Djuric in Manila: Serbia Met All Its Goals at Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit

Marko Djuric (mfa.gov.rs)

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric said on July 24 that Serbia's participation in a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was successful and that all goals were met, including bolstering support for Serbia's territorial integrity and sovereignty among Southeast Asian partners, broaching concrete talks about these countries' participation in the Expo 2027 exhibition and advancing bilateral cooperation.

Djuric said Serbia succeeded in presenting itself in Manila as an active and reliable partner, open to cooperation and focused on the future, the Foreign Ministry said in a press release. In addition to talks with Southeast Asian partners, he said, important meetings were held with the representatives of countries from other parts of the world, including Chile and East Timor, stressing that he had the first foreign ministerial meeting with his counterpart from the latter since Serbia-East Timor diplomatic relations were established.

Djuric added that he spoke with numerous European ministers on the sidelines of the summit, including European representatives such as European Union High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and ministers from Sweden, Lithuania, Poland and other countries, which he said reaffirms the importance of that part of the world to the future of international relations.

Djuric said the talks in Manila focused on the most significant global challenges, the consequences of conflicts, the economic crisis, the reconfiguring of global order, artificial intelligence development and relations among the big powers. In such circumstances, Djuric stressed, Serbia continues to seek its place based on the principles of the United Nations Charter while protecting its national interests and abiding by international law.