Djuric: France is favorable to Serbia, we have elevated relations to the level of strategic partnership

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric stated today, at the start of his one-day visit to Paris, that it is very important for Serbia that its relations with France have been elevated to the level of strategic partnership, given that the country is favorably inclined towards Serbia in terms of European integration as well as other national issues.

In Paris, where he is participating in the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) along with the Minister of Science, Technological Development, and Innovation, Jelena Begovic, Djuric explained that this would be an opportunity to present Serbia in a new light.

"It is phenomenal for us that in recent years, thanks to the initiative and diligent work of President Vucic and the entire team, we have truly managed to elevate our relations with France to a strategic level. Our economic cooperation is such that trade amounts to billions of euros, and our scientific cooperation, as we can see through this GPAI summit, is growing. This is also a phenomenal opportunity for Serbia to present itself in a different light to a wider European and international public," Djuric said, as announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia.

The head of Serbian diplomacy emphasized the importance of Serbia sending a message today that artificial intelligence should be a resource available to all, something that unites states and peoples, and should be based on certain ethical principles.

"This is a very good opportunity to also promote Serbia as a country that has increased the share of IT in its GDP by eight times over the past ten years," Djuric said.

The Serbian delegation will also speak at the forum in Paris, which gathers ministers from a large number of countries, about the specialized Expo exhibition which Belgrade will host in 2027.

Today, the head of Serbian diplomacy also has a bilateral meeting with the French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barre, with whom he will discuss deepening bilateral cooperation and many other topics.

"We will also discuss the overall situation, namely the European integration of Serbia. I will talk with Mr. Barre about what is happening in our country. Yesterday, you could hear that there were also talks between President Vucic and Macron, so these meetings will also be exchanges at the state, official level," Djuric stated.