EAM Jaishankar holds 'fruitful' talks with Serbian counterpart

India and Serbia on Sunday agreed to deepen economic engagement during "fruitful" talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Serbian counterpart Nikola Selakovic. The Serbian foreign minister arrived here this morning on a two-day visit.

"Warm and fruitful discussions with Serbian FM Nikola Selaković. Reaffirmed our strong political bonds and independent stance in global politics," Jaishankar said on Twitter.

"Agreed to take forward our long-standing cooperation, especially on the economic side," he said.

Selakovic is scheduled to call on Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday before leaving for Doha. The trade ties between India and Serbia are on an upswing. The volume of bilateral trade was USD 142.7 million in 2016, which increased to USD 198.5 million in 2017, according to official data. The bilateral trade in 2018 was recorded at USD 214.8 million that comprised Indian exports of USD 202.6 million.