Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said today that agriculture and defence are the two most important fields of cooperation between Serbia and Equatorial Guinea and announced that the two countries would sign an agreement on cooperation in defence and dedicated industry.
After the meeting in the Palace of Serbia with Vice President of Equatorial Guinea Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, Brnabic said that negotiations on that agreement would be completed during the day, and that it would be signed during Mange's visit to Serbia.
The Prime Minister thanked Mangue for his country's principled support in preserving the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia, emphasizing that, despite many pressures, Equatorial Guinea remained in full compliance with the principles of international law and did not recognize the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo.
This is even more important in today's world when we see the precedent of disrespect and non-recognition of international law and the problems it has opened up in various countries around the world. The more those who respect the basic principles of international law, the better for peace and stability in the world, said Brnabic.
The Prime Minister thanked for the visit to Serbia and the continuation of the talks between the two countries, which began last year when Belgrade hosted a conference of the Non-Aligned Movement, which was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Equatorial Guinea.
"Thank you for that gesture, which was a gesture of reaching out for better and closer cooperation in the future between our two countries," Brnabic said.
She stated that during the visit of Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikola Selakovic to Equatorial Guinea in February this year, several agreements on cooperation between the two countries were signed, one of the most important of which is the agreement on cooperation in the field of agriculture.
This is an area that we will further develop in order to help Equatorial Guinea as a friendly country in overcoming the crisis with food and basic foodstuffs as a consequence of the war in Ukraine, she pointed out.
Brnabic pointed out that the delegation from Equatorial Guinea will visit Novi Sad and the Biosens Institute, which is the European centre of excellence in agriculture, and that they will discuss transferring part of the knowledge and technology from Serbia to that country.
The Prime Minister mentioned that there is a significant interest of Serbian companies to participate in the further infrastructural development of Equatorial Guinea and the implementation of the development plan of that African country until 2035.
She stated that Equatorial Guinea has good experience with Serbian construction companies, and added that the goal is to continue and further deepen that cooperation.
Brnabic expressed hope that there will be room for cooperation between the two countries in the field of energy, especially when it comes to oil and gas, with which Equatorial Guinea is rich, but also cooperation with the Office for IT and eGovernment, as well as in culture and sports.
The Prime Minister added that the request to increase the number of scholarships for students from Equatorial Guinea will be considered, and expressed hope that talks on opening the Serbian Embassy in that country, as well as the Embassy of Equatorial Guinea in Serbia, will continue.
We also hope that with the visit of President of Equatorial Guinea to Serbia, we will continue the trend of cooperation and mutual visits as soon as possible, said Brnabic.
The Vice President of Equatorial Guinea pointed out that Serbia is a very important partner to Equatorial Guinea and added that the country wants to continue and deepen cooperation with Serbia in key areas for development, primarily agriculture and defence.
Equatorial Guinea and Serbia have long paths of friendship behind them, and our two countries have so far signed important agreements to the mutual satisfaction, Mangue said.
He said that his meeting with Prime Minister Brnabic confirms the political will of President of Equatorial Guinea Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic to deepen relations and cooperation between the two countries.
Mangue emphasised the importance of the meeting of the delegation of Equatorial Guinea with Serbian companies and invited them to visit and work in Equatorial Guinea and participate in the industrialisation of that African country.
The Vice President of Equatorial Guinea said that the world is suffering from a big crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, especially when it comes to food, stating that Equatorial Guinea imports food and that the jump in prices is a big problem for the population suffering from rising food prices.
We want to talk with our friends from Serbia about whether we can reach a certain solution and how to provide certain products, added the vice president of Equatorial Guinea.
Mange thanked the government of Serbia for the decision to establish an online visa system, which will make it easier for businesspeople to visit that country.
He noted that Equatorial Guinea has great potential in the field of tourism and that the online visa system can also contribute to the development of that industry in that country.
The Vice President of Equatorial Guinea said that he also talked with the Prime Minister Brnabic about the problem of piracy that Equatorial Guinea is facing, which is experiencing difficulties in terms of production and transport of the country's products.
We hope that with the agreement that we will sign today with the Ministry of Defence, we will get out of that situation, stated the Vice President of Equatorial Guinea.
Also, Mangue thanked Serbia for donating vaccines against coronavirus, emphasizing that thanks to that help, many lives were saved.