Velebit: Djuric’s meeting with Rubio extremely important, US administration shows it respects Serbia

The President of the Pupin Initiative, Vuk Velebit, stated that the visit of Serbia's Foreign Minister Marko Djuric to Washington and his meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio are extremely significant for several reasons. He emphasized that the most important aspect is the discussion about strategic dialogue and the fact that the US administration is showing that it respects and sees Serbia as a strategic partner. He added that the concept of strategic dialogue gives Serbia a kind of “reserved seat” at the table in Washington, meaning that when there is an issue, whether related to Serbs in Kosovo or otherwise, Belgrade has a direct line to Washington to discuss it.

“The visit of Minister Djuric to Washington and the meeting with Marco Rubio are highly significant for several reasons. First, because it is the first bilateral meeting in Washington in 18 years, and second, because until now we haven’t had such a high-level meeting since Donald Trump became president for his second term, and not even during his first term did such meetings with the State Department, as the main US foreign policy institution, take place,” Velebit told Kosovo Online.

He particularly emphasized that the meeting is important in the context of all the efforts made in recent years to strengthen Serbia–US relations.

“Although the strengthening of relations began during Trump’s first term and continued during the Biden administration, we had an announcement regarding the establishment of strategic dialogue. In January, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma visited Belgrade and announced this, and now we are seeing, in a way, its formalization and the announcement of the first bilateral meeting specifically tied to strategic dialogue. We see a clear continuity in Washington's approach to Serbia and a shift in how the region is viewed, particularly how Belgrade is perceived compared to other players,” Velebit noted.

He added that the best indication of this is the appointment of Mark Brnovich as the new US ambassador to Serbia, which is so far the only appointment from Washington in our region, something he sees as a sign that Washington wants to reset relations with Serbia and give them fresh momentum.

Velebit also stressed that the most important point of the Djuric–Rubio meeting was the discussion of strategic dialogue, the existence of a proactive approach, and the fact that the US administration is showing that it respects and sees Serbia as its strategic partner.

“There is truly an opportunity for Serbia to be positioned as America’s main partner in the region, and I think there is a solid foundation for that. Serbia is indeed the most important country, economically and in terms of defense; it allocates more to defense than some NATO members. I believe the US wants Serbia on its side. But equally, it is in Serbia’s interest to have strong relations with the US, as the most powerful global actor and one of the most influential players in our region. If we want to strengthen our country’s position internationally, not just economically, but politically and in terms of security, we must work with the United States, and that is why this meeting is very important in the context of Serbia’s positioning in the region,” Velebit emphasized.

He reminded that the concept of strategic dialogue is precisely what gives Serbia a “reserved seat” at the table in Washington.

“That means that when there’s a problem or challenge Serbia is facing, whether it concerns our people in Kosovo and Metohija, or some other issue, we have a direct phone line to Washington to talk about it. Strategic dialogue allows you to have someone to call, and I think that is extremely important,” Velebit concluded.