Description
Serbia and France established contacts as early as the Middle Ages, as evidenced by the marriage of King Uroš with Princess Jelena of Anjou. The modern era brings new contacts between the two countries at the beginning of the 19th century, at the time of the First Serbian Uprising, and the formal establishment of diplomatic relations took place in 1839, when France opened the first consulate in the Principality of Serbia. The second half of the 19th century brought an intensification of relations and cultural influence brought to Serbia by numerous ”French students”, among whom were members of both Serbian dynasties, which led to the strengthening of French friendship with Serbia, which was especially confirmed by the alliance in the First World War, when France stood by Serbia from the beginning, helping it financially, but also through numerous medical missions, treating Serbian wounded in French hospitals, educating Serbian pupils and students in French schools and finally, in brotherhood in arms – the joint battles of Serbian and French soldiers at the Salonica front. Today, Belgrade is the only city outside of France to be awarded the Legion of Honour, and Belgrade’s bohemian district of Skadarlija is the only one in the world that is twinned with Montmartre in Paris.
The friendship between Serbia and France was confirmed by the fight against the common enemy – Nazism, during the Second World War, as well as by economic cooperation in the 20th century, and bilateral relations in the 21st century have seen an increase in the formation of a strategic partnership between the two countries, recent visits by top officials and the personal friendship of the presidents of the two countries. Economic cooperation has been intensively developing in the last few years, and France has been among the biggest investors in the Serbian economy and the most important foreign trade partners of Serbia for years.
Motif on the stamp: Prince Miloš Obrenović and King Louis-Philippe I
Motif on the vignette: Monument of gratitude to France at Kalemegdan in Belgrade, work of sculptor Ivan Meštrović; building of the Embassy of the Republic of France in Belgrade
Motif on the envelope: Freedom, Equality, Fraternity, sculpture on the building of the Embassy of France in Belgrade
Artistic realisation of the issue: MA Marija Vlahovic, academic graphic artist
