Celebration of 180 years of Serbian-French relations ends

At the Embassy of France in Belgrade, an official event took place on February 19, 2020, on the occasion of the 180th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Serbia and France.

Throughout 2019, the Embassy of France in Belgrade and the Embassy of Serbia in Paris revived the past of the two countries through various presentations and events.

The ambassador of France to Serbia, Jean-Louis Falconi, reminded the guests that the relations of Serbia and France had been established long before 1893, in the Middle Ages, through the marriage of Helen of Anjou and Serbian King Uros I in 1245.

At the embassy's Grand Hall, an exhibit was shown, highlighting important dates of the common history of Serbia and France.

To the end of celebrating the two countries' relations, documentation material which stimulated research activities was made available in 2019.

– These joint research activities regarding the diplomatic relations are important. Leaning on our common past, we can look to the future in peace – Falconi said.

The ambassador also talked about French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Serbia in July 2019, which, according to him, “reaffirmed France's wish to return to the Balkans, especially Serbia, and to strengthen the bilateral political and economic relations, but also the relations in the fields of culture and science”.

– We see it every day, through all the activities of our embassy and all the French people who live in Serbia – Falconi said.

He also pointed out that France supported Serbia's European future.

– The re-establishment of the expansion methodology aims to guarantee to the people of Serbia and Europe the benefits of European integration at every new stage of this process – the ambassador said.

The final celebration day also included lectures by Jean-Paul Bled, a professor emeritus at the Sorbonne and a foreign member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, at the Academy's Grand Hall, and a round table at the French Institute, involving professor Bled, Stanislav Sretenovic of the Institute for Comparative History, Aleksandra Kolakovic of the Institute for Political Studies and Vojislav Pavlovic, the director of the Institute for Balkan Studies.

S. P.

Ambasada Republike Francuske Beograd

SANU Beograd

Francuski institut u Beogradu

Institut za savremenu istoriju Beograd

Institut za političke studije

Balkanološki institut SANU Beograd

Sorbonne

Jean Paul Bled

Stanislav Sretenović

Aleksandra Kolaković

Vojislav Pavlović

Jean Louis Falconi

Helen of Anjou

King Uros I

Emmanuel Macron