The Egyptian embassy in Belgrade participated in the founding of the first Arab-Serbian Friendship Day in a joint activity of the Council of Arab Ambassadors, with a cultural ceremony at the National Library of Serbia last week. The opening speeches at the ceremony on Thursday were delivered by the ambassador of Palestine in his capacity as Dean of the Foreign and Arab Diplomatic Corps, and on behalf of the secretary-general of the League of Arab States; there was also a statement by the Serbian foreign minister delivered by assistant minister for bilateral affairs, in addition to the president of the Arab Cultural Centre in Belgrade. Ambassador of Egypt to Serbia Amr Aljowaily said that a group of Arab ambassadors were keen to organise a comprehensive celebration including poetry, music and food, in a pioneering collective activity that reflects the common denominators of Arab culture. He pointed out that the large number of invited guests, especially on the Serbian side, including the minister of labour, social affairs and veterans, and foreign ministry representative, as well as the sizeable audience, reflected the interest of a large section of the Serbian population in Arab culture. Aljowaily also praised the speech of the secretary general of the League of Arab States, which highlighted that the first celebration of Arab Friendship Day in 2018 coincides with the 110th anniversary of starting the first relations between an Arab country and Belgrade, when the Kingdom of Serbia established a diplomatic mission in Egypt in January 1908. The Arab league statement also highlighted the appreciation of the Arab countries of Serbia's positions in support of Arab issues, foremost of which is the Palestinian cause. Aljowaily revealed that the Council of Arab Ambassadors has agreed to donate 1,000 books to create an Arab pavilion at the Serbian National Library. “We plan to publish a joint book entitled Serbia by Arab Eyes,” he added, part of a wider series of activities aimed at strengthening relations between Serbia and the Arab world in the coming years. Ambassador of Egypt to Serbia Amr Aljowaily (third from left) celebrates with a group of Arab ambassadors (Photo: courtesy of the Egyptian Embassy in Serbia) The Serbian guests attending the celebration (Photo: courtesy of the Egyptian Embassy in Serbia) Egyptian food served at the celebration (Photo: courtesy of the Egyptian Embassy in Serbia)
