A salute to Israel was held on Tuesday night (31 January) at the Philharmonic Concert Hall in Belgrade in honor of the 20^th anniversary of the renewal of diplomatic relations between Israel and Yugoslavia.

Boris Tadić, the president of Serbia (formerly Yugoslavia), reiterated his country’s commitment to stand by the Jewish people and the State of Israel. President Tadić recalled the “eternal friendship” between the two peoples and the suffering of both the Jews and the Serbs in the course of history, and gave his assurance that he would do everything in his power to deepen the ties between the two countries. The president also noted that Israeli companies have invested more than a billion euros in infrastructures in Serbia.

Israel’s ambassador in Belgrade, Yossef Levy, praised the “neighborliness in the heart” between Serbia and Israel, mentioned the excellent relations between Belgrade and Jerusalem, and described the important involvement of Israelis in the life of the new Serbia.

Yugoslavia broke off diplomatic relations with Israel following the Six-Day War in 1967. The relations were renewed in 1991, and in 1992 Yugoslavia opened an embassy in Israel. The Republic of Serbia is the successor to the former Yugoslavia.