Serbians mark their Statehood Day
Abu dhabi — The Serbian community in the UAE celebrated their Statehood Day, one day early on Wednesday.
February 15 marks the day of the first Serbian revolution against the Ottoman empire in 1804, as their Statehood Day.
Serbia adopted its constitution in 1835 on the same day.
“It is a special day for all the Serbians. The community celebrates it with festivities including Serbian music, dance and our unique cuisine. What we showcase is a mini Serbia in the UAE,” said Milos Perisic, Charge d’affaires.
There are about 5,000 to 6,000 Serbians living in the UAE, who work mainly as qualified professionals.
Commenting on the UAE-Serbia ties, Perisic said both the countries share excellent relations, which is evident from many high-level visits in the recent past.
“His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, visited Serbia last year, followed by our President Aleksandar Vucic ’s visit to the UAE.
“We have also signed a number of memoranda of understanding and trade delegations from both countries exchanged visits,” said Perisic.
The bilateral trade between the UAE and Serbia touched $122 million in 2016, which is four times more than the figures in 2013 that stood at $30 million, said the Charge d’affaires.
The official said many UAE companies are operating in Serbia. For instance, Etihad Holding has a 49 per cent stake in Air Serbia. Also, UAE’s Eagle Hills is building the Belgrade Waterfront, a 1.5 million square metre multi-purpose urban development project.
When it comes to tourism, Perisic said more than 20,000 Serbians visited the UAE last year.
“We had about 10,000 to 15,000 UAE visitors to Serbia in 2017, out of which about 6,000 were Emiratis tourists. We expect even higher numbers this year as starting September 2017, we cancelled visa requirements for citizens of India, Iran and Indonesia,” said the official.
It is a special day for all the Serbians. What we showcase will be a mini Serbia in the UAE.” Milos Perisic, Charge d’affaires
The GCC nationals have been exempted from visa requirements to Serbia since 2014.
There are daily flights operating between Serbia and the UAE.
anjana@khaleejtimes.com