Djuric: The New U.S. Administration shows strong understanding and sympathy toward Serbia

Serbia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marko Djuric, stated today, following his meeting with the Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations, Michael Waltz, that the new U.S. administration demonstrates a great deal of sympathy and understanding for Serbia.

“We are speaking about one of the most influential and important figures in American foreign policy—until recently an adviser to President Donald Trump, and now a cabinet-level official, by virtue of serving as the U.S. Ambassador to the UN. This meeting was an excellent opportunity for us to present Serbia’s position on a number of key issues—from Kosovo and Metohija, including the situation of Serbs in the province and the fate of our monasteries and churches, to the plight of ordinary people who, over the past two years, have endured the ongoing persecution by Kurti’s regime,” Djuric emphasized.

He noted that the two also discussed the energy situation in the region, adding that he used the opportunity to seek additional understanding for Serbia’s position and to highlight the strategic importance of a friendly and partner country such as Serbia—where President Trump enjoys unprecedented popularity as one of the most respected world leaders—which makes our nations politically close and calls for cooperation even on sensitive issues.

“I believe there is considerable goodwill and understanding for Serbia in the new U.S. administration. It is positive that we are maintaining regular dialogue and high-level contacts, even when difficult decisions need to be discussed openly,” Djuric said.

He also announced that a strategic dialogue between Serbia and the United States is being prepared, which will take place in the near future and mark an important new step in strengthening bilateral relations.

“We are using these meetings to discuss some of the elements and details of this strategic dialogue. Cooperation between Serbia and the United States in the multilateral sphere was also among the topics. In the past, under previous administrations, this was not a major focus, but now we have many reasons to support one another in the international arena,” the Foreign Minister stated.

Djuric added that economic cooperation was another key topic, stressing that Serbia wants to see more U.S. investments and greater inflow of American capital, which, he noted, has revitalized several Eastern European countries.

“We would like to see such investments contributing more to Serbia’s development, and we hope that the American market will become even more open and accessible to Serbian companies,” Djuric said.

He also observed that tariffs are always part of economic discussions, but that services constitute the largest share of bilateral trade, which continues to grow.

Nebenzya Reaffirms Russia’s Support on Kosovo and Understanding for the Position of the Serbian People

Minister Djuric also met yesterday in New York with the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, whom he described as one of Russia’s most distinguished diplomats and a senior figure at the UN.

Djuric underlined that Nebenzya reiterated Russia’s firm support for Serbia regarding Kosovo and its territorial integrity, as well as understanding for Serbia’s position concerning the situation of the Serbian people in Kosovo.

He added that they also discussed initiatives related to commemorating the victims of the wars of the 1990s, noting the continuing tendency to treat Serbian victims in a one-sided and unjust manner.

“It is of great importance that, both before and after the UN Security Council session, we had direct and detailed discussions with representatives of these two major powers. I also met with the Acting Representative of China to the UN Security Council, as China’s support is of exceptional importance to us and we are deeply grateful for it,” Djuric said.

He added that during the session, progress could be noted in the attitudes of some other friendly and partner countries, such as France.

“We heard France’s support for UNMIK’s work, which is very significant,” Minister Djuric emphasized.

Yesterday, Minister Djuric represented Serbia at the UN Security Council session dedicated to the six-month report on UNMIK’s activities.