On the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Serbia and the Kingdom of Morocco, which is marked this year, and also as part of the celebration of the ‘Year of Morocco in Serbia’, in cooperation with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in the Republic of Serbia and with the support of the Republic of Serbia’s Foreign Ministry and Culture and Information Ministry, the Yugoslav Archives has staged the exhibition titled ‘Belgrade – Rabat – 65 years of diplomatic relations 1957-2022′.
The exhibition was officially opened on 19th October, with representatives of the diplomatic corps, Serbian government officials, representatives of important cultural institutions in Serbia, the media and other prominent public figures in attendance. The exhibition’s opening was preceded by the singing of the national anthems of the two countries and speeches by Mr. Milan Terzić, Director of the Archives of Yugoslavia, H.E. Mohammed Amine Belhaj, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to Serbia, and Mr. Stanko Blagojević, Assistant Minister of Culture. The exhibition showcases the development of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which, although separated by a great geographical distance, are bound by a strong connection established during the Cold War period, based on the then-valid principles and values, such as the fight against colonialism, a common understanding of the context in which the world back then and the need to find an alternative between two opposing blocks.
The exhibition, which was put together by Dragan Teodosić and Jelena Djurišić, features documents and photographs that bear witness to the extensive and deep relations between the two countries from 1957 to 1990. The guests also had the opportunity to peruse numerous photographs and authentic, original documents to get acquainted with decades of cooperation between the two countries. Among other things, the exhibition features letters and correspondence exchanged between the highest officials of Yugoslavia and Morocco – Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito and Moroccan kings Mohammed V and Hassan II. Archival materials testifying to the meetings of high-ranking officials of the two countries are also exhibited, such as the visit of Josip Broz Tito to the Kingdom of Morocco in early April 1961 and King Hassan II’s attendance of the First Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries in Belgrade in early September, also in 1961, plus the material about the meetings of high officials in the past few years, and bilateral agreements signed in the period from 1957 to 2021 on joint economic, cultural and sports cooperation and mutual assistance.
The guests also had the opportunity to watch a short film made during the visit of President Tito to Rabat in 1961, after which they attended a cocktail party. The exhibition will be open to the public until November 4.
