On 5 December, IPU President Saber Chowdhury paid an official visit to Serbia at the invitation of the Speaker of Parliament, Ms. Maja Gojkovic, to participate in celebrations to mark the Parliament’s 125th anniversary of its membership of the IPU. The Serbian Parliament was one of the first Members of the IPU, having joined soon after the Organization’s inception, in 1891.
In his address to a special session of the National Assembly, Mr. Chowdhury paid tribute to the longstanding and loyal membership of the Serbian Parliament and its valuable contribution to the work of the IPU over the years. In 1963, the Serbian Parliament hosted the 52nd IPU Conference, which debated important issues of great relevance even today: equality between States as an essential basis for international cooperation, enhancing the effectiveness of the United Nations with a view to maintaining international peace and security, and the creation of denuclearized and limited armaments zones as a first step towards complete disarmament.
He saluted Serbia’s many achievements in the post-Cold War era and commended the country on its efforts to promote gender equality in all sectors. During his visit to Belgrade, Mr. Chowdhury also met other high-level parliamentary and government officials and interacted with students of the Political Sciences Faculty at Belgrade University.
