Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa'ar met on Monday with Serbia’s Foreign Minister, Marko Đurić, for a series of discussions aimed at strengthening bilateral ties.
The meeting began with a one-on-one session between the two ministers, followed by an expanded meeting with their delegations. During the talks, the ministers signed a joint program of cooperation in the fields of education, science, and culture. Additional memoranda of understanding were also signed concerning bilateral consultations and the training of diplomats.
The sides further agreed to establish a strategic dialogue between Israel and Serbia and to launch a joint economic committee at the ministerial level.
Following their meeting, the ministers delivered statements to the press. In his remarks, Foreign Minister Sa'ar addressed the ongoing war in Gaza and President Donald Trump’s proposal for ending the conflict.
"Israel accepted President Trump's Plan for ending the war in Gaza and for a better future," Sa’ar stated. "It shouldn't surprise anyone - because we always wanted to end the war. We always said that we're committed to the goals that we set. But we prefer to achieve them through diplomatic means. Today, too, we are committed to these goals - as set by our Security Cabinet. The one who refused to end the war until now - is also the one that initiated it on October 7th: Hamas. And Hamas is solely responsible for its continuation since then - and for the suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians during the past two years."
He added: "We will now see if Hamas accepts the President's Plan. We know according to the past that they usually want to open and close, try changing the terms and to escape from implementing. But we will see.
We want to see our hostages come home after two years: Alon Ohel, and all of the other hostages, alive and dead. We also want to see a different Gaza: Deradicalized, demilitarized, and no longer posing a threat to Israel and its citizens."