Djuric: Washington to launch strategic dialogue with Serbia, first session scheduled for Friday

Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Djuric announced that Washington has decided to launch a strategic dialogue between Serbia and the United States, describing the move as one of the most significant developments in bilateral relations in recent years.

“One of the most important pieces of news in recent years comes today. This morning, a decision was made in Washington to launch a strategic dialogue between Serbia and the United States. The first session of that dialogue has been scheduled for Friday. For the first time in history, Serbia and the United States are elevating their relations to the level of a strategic partnership. This means that the United States and President Trump’s administration are sending a strong message not only to Serbia, our administration and our people, but also to American institutions, that Serbia is regarded as a partner and a friendly country. This is something we have been working on for many years and, professionally speaking, it is a major achievement for the Government and for all of us in Serbia. President Vučić has supported our efforts to rebuild relations with the United States for years,” Djuric told RTS.

He added that, at the invitation of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he will travel to Washington later today and will participate in a summit on Thursday.

“What will happen on Friday is political history in Serbia–U.S. relations, and I believe it will further strengthen Serbia’s economy, benefit its citizens, and enhance the country’s international standing and reputation,” he said.

According to Djuric, if one were to draw a parallel with Serbia’s relations with the European Union, the strategic dialogue represents “America’s cluster” for Serbia, placing the country in an entirely different category in terms of the quality and level of bilateral relations.

“Serbia is now reaching a position that not even the former Yugoslavia attained – to be officially recognized as one of the United States’ strategic partners. That is miles away from where our relations stood 25 or 30 years ago. This is in Serbia’s national interest. It is important for us because of Kosovo and Metohija, where we rely on protecting our people; because of the Republic of Srpska, where the Donald Trump administration has shown considerable understanding regarding the resolution of issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina; because of support for our domestic stability, with policies from previous periods having been abandoned; and because of the economy. It sends a signal to investors,” the Serbian foreign minister explained.

He stressed that he believes this step will also benefit the Serbian diaspora in the United States.

“We are opening a new chapter with the United States. From this Friday onward, however, we will be operating on an entirely new level of relations. Representatives of several ministries will accompany me to Washington. Officials from the Ministry of Science and Technology will also be there, and there will be an interesting segment relating to NASA. Naturally, there are always sensitive issues between states. Serbia is a country that pursues a balanced foreign policy, and I am convinced that such a policy provides the best conditions for our citizens,” Djuric said.

Commenting on the visit of Albanian President Bajram Begaj to Bujanovac, Djuric said he believes cooperation between Serbia and Albania is in Serbia’s national and state interest.

“I would invite everyone criticizing the Albanian president’s visit to southern Serbia, conducted in accordance with all protocols and with the presence of the Ministry of the Interior, to consider whether it is better for ties with Albanians in southern central Serbia to be maintained by Tirana, which is the homeland of Albanians, or by Pristina under Albin Kurti, which refers to the municipalities in southern Serbia as the so-called ‘Eastern Kosovo.’ Many in Pristina are criticizing the Albanian president’s visit because they would prefer to be the ones claiming those municipalities. The Albanian president’s visit is a normal bilateral activity by the head of a neighbouring state, who recognizes and respects the status of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medveđa as part of our country. We are building better relations with Albania. We have differences regarding Kosovo and Metohija, but we respect the Albanian national community in Serbia, and no one should be concerned by that,” Djuric said.

The minister also said he was proud of the efforts made by officials across government institutions in the period leading up to the expected opening of Cluster 3 in Serbia’s EU accession negotiations.

“The National Assembly adopted dozens of legislative acts. The European Commission supports the opening of the cluster. In recent weeks, the President has held numerous meetings with European leaders. Last night he attended an event in Paris as an honoured guest and was the only head of state from a country that is neither an EU nor a NATO member to be invited, which is a great honour and a sign of respect for Serbia. Today he will attend the military parade in France, which is also a great honour for Serbia,” he said.

Djuric added that Serbia has done everything within its power to create the conditions for the opening of the cluster.

The minister also extended his condolences to the family of the young woman who lost her life in Sunday's traffic accident in Montenegro, noting that the staff of the Clinical Centre of Montenegro in Podgorica and rescue services from the Bay of Kotor had acted with exceptional professionalism.

“Our Consulate remained in contact with the families and provided all the assistance it could,” Djuric said.