Details added (first version posted on 11:40)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 3
Trend:
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received the credentials of the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Serbia Dragan Vladisavljevic on May 3, Trend reports.
"Mr President, I am very honored to present to you letter of credence accrediting me as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Azerbaijan and the letter of recall of my predecessor," the ambassador said while presenting his credentials to President Aliyev. "Allow me to convey to you sincere regards from our President Mr. Aleksandar Vucic and his personal wish for well-being and prosperity of you and your country."
"Mr President, I want to say that I am extremely honored to have an opportunity to serve in the Republic of Azerbaijan of which the Republic of Serbia is true friend and strategic partner," the ambassador said. "Thank you, Mr. President."
"Thank you very much," President Aliyev said while welcoming the ambassador. "Welcome. Mr. Ambassador, I am very glad to see you. I hope you will have a very interesting time in Azerbaijan. Also, I would like to ask you to convey my best greetings to President Vucic. You know that we communicate very actively and we had meetings many times. I think we have very friendly relations between the presidents which is important for relations between the countries."
"Of course, I am sure that during your activity in Azerbaijan you will do everything in order to move forward our cooperation," the president said. "For us cooperation with Serbia is of big importance. As you said our countries are strategic partners and an area of cooperation now covers a lot of directions. I think that we need to concentrate on already those areas where we have big progress and to look what we can do on some areas where we are in the initial stage of active cooperation."
"But as far as our partnership in international organizations, I am sure we will continue to support each other, to defend each other’s interests," the president said. "In quite a number of international institutions, we already demonstrate a very high level of solidarity. So, this is important, because it really reflects the sincere origin of our cooperation. With respect to bilateral relations, of course, having a very high level of political contacts we need to concentrate on the areas of economic development."
"You know that now we are in the preliminary stage of reconstruction in the liberated territories," the president said. "I hope that Serbian companies as companies from friendly countries will be active, and they will come and will be presented with initial information about our plans."
"They will join the international team of companies from friendly countries in the reconstruction," the president said. "So, I think that there will be a lot of areas to concentrate on. I am sure you will be very busy in Azerbaijan. I wish you the successful implementation of your duties."
"Thank you, Mr. President," Vladisavljevic said. "Your Excellency, distinguished President, allow me first to reiterate how deeply honored I am to be and to have an opportunity to serve in the Republic of Azerbaijan. My appointment was a personal wish of the President of the Republic of Serbia Mr. Aleksandar Vucic. In our tete-a-tete meeting prior to my arrival here, President Vucic asked me to communicate to you the following messages."
"First of all, President Vucic conveys his warmest regards and extends his wishes for your good health, good fortune and success in everything you do for your people and your country," the ambassador said. "President Vucic highly appreciates friendship with you personally and friendship within our two states. He particularly underlined that the Republic of Serbia absolutely supports sovereignty and territorial integrity of the friendly Republic of Azerbaijan and highly appreciates the existing strategic partnership between our two states and wishes to further cherish and strengthen it."
"The president asked for my intensive engagement in further promoting cooperation within our states on the highest and high political level," the ambassador said. "I would like to extend to you President Vucic’s invitation to officially visit Serbia. He pointed out that intensive activities right ahead in both Baku and Belgrade with respect to organizing the 60th anniversary of the Non-Aligned Movement and the 1st summit held in Belgrade."
"His intention is to invite for the occasion the leaders of the founding states of the movement-India, Egypt, Indonesia and Ghana and, of course, you as chair of the movement," the ambassador added. "You would co-host the event together with President Vucic. He underlined that this was his own initiative and that the summit will be of historic importance for you, for the Republic of Azerbaijan, and for the Republic of Serbia."