Turkey chaired the G20 Presidency in 2015 and held the G20 Summit in Antalya, where the leaders of the world’s 20 largest economies gathered to discuss the planet’s most pressing issues. 2015 was also a significant year for Serbia because it hosted the 22nd Ministerial Conference of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
However, one issue that was unfortunately in the spotlight of both the G20 Summit and the OSCE Ministerial Conference was the scourge of terrorism. This year witnessed high profile terrorist attacks in Ankara, Paris and Beirut, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of civilians.
Furthermore, terror attacks continue to claim the lives of more than 30,000 innocent people every year. Unfortunately, 2015 once more proved the need for the international community to combat all kinds of terrorist activities in a collective way, with full cooperation.
Both Turkey and Serbia received fresh impetus in their accession negotiations in 2015, and both were on the frontlines in trying to cope with the refugee problem in a humanitarian way
The international community’s inability to come up with a feasible political solution to the civil war raging in Syria has led to a massive refugee problem and both Turkey and Serbia have been on the frontlines, trying to cope with this problem in a responsible and humanitarian way.
Both countries have done an impeccable job in handling the issue with sensitivity, whilst also showing its humane face to the world. I believe other countries in the region have a lot to learn from the way Turkey and Serbia have handled the refugee crisis.
Within the area of bilateral relations, 2015 has witnessed important developments, such as the opening of the first Turkish bank and the first Turkish culture centre in Serbia. The positive trend in trade and economic relations has led to a surge in the influx of Turkish investments in Serbia.
The extensive historical and cultural ties between the two countries are a testament to their shared values and, more importantly, shared future. Both countries are candidates to join the EU and both countries recently received fresh impetus in their accession negotiations. And at the end of the year, on 14th December, the first two chapters in EU accession negotiations were opened.
We plan to conclude 2015 with the visit of the Turkish Prime Minister to Belgrade, which will lead us to new horizons in bilateral relations, mainly in the field of economic cooperation.