Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Italian Republic

03/21/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/21/2023 04:09

Start of the first Italian-Serbian Business & Science Forum chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Antonio Tajani, in Belgrade

The first Italian-Serbian "Business & Science Forum", chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Antonio Tajani, together with the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, kicks off today in Belgrade.

During the mission, Minister Tajani is also scheduled to hold bilateral talks with President Vučić - currently in progress - and with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dačić. The Minister will address the main topics of current international and regional policies with his counterparts, with a particular focus on the immigration dossier, the stabilisation of the Western Balkans and the European integration process in the region.

At the heart of the Business Forum's work there are the opportunities for strengthening economic, trade and scientific cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the fields of innovation, green and energy transition, infrastructure and the agritech sector. The event will be attended by more than 150 Italian and an equal number of Serbian companies, with about 400 B2B meetings. The Serbian Ministers of Energy, Environment, Agriculture, and Infrastructure will also participate.

The economic partnership between the two countries will also be strengthened through the signing of a series of bilateral agreements in the sectors of infrastructure, innovation, movie co-productions, agriculture, and finance. With a view to reaffirming the renewed momentum in Italian-Serbian cooperation, Minister Tajani and his counterpart Ivica Dačić will sign a Declaration for the establishment of a Joint Economic Committee.

The mission, which follows Minister Tajani's last visit to Belgrade on 22 November 2022, is the first operational follow-up to the national Conference held in Trieste on 24 January last, in line with the strategy of relaunching Italian action in the Western Balkans.