Dacic: Serbia wants better ties with African Union states

ADDIS ABEBA - Serbia wants to develop good relations and economic and political cooperation with African Union member states, Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dacic, who is also foreign minister, said on Sunday.

The Serbian foreign minister, who will take part in the 26th session of the Executive Council of the African Union in Ethiopia on Monday, told reporters that Serbia, as the legal successor of Yugoslavia, wants to develop good relations with its traditional friends in Africa.

Former Yugoslav president Tito, one of the founders of the Non-Aligned Movement, "had a major role and significance for African countries and we want to continue that tradition," Dacic said, adding that, for this reason, Serbia will attend future African Union meetings.

There is a long-standing friendship between Ethiopia and Serbia, and Serbia wants those relations to be as good as possible and develop faster, Dacic said.
"We want to have as many political visits and consultations as possible and develop economic cooperation, which can be better than it has been so far," the foreign minister said.

"I have come here as a friend to friends," Dacic noted.

As announced earlier, while in Addis Abeba, Dacic will meet with Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, and other senior officials of the Commission, including Deputy Chairperson Erastus Mwencha and Commissioner for Peace and Security Smail Chergui.

Also announced are Dacic's meetings with the Ethiopian foreign minister, as well as with the foreign ministers of Algeria, Angola, Morocco, Kenya and other African countries, with which Serbia seeks to further improve bilateral relations and political dialogue, in particular economic cooperation,...