Rome, 19th October 2021 – The Foreign Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Nikola Selaković, has met with the Grand Chancellor, Albrecht Boeselager, at the Villa Magistrale in Rome, one of the Order of Malta’s seats of government.
The visit took place on the twentieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (in 2001), which, over the years, has given rise to and supported numerous initiatives relating to medical and social assistance.
The Order of Malta’s Embassy in Serbia mainly distributes hot meals and donates food, clothing and basic necessities to families in need and organizations that cater for the poor. There have also been numerous donations of ambulance cars and state-of-the-art medical equipment to public and private hospitals. The first donation dates back to 1885, when the Order donated an ambulance train in the aftermath of the war between the Kingdom of Serbia and the Principality of Bulgaria, in which Serbia was defeated.
The two key projects of the Order’s Embassy in Serbia, led by Ambassador Alberto di Luca, are: ‘A warm meal in a cold winter’ – which supports the Refuge for Children institute where many minors find shelter, some of them being the victims of human trafficking – and ‘Make a Wish’, a fund-raising project which supports children suffering from serious illnesses, enabling delicate and costly operations.
Following the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Order of Malta in Serbia has stepped up some of its activities such as the donation of hospital equipment, namely ventilators, reusable masks, disinfectants, disposable gloves and other personal protection equipment.
At the meeting, a postal agreement stipulating a regular service between Serbia and the Sovereign Order of Malta’s seats of government was signed.
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The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta, founded in Jerusalem around the year 1048, is a primary body under international law and a Catholic lay religious Order. The Order’s mission is to witness to the faith and serve the poor and the sick. Today, the Order of Malta’s main activities are related to social and medical assistance and humanitarian aid, provided in over 120 countries. Together with its 13,500 members, 80,000 volunteers work with more than 42,000 doctors, nurses and paramedical staff. The Order runs hospitals, medical centres, outpatient clinics, institutions for the elderly and disabled, centres for the terminally ill and volunteer corps. Malteser International, the Order of Malta’s special relief agency, is always on the front line in natural disasters and in reducing the consequences of armed conflicts.
The Order is currently working in countries bordering Syria and Iraq to help people fleeing violence. The Order of Malta’s Italian Ambulance Corps participates in the medical rescue of migrant boats in the Strait of Sicily, working alongside the Italian authorities. The Order of Malta is neutral, impartial and apolitical. It has bilateral diplomatic relations with 110 States, official relations with 6 other States, and relations at the ambassador level with the European Union. It is a permanent observer at the United Nations and its specialised agencies and has representations at the main international organisations. Since 1834, the Sovereign Order of Malta’s seat of government has been in Rome, where it has guaranteed extraterritoriality.
This post is also available in: Italiano