17. July 2021.

Summing up the results of his visit to Austria, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikola Selaković, said that the visit was extremely successful and that the excellent relations and cooperation between the two countries were confirmed.

The Minister pointed out the important meetings with Austrian officials, but he especially spoke about the meetings with the representatives of the Austrian-Serbian Business Forum, representatives of the diaspora and Serbian associations in Austria.

When it comes to the meeting with the representatives of the Austrian-Serbian Business Forum, Selaković said that the members regularly gather and discuss future investments in Serbia, and stressed that this is an example of good synergy in strengthening the bilateral cooperation between Serbia and Austria.

Speaking about the Serbian diaspora, Selaković emphasized that over 300,000 people of Serbian origin live in Austria, that they are citizens of Austria and an important part of Austrian society, but also that they never break the link with their homeland.

He added that he also talked with representatives of the largest Serbian associations in Vienna – with representatives of the associations Jedinstvo, Bambi, Mokranjac and Prosvjeta. He said that they talked about classes in the Serbian language and learning the Cyrillic alphabet, about the organization of the Saint Sava Ball, as well as about the European festival of Serbian folklore and the possible organization of that event in Novi Sad.

The Minister also praised the work of the Embassy in Vienna, headed by Ambassador Rodić, emphasizing that the consular department of the embassy is the most efficient, but also the most burdened with the work they perform for our citizens, and that they represent an excellent example for the entire diplomatic-consular network.

Selaković underlined that the talks with the Austrian ministers were an opportunity to discuss the excellent economic successes of our country and the large Austrian investments in the Serbian economy. He assessed that the interest in investments continues, that he talked with the representatives of companies that operate in Serbia, but also with the representatives of new companies that want to invest in Serbia.

He pointed out that he hoped that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alexander Schallenberg, and the Minister for Digital and Economic Affairs, Margarete Schramböck, would visit Serbia by the end of the year.

During his visit to Austria, the Minister met with Bishop Andrej of Austria-Switzerland, who introduced him to the activities of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Austria. The Minister also visited the Mauthausen memorial complex and laid wreaths at the military cemeteries in Reiferdorf and Aschach.

The Minister ended the visit with a conversation with the Ambassador of Laos, who covers Serbia from Vienna. He said that they considered cooperation between the two countries, but also that he sent an invitation to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Laos to visit Belgrade during the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the first Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement in October.