Hill: The US and Serbia - two friends who at some point parted ways, but are now together again

American Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill, speaking at the reception on the occasion of the Independence Day of the US, said that it was important for the US and Serbia to show mutual understanding and respect because that was the only way they could move forward together.

"Our two countries are like two friends who at some point parted ways, but who are now together again," Hill said.

He noticed that "one friend talks about the past and the other about the future", but that it was important for them to show mutual understanding and respect because that was the only way, as he stated, that they could move forward together.

"The US and Serbia have many similarities, for example, basketball is a national passion for you and us, and a banana is just a fruit," he said.

Hill welcomed President Vucic, Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, as well as other representatives of the government, "with whom we have worked together a lot in the past year", as well as representatives of religious communities, academics, journalists, cultural workers, and artists, and athletes, whom he particularly pointed out.

"Serbia is conquering the world through basketball, tennis, water polo, and who knows what other sports," the Ambassador said and pointed out that it had been a "wonderful experience" to be a diplomat in Belgrade.

"I was here for the first time when I was seven years old when my father served in our embassy, then when I was 25, when I helped with some economic issues, and now for the third time, as an Ambassador," Hill said.

As he said, "he never considered patience to be a special virtue" and that "the very fact that we celebrate the 4th of July today, on June 29, speaks of that".

"The relationship between Serbia and the US is important for everyone, for the entire region. When we build it so that it is strong, it will help countries forget the past and move forward, all for the sake of our children's generations and those who come after. For them, patience is an overrated concept, and we have to move faster,'' the American ambassador said.

Speaking about the differences between the US and Serbia, Hill said that they would always exist, but that despite them, the relations between the two countries were built on deep foundations.

"This is because we have the same values, trust is very important, and it must be carefully built and guarded. In the future, there will certainly be disagreements, and surely both of us will stubbornly stick to them, but in the name of common goals, those disagreements can become very small and almost unimportant,'' Hill said.

He pointed out that Belgrade and Washington had very strong economic cooperation in cities all over Serbia.

"Some of our biggest technology companies are here, for example, NCR, or ORACLE's data center in Kragujevac. For both countries, this is our common future, we are now Serbia's biggest partner when it comes to services of this type,'' Hill said and added that Air Serbia was increasingly helping to connect the countries.

"Especially now, on the flight from Chicago. Now people from places in the west of our country, such as Denver, can reach Serbia via Chicago,'' Hill said.

The Ambassador pointed out that there were currently conflicts everywhere in the world, which required difficult choices.

"Wherever you come from in the world, the US is here to be your partner and help you reach your goals. I am an optimist. I believe that the year I spent here helped to strengthen my position even more, and I believe that the people of Serbia have the strength to rise above the recent tragedies and develop their country. Things can always and everywhere be better and we should strive for that. Serbia should strive to protect its weak and be a leader in some matters. Time is a factor, so let's move forward together,'' Hill said.

At the end of the address, he made a toast.

"For the permanent friendship of Serbia and all its peoples with the US. Those of you who are not Serbs or Americans, also toast with us, because the point of all this is to be together. Cheers!'' the American ambassador said.