"Brussels deal implementation for opening chapters"

"Brussels deal implementation for opening chapters"

“We want to see the opening of negotiating chapters as soon as possible. Momentum is everything in politics and maintaining the momentum on Serbia's route towards Europe is critically important. The sooner we open the first chapters for negotiations, the better,” Hammond said.

He strongly backed the difficult measures that the government and Prime Minister Vucic have been putting in place so as to make the Serbian economy more competitive.

"We know from our own experience how much the measures could be tough in the short term, but in the long run they ensure economic prosperity, growth and jobs," Hammond said.

He underscored that he comes from the country that takes great pride in its nation, culture, history and population, which fearlessly defends its own values, and stressed that the UK's place is in a reformed EU.

“We are engaged with our European partners to ensure that, as the debate about the reform within the EU moves forward, it will be an EU designed for 21st century, focused on ensuring that our economy can be more competitive in the globalized world economy,” the UK foreign secretary said.

In that context, Hammond underlined that London “very much welcomes Serbia's commitment to its trajectory towards Europe”. “And we will continue to support it in every way that we can,” he added.

During the talks, Hammond and Vucic also addressed regional issues.

“We talked about the challenges in the region, the importance of regional stability both for Serbia and for the wider EU,” Hammond said, noting that he came to Belgrade after touring Bulgaria and Romania, and that he will go on to visit Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

He said that in Belgrade he also met with the minister of economy and some representatives of British businesses that are established in Serbia with whom he talked about the steps that the government is taking so as to attract investments, in an effort to create jobs.

Hammond congratulated Serbia on the professionalism with which it had approached the task of holding the OSCE chairmanship.

“The chairmanship of the OSCE is an opportunity for Serbia to demonstrate its values to the international audience and show its ability and its willingness to act as a full member of the international community, in accordance with the European values, to which it has now committed itself. I know that the OSCE will work smoothly and effectively through the medium of Serbia's chairmanship,” Hammond concluded.