Jean-Claude Gakosso: Congo stands for strict respect of Serbia's territorial integrity

Photo: Tanjug/ANA PAUNKOVIC

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Francophonie and Diaspora of the Republic of the Congo Jean-Claude Gakosso said today after a meeting with Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric that his country stands for strict respect for the territorial integrity of countries. and that there are no ambiguities regarding the Serbian autonomous province of Kosovo.

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"We stand for strict respect of the territorial integrity of countries. It cannot be a variable geometry, to be recognized for one country and not respected when it comes to others. For this reason, our position in Congo, and in fact in Africa in general, with the exception of perhaps a few rare countries that are still lagging behind, is that everyone on the African continent supports Serbia. Therefore, there is no ambiguity on that issue," Gakosso told a joint press conference after the meeting.

He pointed out that Congo is a country open to all partnerships, and that this also applies to Serbia.

"I personally guarantee that Serbia has its place in Congo and not only there, but broader than that, because Congo is Serbia's gateway to Central Africa. Once you enter the capital Brazzaville, you have the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola and the Central African Republic in the proximity. There are many countries, we are the gateway to Central Africa and the advantage is that our two countries have had excellent relations since the era of President Tito and Yugoslavia," said Gakosso.

He added that people from that area cannot forget the support that Africa received from Yugoslavia.

"We express our gratitude to you for that support, both to our countries' independence, but also for the process of emancipation of Africans after that, within the framework of the Non-Aligned Movement," said Gakosso.

He also stated that he discussed scholarships for students with Djuric and that a large number of Congolese officers have received education in Serbia.

The delegation of the Republic of the Congo also includes the country's candidate for UNESCO director (Firmin Edouard Matoko), while Gakosso called on Serbia to support his candidacy.

"He followed the minister's exposition regarding endangered cultural heritage, that is, historical heritage that is on the UNESCO list, some even on the indicative list, some have been confirmed as part of the world cultural heritage and are endangered in the province of Kosovo and Metohija. Our candidate has not been elected yet, one of the first things he will deal with when he is elected will be exactly that, because we cannot tolerate such valuable sites being destroyed," said Gakosso.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)