H E Mihailo Jovanovic, Minister of Information and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia
Doha, Qatar: Qatar and Serbia enjoy bilateral relations which have been growing over the years. Both countries are committed to fostering a vibrant exchange of knowledge, expertise, and resources in the field of information and communication technologies.
Speaking to The Peninsula on the side lines of the Qatar Economic Forum 2023, Minister of Information and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia H E Mihailo Jovanovic said: “Today we signed bilateral agreement and memorandum of understanding between the Government of Republic of Serbia and Government of Qatar. This is the first agreement since 2017 and I am very proud it is in ICT sector that means we recognise our countries as leaders in those sectors.”
The Minister explained that “we have been talking about data centres and how to keep the data in one place and think about data flow exchange between two countries. Also, it is very important for us to keep the data for telcos and banks in one place and provide the exchange of that data.”
The Data Centre in Kragujevac (Serbia), which opened in December 2020, is the most modern facility, intended for the storage of data and equipment.
Speaking about biotechnology, Jovanovic said, “We have a big investment campus ‘Bio 4’ in Belgrade, so I am inviting companies in Qatar to participate in our ‘Bio 4’ campus. One of the strategic approaches of our government is biotechnology and using artificial intelligence.”
Biotechnology is transforming the health sector through applications that can help increase efficiency, reduce errors, and create healthcare solutions. Serbia has made gains in the biotechnology sphere and demonstrates how others can accelerate their biotechnology journeys.
The Minister of Information and Telecommunications also noted that “We have very good talents and startups in four science and technology parks. There are different Venture Capital (VC) funds from Qatar that are willing to invest in our startups and help us make this connection and opportunity for our startups.”
The Minister further said, “The relations between Qatar and Serbia are growing and getting better and better. I believe the two countries will improve more and more in these relationships.”
During the event, Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Republic of Serbia within the framework of the joint strategic cooperation between the two sides aimed at enhancing cooperation in the field of technology.
