From the Rafale aircraft contract to the Matica Srpska Gallery, Macron’s visit reinforces long-standing French-Serbian ties
On August 29th, the city of Belgrade was in the colours of the French flag on the occasion of the arrival of the president of France, Emmanuel Macron.
On the first day of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Serbia, a contract was signed for the purchase of the Rafale aircraft and accompanying goods and services. This document was signed by the Minister of Defense of Serbia, Bratislav Gašić, and Eric Trappier, executive director of the “Daso” company.
At the beginning of his speech, President Macron said that with his presence he wanted to once again send a message of French friendship to Serbia, emphasizing that in the last five years, relations between Serbia and France have experienced a new upswing.
“Our economic cooperation has strengthened. French companies have engaged in long-term infrastructural projects such as the Belgrade metro, the modernization of the ‘Nikola Tesla’ Airport, where tomorrow we will mark the completed works, the modernization of the electricity distribution network, waste management and cooperation in the field of health.”, Macron pointed out.
“I thanked President Macron for the support that France provided and I am confident it will continue to provide it on our European path,” said Vučić at the beginning of his address after the ceremony.
On the second day, August 30th, the presidents visited the Schneider Electric company.
The international company Schneider Electric is known for its social responsibility, and thanks to ecological business and sustainable development, they have won many awards and recognitions.
„I am honoured to be here today and I am very happy. What is important is the right of every person to have access to electricity, and that is why they invest so much in the electricity network. Everything is based on innovation, in science. I am especially grateful that here in Novi Sad we have a good technical faculty, and talented people, I believe that we will be able to invest more money in the future, to get even more students who represent the future of our country“, said President Vučić.
Yesterday we signed an agreement which is the basis of an ambitious project. Everything we signed yesterday allows us to structure our relationships better. I committed with President Vučić to come to Novi Sad to the Gallery, I’m sorry I can’t stay longer, it’s impressive to see all those artists, and to see the way the nation thinks. I am pleased to have been here”, said the President of France, Emmanuel Macron.
“Our economic cooperation has strengthened. French companies have engaged in long-term infrastructural projects such as the Belgrade metro, the modernization of the ‘Nikola Tesla’ Airport, and cooperation in the field of health.” — Emmanuel Macron
After seeing the Schneider Electric company, the visit continued its course at the Matica Srpska Gallery in Novi Sad.
The President of the Republic of France was welcomed by Dr. Tijana Palkovljević Bugarski, manager of the Matica Srpska Gallery, prof. Dr. Dragan Stanić, President of Matica Srpska, Prime Minister Miloš Vučević, Minister of Culture Nikola Selaković, President of the Provincial Government of Vojvodina Maja Gojković and Mayor of Novi Sad Milan Đurić.
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, had the opportunity to tour the new permanent exhibition of the Matica Srpska Gallery, which uniquely represents the collection of national art from the 18th to the 20th century, which the Gallery inherits. Observing the exhibited works on the first floor of the Matica Srpska Gallery, President Macron was introduced to the history and biography of this cultural institution by Dr Tijana Palkovljević Bugarski, manager of the GMS, starting with the portrait of Mladi Sava Tekelija, who presents the original idea founder of the Gallery.
Through the works of zografs, Đura Jakšić, Uroš Predić, Paja Jovanović, Sava Šumanović and many other artists, the presidents first got acquainted with the history of the Gallery from its establishment in 1847 until 2022, when the 175th anniversary of its establishment was celebrated.
Also, through the exhibition rooms, they observed the chronology of national art, from the 18th to the 20th century, and ended the tour with a tour of the exhibition room where the most important works of art in the GMS collection were presented. In the ceremonial hall, where there are portraits of the previous managers, the presidents signed the book of impressions. Mr Macron expressed his deep gratitude to the Gallery team and his enthusiasm for the cultural heritage he had the opportunity to see. He pointed out that he was extremely glad that he had the opportunity to see how the people built their identity through national art, and his attention was drawn to the icons of the zografs, the works of Đura Jakšić, Uroš Predić and Bogdan Suput.
Matica Srpska Gallery has prepared a special program for the visit of President Emmanuel Macron and President Aleksandar Vučić, as well as special gifts in the form of the most important publications in Serbian and French.
Matica Srpska Gallery has been fostering Serbian-French relations in the field of culture and art for more than a decade through cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of France, the French Institute in Serbia and Serbian cultural institutions in Paris.
Macron’s visit to Matica Serbia is a continuation of the development of centuries-old French-Serbian cultural cooperation. Also, Serbia and France are marking 185 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations.
