Zhang: Serbian leaders acted wisely and efficiently

BELGRADE - Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic expressed on Thursday his gratitude to the Chinese people, stressing that Serbia highly appreciates the assistance of the People's Republic of China in overcoming the impact of the catastrophic floods.

China's Ambassador to Serbia Zhang Wanxue stressed in his meeting with Nikolic that the government of Serbia acted wisely and efficiently in the organization of rescue operations and flood relief efforts.

Nikolic recalled that French President Francois Hollande accepted the initiative for his country to organize an international conference to raise funds for the Balkan countries hit by the floods, the president's press service released.

"UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told me that he will invite UN members to participate and it would mean very much to us if China, as well as many other countries, would join in,“ Serbian president emphasized.

The people and the government of Serbia made tremendous efforts to save human lives and property, but international help is expected, said Nikolic.

Ambassador Zhang Wanxue stressed that the people of China deeply sympathize with the people of Serbia and families of the victims.

The government of China has sent USD 800,000 worth of aid and USD 50,000 in funds, Zhang said, noting that numerous Chinese companies donated goods in the value of USD 450,000.

China can relate to Serbia because it was hit by a similar natural disaster, Zhang pointed out.

When the disaster befell us, Serbia helped, and that help is highly appreciated, said Zhang, adding that he will immediately convey the message of the Serbian president to the government of China.

President Nikolic stressed that the donor...