Israel and Serbia mark 20 years since renewal of diplomatic ties
1 Feb 2012
(Communicated by the MFA Spokesperson's Bureau)

A salute to Israel was held on Tuesday night (31 January) at the
Philharmonic Concert Hall in Belgrade in honor of the 20th anniversary of
the renewal of diplomatic relations between Israel and Yugoslavia.

Boris Tadić, the president of Serbia (formerly Yugoslavia), reiterated his
country's commitment to stand by the Jewish people and the State of Israel.
President Tadić recalled the eternal friendship between the two peoples and
the suffering of both the Jews and the Serbs in the course of history, and
gave his assurance that he would do everything in his power to deepen the
ties between the two countries. The president also noted that Israeli
companies have invested more than a billion euros in infrastructures in
Serbia.

Israel's ambassador in Belgrade, Yossef Levy, praised the
good-neighborliness and excellent relations between Serbia and Israel, and
described the important involvement of Israelis in the life of the new
Serbia.

Yugoslavia broke off diplomatic relations with Israel following the Six-Day
War in 1967. Relations were renewed in 1991, and in 1992 Yugoslavia opened
an embassy in Israel. The Republic of Serbia is the successor of the former
Republic of Yugoslavia.