CAIRO, July 19, 2018 - Egypt and Serbia have vowed to strengthen parliamentary ties in order to co-operate in pursuit of joint interests in the economic field and in all domains including combatting terrorism and illegal migration. This common stance was agreed upon by Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel Aal and the head of the Serbian parliament Maja Gojkovic, during a closed meeting held Thursday at the headquarters of the Serbian parliament. During the meeting, Gojkovic reviewed the deeply-rooted historic relations between the two countries and the importance of coordination in areas of common interest. Abdel Aal confirmed that political relations must be reflected in economic relations and would help with trade, the economy and tourism. He stressed that direct flights between Belgrade and Cairo should resume. The two officials agreed that this would facilitate co-operation between businessmen and boost the flow of tourism. Gojkovic said, "This is the first visit by Egypt's parliament speaker to Serbia and is therefore historic. It is taking place in a year when Egypt and Serbia are celebrating 110 years of diplomatic relations and it will open a new chapter in parliamentary and overall co-operation between the two countries. "Serbia's strategic goal is to become a member of the European Union, while at the same time strengthening ties with traditional friends, especially African countries," Gojkovic said, according to a Serbian parliamentary statement. The two officials gave special praise to the historic co-operation between the two countries in the Non-Aligned Movement, which was founded in Belgrade in 1961. They also believed that parliamentary co-operation would consolidate relations between parliamentary working groups, friendship groups, delegations and international organisations. Abdel Aal and Gojkovic voiced their support for stronger economic and trade ties between Cairo and Belgrade and stressed the importance of the Mixed Committee for Economic Co-operation, established by the two countries in 2010, after a break of more than two decades. They also expressed support for stronger connections between Serbia's Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Business Council of Egypt. Abdel Aal also met Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic, with whom he discussed bilateral relations, the latest developments in the Middle East region and other global issues.
