Austrian FM tweets in Serbian to congratulate Vucic

Austrian FM tweets in Serbian to congratulate Vucic

Kurz posted his message on Twitter in both English, and Serbian: EU Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn posted a series of three tweets congratulating Vucic on his elections victory, saying he was "looking forward to working with new government under his lead on EU accession process."

"A strong government can drive the reforms that are necessary and good for the future of the country, its economy and its citizens," wrote Hahn, adding that he was "confident (Vucic) would use citizens' strong support in a responsible way that it will strengthen Serbia's EU perspective."

European Parliament's rapporteur on Serbia David McAllister congratulated Vucic his party on the victory in Serbia's parliamentary elections and lauded the democratic spirit of the Serbian people.

"Serbia plays a key role in ensuring stability in the Western Balkans. Thanks to a constructive approach of Prime Minister Vucic to relations with neighboring countries, substantial progress has been made in regional cooperation and closer ties with the European Union have been created," McAllister said in a statement.

Serbia can now focus on further strengthening the rule of law, fight against corruption and public administration reform, introducing economic reforms and guaranteeing media freedoms, so that it can get even closer to the European Union, said the German MEP.

"Europe is facing challenging times. The voice of Serbia plays a role in defining the future of our continent. I look forward to continuing close cooperation with the parliament and government in Belgrade," said McAllister.

Slovak MEP Eduard Kukan, who chairs the EU-Serbia stabilization and association parliamentary committee (SAPC), reacted with these comments:

"I want to congratulate the Serbian citizens on the elections. I am pleased that the vast majority of Serbs voted with confidence for a pro-European course of the country. I would also like to congratulate Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and his party on a clear victory in the elections. Despite dangerous gains on the extreme-right of the political spectrum, the overwhelming preference of the Serbian people is clear: the continued reforms and a clear progress toward the European Union. And we stand ready to support them on this path."