New Delhi: India and Serbia on Friday held the 8th Foreign Office Consultations in the national capital and agreed on sustaining regular exchanges to deepen bilateral relations.

Both the countries decided to hold the next round of Foreign Office Consultations on mutually convenient dates in Belgrade.

"The 8th Foreign Office Consultations between India and Serbia was held on Friday in New Delhi. The Consultations comprehensively reviewed existing bilateral ties, covering areas of interest such as trade and economic relations, defence, science & technology, research & development, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, culture, and people-to-people ties," according to a release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.

According to the release, the Indian side was led by the Secretary(West) in the Ministry of External Affairs Sanjay Verma and the Serbian side was led by the Assistant Minister for Bilateral Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Ambassador Vladimir Maric.

India and Serbia share close and friendly relations, underpinned by longstanding bonds of friendship between their people.

The two sides during the consultations expressed satisfaction with their strong cooperation in the multilateral fora.

Both sides exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, including developments in India's neighbourhood, Ukraine, and the United Nations. India's priorities as President of G20, and its endeavour to take up the cause of Global South, were also shared with the Serbian side, it added.