Serbia and Egypt support independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the two countries. Economic cooperation will be based on the agreement on free trade in the fields of agriculture, food industry, tourism, traffic, science, technology, telecommunications and industry, on the conclusion of which the two sides will begin official negotiations.

These are the two key points of the Joint Statement on Strategic Partnership in the fields of politics, economy, tourism, agriculture, technology, culture, art and the media, signed the day before yesterday in Belgrade by the presidents Aleksandar Vučić and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, reported Borba.me – informativni portal – Borba .

The document effectively means that Cairo supports Serbia on the matter of Kosovo and Metohija and that one of the most influential Arabic countries in the world will take Belgrade’s side in all international institutions.

This is essentially confirmation from the highest level that the prior recognition of Kosovo given during the former presidency of Mohamed Morsi has been shelved. On the other — economic — side, it opens a favorable path for the import and export of food, so the Statement represents a return of the successful cooperation between the countries to the highest level, like it was during the era of non-aligned countries.

The President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, who first spoke with his guest in private, which was followed by meetings between the delegations, said that the visit was going to bring a lot of good to both countries and their people:

“This visit certainly takes on a historic character for us, and I am certain that the renewed cooperation and strengthened relations will contribute a lot to both of our peoples,” said Vučić, reminding that after almost four decades, “the head of such a large and friendly nation has arrived to Serbia. It is my belief that the discussions will provide an additional impulse in the relations between the two countries, which will be seen not only on the international scene, through the support in international institutions, but specifically in economy and through numerous joint projects”.

Vučić announced that he was certain that “we would establish a good cooperation on the sale of grain”.

“We have also received certification for apples, and I expect we will for beef as well. And what we have agreed on here is to coordinate an agreement on free trade by October. For example, that would mean that we would get lemons without additional customs burdens, while they would receive the finest apples. Why should we trade more expensively, when we can do it without customs?”

The President of Egypt said that he expected the cooperation between the two countries to increase in all fields, and that it was his honor to visit Serbia for the first time.

“The Egyptian people love Serbs. The two countries have been cooperating since 1908, and this October will mark the 60th anniversary of the first official visit to Serbia. The former President of Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito is highly respected in Egypt, and Egyptians have already heard of Serbia through him. We discussed politics, education and science, but also cooperation between businesspeople, and especially investments and exchange of experiences in agriculture, common interests, what was happening in Palestine, Libya and especially in Ukraine, and where our two countries should collaborate together on the development of economy. The Egyptian vision is that everything should be resolved peacefully, and especially in Ukraine, through agreements,” reported Borba.