Prince Charles addresses reception at Serbian Assembly

Prince Charles addresses reception at Serbian Assembly

Charles said he could see that extraordinary progress had been made in the Balkans and that peace and stability had returned there after the horrific conflicts of the 1990s.

He said that there could be few places on Earth where one felt the weight of history more than in the Balkans and that no-one should forget or ignore that history, but it was "vital not to become prisoners of it."

The heir to the British throne said that "only reconciliation offers the assurance that our children and grandchildren will not suffer the same agonies as our generation.

He said that relations between the Balkan countries and Britain were flourishing on all levels, and that this was defined by people, expressing hope that the countries of the Western Balkans would be changed by the common need for reconciliation.

"I can only assure you that Britain is with you as you build your common future. Peace and stability in this region will mean that all of us, whether in the Balkans, in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere, can enjoy a safer and more prosperous future. Together, we can build this future," Prince Charles said.

He started his speech with a few words in Serbian, which was greeted with applause by the guests.

The speech, expected to be Prince Charles' only public address as he and his wife Camilla tour of the Balkan region, was followed by prolonged applause and the national anthems of the two countries, Tanjug reported.

The reception took place in the presence of numerous figures from the political, cultural and public life, and representatives of the diplomatic corps.

With this reception, the princely couple ended their two-day visit to Serbia, during which they met with top state officials, leaders of religious communities, the Karadjordjevic royal family, cultural and diplomatic corps representatives.

"Reset"

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, who attended the reception, said that the royal couple's visit was a great honor for Serbia, but also an opportunity to "reset" relations with Great Britain.

"This is also an opportunity to reset relations with Great Britain to what they were like at the beginning of the last century and to look for common interests. Great Britain should show more interest in the region instead of letting others do that," Dacic told Radio Television of Serbia.

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla were welcomed to the Serbian parliament building by Parliament Speaker Maja Gojkovic, who had a brief conversation with Prince Charles in the Salon of Prince Paul.