Jakarta, 5 September 2023 – Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi held a meeting with Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta on September 4, 2023.

At the beginning of the meeting, Minister Dačić expressed his appreciation for the friendship between Indonesia and Serbia, which has been established since the Asian-African Conference in 1955. Both ministers agreed that the spirit of Bandung, cooperation among developing countries, and respect for international law are becoming increasingly relevant and important amid the growing geopolitical contestation

Serbia signed the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation and became the 52nd country to accede to the agreement. Foreign Minister Retno expressed her appreciation for Serbia's accession to the TAC, which took place during Indonesia’s chairmanship of ASEAN.

To enhance economic cooperation between the two countries, Minister Retno pushed for the establishment of a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and encouraged strengthening business relations between the two nations. Specifically, Minister Retno invited Serbian entrepreneurs to attend the Trade Expo Indonesia and the Indonesia-Europe Business Forum scheduled to be held in Jakarta in October 2023.

Indonesia and Serbia will celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations in 2024. To commemorate this historic occasion, the Serbian Foreign Minister invited the President of Indonesia to visit Serbia. Serbia is one of Indonesia's largest trading partners in the Western Balkans region.

The trade value between Indonesia and Serbia in the first half of 2023 increased by 227% compared to the same period the previous year.

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For further information, please contact the following:

Director for Information and Media at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Hartyo Harkomoyo (0811831899)

Get more information at http://asean2023.id, https://infopublik.id/kategori/asean-2023, and https://indonesia.go.id/kategori/ragam-asean-2023

Photo caption: Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi met with Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta. Serbia signed the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation and became the 52nd country to accede to the agreement. (Photo: MoFA Indonesia/Abi)