PH opens consulate in Serbia

The Philippine Consulate in Belgrade, Serbia has officially opened last month, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) revealed Wednesday.(PNA photo)

The Philippine Consulate in Belgrade, Serbia has officially opened last month, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) revealed Wednesday.

MANILA — The Philippine Consulate in Belgrade, Serbia has officially opened last month, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) revealed Wednesday.

Present during the opening ceremony were new Honorary Consul Dragijana Petrovic and officers from the Philippine Embassy in Budapest.

Petrovic received her Consular Commission from Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano in July 2017 and received her exequatur from the Serbian government in March 2018.

The grant of the exequatur officially recognized her role as the Philippine representative to Serbia, which eventually paved the way for the opening and operation of the Consulate.

Consul Jose Garcia III, who represented Ambassador to Hungary Maria Fe Pangilinan, offered the Philippine Embassy in Hungary’s support in all the Consulate’s efforts to strengthen the Philippine-Serbian bilateral relations and assist Filipino nationals.

Petrovic committed to help expand the two nations’ bilateral relations, particularly in trade, education, and sports.

She also assured Filipinos in Serbia of her assistance as she considers herself a part of the “Filipino family.

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According to the DFA, Petrovic is a prominent member of the Serbian business community and has years of experience working for the Serbian government.

As of 2018, the agency said there are at least 76 Filipinos residing and working in Serbia, majority of whom are married to Serbians and have established their families there.