic said how very pleased she was with the meeting, hoping that it would result in an intensification of interparliamentary cooperation and contribute to the additional strengthening of the traditionally friendly and good relations between the two nations.
She pointed out that the constant contact between the presidents of the two countries, Aleksandar Vucic and Emmanuel Macron, contributes to strong bilateral relations, proving that a strategic partnership with France is a priority for Serbia. She said that the two countries have good economic cooperation and that the favourable investment climate in Serbia has attracted a large number of French investors and projects. "Our Government and the President of the Republic put the economy in particular focus of their work", stressed Jovanovic, pointing to the possibility of improving cooperation in the IT sector and ecology. She drew particular attention to culture, which she believes should be the basis of cooperation between the two friendship groups.
The Head of the France-Serbia Friendship Group Yael Menache agreed with it, emphasising that the goal of her visit to Serbia was to get better acquainted with the history and culture of our country. Menache said that during her visit to Belgrade, she visited the Genocide Victims’ Museum which strongly inspired her to organise an exhibition in Paris about the history of Serbia, with which, she said, the French people are not sufficiently familiar, in order to introduce France to the suffering of Serbs during history.
The special topic of the meeting was cooperation within the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie, the National Assembly delegation to which Jadranka Jovanovic has been the Head of for seven years now. She pointed out that during that period, Serbia has made an extraordinary journey from an observer to an associate member and expressed satisfaction that it has found its place in the organisation that represents the principles of freedom, justice, equality, diversity and solidarity.
Jadranka Jovanovic thanked France for its support to Serbia on its European journey, which, she received confirmation, would be there in the future as well. Serbia has already implemented a number of reform processes, such as amending the Constitution and reforming the judiciary, said Jovanovic.
She stressed that one of Serbia's key interests is stability in the region, mentioning the Open Balkans initiative which best illustrates the importance of cooperation and good regional relations. In light of that, she spoke about the current situation in Kosovo-Metohija, emphasising Serbia’s absolute commitment to dialogue, however the condition for the continuation of the process of normalisation of relations remains compliance with all the signed obligations and the safety of the Serbian community in Kosovo-Metohija.
In the course of the conversation, the Head of the PFG with France invited the guest to work together to introduce new generations to the history and importance of our traditionally fraternal ties.
After the meeting, Jadranka Jovanovic and Yael Menache laid wreaths at the Monument of Gratitude to France at Kalemegdan and, meeting some tourists from France, spontaneously sang the anthems of the two countries, "God of Justice" and "The Marseillaise".
