Milivojevic: Djuric’s visit to Washington marks the beginning of strengthening Serbian-American relations

Diplomat Zoran Milivojevic stated that the visit of Serbia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Djuric to Washington and his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is important because it marks the beginning of a process of strengthening Serbian-American relations, as well as due to the clear determination of both sides to improve their bilateral relations.

Recalling that this is the first visit at the highest diplomatic level — at the level of the foreign minister — in quite some time, Milivojevic emphasized that it is important for three reasons.

“First, it is an introduction to communication with the new U.S. administration, following the presentation of credentials by the new Serbian ambassador to the U.S. and the message we heard from that occasion. Second, this marks the start of the process of strengthening Serbian-American relations. The message regarding strategic partnership is the backbone of that process we are now entering, and a follow-up meeting dedicated to this topic has already been announced. The third and most important point is the determination of both sides to improve their bilateral relations and mutual interests — especially from the American side and the new U.S. administration led by Trump,” Milivojevic told Kosovo Online.

According to him, it is also important that, in both political and diplomatic, but also strategic terms, this visit represents a materialization of the investment Serbs made in this administration — through their support of President Trump during the campaign and the elections.

“It is clear that the American side is aware of this and recognizes Serbia as a key partner in the region, as well as understanding the significance of Serbia’s influence and interests,” said Milivojevic.

He emphasized that the key message from the meeting is that the U.S. has an interest in developing strategic partnerships with Serbia, which brings direct benefits in all areas.

“One of the other messages concerns a matter of special interest to Serbia and where the U.S. plays a key role — the issue of Kosovo and Metohija. It points to the continuation of that dialogue and, based on past experience, the possibility for the U.S. to once again engage constructively in this region, especially on the Kosovo issue, drawing from its previous term. That previous term showed that the administration led by President Trump had a constructive approach to Kosovo and Metohija. The methodology they applied yielded good political results. Unfortunately, that policy lacked continuity. That’s the key difference between the current and previous administration, and this opens the door to return to dialogue and compromise-based solutions — to establish a new political dialogue using the mechanisms and tools this administration promotes. These are mechanisms primarily based on economic cooperation and the creation of a favorable political environment,” Milivojevic explained.

Another important message, he noted, relates to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“There is undoubtedly a U.S. interest in maintaining peace and stability here. In that sense, our interests align. The Serbian side approaches this from the standpoint of prioritizing peace, but also with a view to finding solutions that reflect realpolitik — meaning the Dayton Agreement and the realities Bosnia and Herzegovina demands: respect for real political conditions, including the existence of two entities and three constituent peoples. It was evident that attention was also given to this issue yesterday,” Milivojevic concluded.