"Culture is the best way to create links between nations," president of the government of Vojvodina Province, Igor Mirović, said upon welcoming Minister of Culture Ines Abdel-Dayem

President of the government of Vojvodina Province, Igor Mirović, situated in the northern quarter of Serbia, received Minister of Culture Ines Abdel-Dayem 23 October during her official visit to the province where they held a meeting to strengthen cultural and artistic relations between the two countries.

The pair agreed that culture is an essential element to the identity of the two countries. Mirović said: “As Egypt has great development potential, we seek to reinforce cooperation between Egyptian and Serbian institutions and continue supporting and deepening the communication between the two countries.”

He pointed to decades of strong ties between the countries, underlining that Egypt is a big country and one of the oldest civilisations on earth, mentioning Egyptian participation in the choosing of Novi Sad as the European Capital of Culture 2021.

He proudly explained that the city possesses the oldest cultural institutions in Serbia, including a theatre dating back to 1865, and that the city played an influential role in the Serbian cultural movement. He expressed his will to support cooperation and the exchange of experiences between artists and creatives of both countries, saying culture is the best way to create links between nations.

For her part, Abdel-Dayem congratulated Mirović for the choosing of Novi Sad as the capital of European culture. “I found in this city marvelous art everywhere, on the walls of the buildings and the roads; your city is studded with art,” she said.

She also expressed her desire to hold more artistic and creative activities in Vojvodina and to increase the cultural and intellectual cooperation between the two countries.

According to Abdel-Dayem, the fact that the province of Vojvodina has a provincial secretary for culture and public information, Dragana Milošević, who is an artist and violinist, will help to establish a strong partnership and integration of cultural and artistic projects that will strengthen relations between the two countries.