FM Eli Cohen addresses Iranian attack on Israeli embassy in Azerbaijan

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in Serbia on Wednesday morning in what is the first visit by an Israeli foreign minister to the country in 14 years.

Cohen called on Serbia to condemn and oppose Iranian terrorist arms, as they recently attempted to attack the Israeli embassy in Azerbaijan, and told Vučić that Iranian terrorism is a global threat.

The Iranian-inspired attempted terror attack in Azerbaijan was prevented by Azerbaijani authorities, and the suspect, an Afghani citizen, was arrested on suspicion of conspiring with additional individuals to conduct a terrorist attack on the embassy of a third country in Baku. 

"Only a joint struggle against Iran will bring results and prevent it from continuing to undermine regional stability," the foreign minister stressed.

Three years of political stagnation

"After three years of political stagnation, today we start a new page in relations between Israel and Serbia," Cohen said. "Serbia is a very significant country in the Balkans and a supporter of Israel. In the meeting, Cohen also thanked the Serbian leader for "his commitment to Israel and recording and teaching the traumatic memory of the Holocaust."

The two also discussed strengthening relations between Israel and Serbia and the great potential between the two countries to work together in the fields of economy, innovation, and cyber defense. Furthermore, the minister congratulated Vučić on Belgrade being able to host Expo 2027 and mentioned that Israel had supported Serbia's candidacy to do so.