On Friday, 10th of May 2013, Charge d'Affaires a.i. of the Malaysian Embassy in Belgrade, gave an interview for Novosti Daily newspaper, the second oldest and widest circulated daily in Serbia that is also present and popular in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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U petak, 10. maja 2013. godine, otpravnika poslova Ambasade Malezije u Beogradu je dao intervju za "Novosti", druge najstarije i dnevne novine sa najvecim tirazom u Srbiji, takodje prisutne i citane u Crnog Gori i Bosni i Hercegovini.
Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of Malaysia in Serbia, Yubazlan Yusof for “Novosti” Daily
BAZAAR OF HUMANITY
Serbia’s location in the heart of the region opens up a great potential for cooperation
The Malaysian Embassy in Belgrade wants, as pointed out by the Charge d'Affaires a.i. of this country in Belgrade, Yubazlan Yusof, to draw the attention to the importance of fertility in Serbia and also to improve the direct contact between the citizens of the two countries by organizing the Malaysian Charity Bazaar to help Aleksinac and Knjaževac metrnity wards on 25th May:
- The majority of Malaysians knows about Serbia from what they heard from the Western media during the Balkan wars, while in Serbia there is not much news about Malaysia. It is therefore very important to establish a direct contact between the people. Our embassy will open its doors to the Serbian public for the humanitarian bazaar on 25th May, from 10:30 to 17:00 hrs, as a part of its efforts to encourage public diplomacy activities. The Serbian citizens will have the opportunity to enjoy traditional Malaysian dance performances, live music performances by popular local bands, to sample Malaysian cuisine specialties and also to win some of the attractive prizes from the charity raffle.
Is Serbia a "special place" for Malaysia?
- We have been here since the times of former Yugoslavia, and we have long-lasting relations that have been interrupted only by the war. Now we want to improve our relations, and in particular to encourage the exchange of visitors. The location of Serbia in the heart of the region opens up a great potential for cooperation. You have a lot of signed agreements with your neighbouring countries as well as with Russia. At the same time, Serbia can use affiliation Malaysian organizations in Asia to promote their business.
In what particular areas do you see a room for cooperation?
- Serbia has a good potential in agriculture and energy, and Malaysia would like more tourists from Serbia and strengthening of bilateral exchange, especially regarding economy. Our hotels are cheap; we have one of the oldest jungles in the world, as well as the highest peak in Southeast Asia. Food is an expression of our culture blends - Malay, Chinese, Indian and Western.
Are there any plans for visa regime lifting?
- Visas are still required, but it is easy to get it in one day and it is not expensive, five Euro only.
What is your view of the accession of Serbia to the European Union?
- Serbia has an educated workforce and it is good to invest here. Although there have been no direct Malaysian investments in Serbia yet, we are trying to promote the possibilities. Late last year, the Serbia-Malaysia Social and Business forum was founded. Just imagine what we could do if Serbia has already joined the EU!
How Malaysian recognition of UDI Kosovo affects the relations?
- We were not among the first, but 52nd country to recognize Kosovo. However, a lot has happened between Serbia and Malaysia over the past two years. Our country supported Serbia's candidacy for the presidency of the General Assembly of the UN and Serbia supported many of our candidacies in the UN. We have a solid relations indeed.
D.SAVI?
CYRILLIC
How do you feel in Serbia?
- Before coming here, I served in Peru and Japan, and Serbia is somehow in the middle. The country is beautiful, the people are warm and four-season climate is pleasant. Although I do not speak Serbian language, I am trying to learn it, but it's hard with Cyrillic.