Posted on 02/03/2012 5:56:58 AM PST by Ravnagora
BELGRADE -- Serbia and Israel marked the 20th anniversary of the renewal of diplomatic relations with an event at the Belgrade Philharmonic Hall on Tuesday evening.
Serbian President Boris Tadić addresses the gathering (Tanjug)
The concert was attended by Serbian President Boris Tadić and Israeli Ambassador to Serbia Yossef Levy.
President Tadić said he saw the anniversary as a continuation of the eternal friendship between the two peoples, pointing out that Serbia had always been open for cooperation with other nations.
“Serbia was always open to other nations. Jews in Serbia are our fellow countrymen and friends with whom Serbia will build a society based on openness, democracy and solidarity. This should be given a special impetus in the times ahead,” said Tadić.
Tadić said it was necessary to build relations in the fields of culture, sports and science, but also to cooperate and understand each other in the field of politics as well, making efforts to resolve their respective conflicts in a manner that posed no danger to anyone's future and that enabled an establishment of a just and long-lasting peace.
Israeli President Shimon Peres addressed the event via video link, saying that the two countries had the opportunity to extend mutual cooperation and work together on creating a better future.
Our governments are committed to finding new arenas for cooperation, Peres said in the message, stressing that the relations between the Serbs and the Jews were a lot older than the diplomatic relations between Serbia and Israel.
I believe that we have a better world and a brighter future ahead, the Israeli president said.
Ambassador Levy recalled the fact that diplomatic relations between Yugoslavia and Israel had been suspended in 1967 and renewed in 1992, when Yugoslavia opened its embassy in Tel Aviv.
He said that, in a deepest and most sincere sense, the relations between the two nations had never been interrupted.
Our close relations come from our common historical past, challenges of today and dreams of future, Levy said, adding that the Jewish community was always an integral part of the Serbian people, sharing its fate in both good and challenging times.
Belgrade Philharmonic Director Ivan Tasovac said that friendships between nations should not be influenced by trends in daily politics, even though they sometimes suffered ill effects from such trends.
Serbs and Israelis can always learn a lot about each other, especially from each other, Tasovac added.
The concert repertoire consisted of Jewish and Balkan songs.
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Ambassador Levy recalled the fact that diplomatic relations between Yugoslavia and Israel had been suspended in 1967 and renewed in 1992, when Yugoslavia opened its embassy in Tel Aviv.
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