Ministers meet non-resident envoys

Ministers Bozidar Djelic, Vuk Jeremic and Dragan Sutanovac have met with 16 non-resident ambassadors accredited in Serbia. They discussed economic cooperation and also Serbia's foreign policy. Ministers meet non-resident envoys The ministers stated that the country's strategic goal was accession to the EU and that they expected Serbia to receive the candidate status in mid-2011. At same time, the countries represented by the present diplomatic envoys have been invited to invest in Serbia. Djelic said that Serbia was one of the countries in the region which had managed to attract the most foreign investments despite the serious economic situation. He pointed out that Serbia had had EUR 1.7bn of foreign direct investments in 2009, out of which more than 80 percent from EU states. The minister stressed that Serbia’s strategic goal was membership in the EU and repeated that Belgrade applied for the candidacy in December of last year. He expressed hope that Serbia would become a candidate by June 2011 and that negotiations on the EU membership would begin soon after. “Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz will submit his new report on Serbia’s cooperation to the UN in June. We expect the report to be positive, which would enable for the ratification of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU,” Djelic explained. The minister also emphasized great importance of cooperation of the Danube countries within the Danube strategy, and expressed hope that it would be adopted during the Hungarian EU presidency in 2011. He announced that Serbia would have an active role in the process. According to Djelic, Serbia has an important strategic position in the region which is why the completion of Corridor 10 was an important project, considering that the highway would be the shortest road between Vienna and Istanbul. Djelic invited the non-resident ambassadors to work together on opening their countries' embassies in Belgrade. “I hope your countries will find an interest to invest in projects in our country in this transitional period,” the minister said, and added that it especially referred to investments in railway and infrastructure. Vuk Jeremic also addressed the meeting to tell the envoys that Serbia had four priorities in its foreign policy – preserving the country’s territorial integrity, European integrations, regional cooperation and economic diplomacy. He stressed that Kosovo was the biggest challenge of all, and repeated that the government in Belgrade was determined to find a peaceful solution. Jeremic pointed out to the significance of regional cooperation, which he said “had never been at a higher level in the history of relations of the Balkan countries“. “We all share the same strategic goals, and that's membership in the EU,“ the minister said. He emphasized that Belgrade supported the territorial integrity of Bosnia-Herzegovina, “because Serbia believes that territorial integrity of all UN members must be preserved“. Dragan Sutanovac said that he expected that the introduction of exclusively professional service in the Serbian Army would be finished by the end of the year. Speaking about cooperation with international forces in Kosovo, Sutanovac said that Serbia had good cooperation with NATO-led KFOR, "which is important not only for security of Kosovo but also for security of the entire region". “KFOR is Serbia's partner, we have cooperation on a daily basis,“ he said and added that Serbia had received a promise from KFOR that it would not cut down the number of its soldiers in Kosovo without consulting it. Non-resident ambassadors of Ireland, Lithuania, Estonia, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Peru, Uruguay, Dominican Republic, Vietnam, Lesotho, Benin, Azerbaijan, North Korea, Republic of South Africa and Yemen attended the meeting with the Serbian ministers today in Belgrade. Djelic and Jeremic at the meeting today (Beta)

Ministers meet non-resident envoys

The ministers stated that the country's strategic goal was accession to the EU and that they expected Serbia to receive the candidate status in mid-2011.

At same time, the countries represented by the present diplomatic envoys have been invited to invest in Serbia.

Đelić said that Serbia was one of the countries in the region which had managed to attract the most foreign investments despite the serious economic situation.

He pointed out that Serbia had had EUR 1.7bn of foreign direct investments in 2009, out of which more than 80 percent from EU states.

The minister stressed that Serbia’s strategic goal was membership in the EU and repeated that Belgrade applied for the candidacy in December of last year. He expressed hope that Serbia would become a candidate by June 2011 and that negotiations on the EU membership would begin soon after.

“Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz will submit his new report on Serbia’s cooperation to the UN in June. We expect the report to be positive, which would enable for the ratification of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU,” Đelić explained.

The minister also emphasized great importance of cooperation of the Danube countries within the Danube strategy, and expressed hope that it would be adopted during the Hungarian EU presidency in 2011. He announced that Serbia would have an active role in the process.

According to Đelić, Serbia has an important strategic position in the region which is why the completion of Corridor 10 was an important project, considering that the highway would be the shortest road between Vienna and Istanbul.

Đelić invited the non-resident ambassadors to work together on opening their countries' embassies in Belgrade.

“I hope your countries will find an interest to invest in projects in our country in this transitional period,” the minister said, and added that it especially referred to investments in railway and infrastructure.

Vuk Jeremić also addressed the meeting to tell the envoys that Serbia had four priorities in its foreign policy – preserving the country’s territorial integrity, European integrations, regional cooperation and economic diplomacy.

He stressed that Kosovo was the biggest challenge of all, and repeated that the government in Belgrade was determined to find a peaceful solution.

Jeremić pointed out to the significance of regional cooperation, which he said “had never been at a higher level in the history of relations of the Balkan countries“.

“We all share the same strategic goals, and that's membership in the EU,“ the minister said.

He emphasized that Belgrade supported the territorial integrity of Bosnia-Herzegovina, “because Serbia believes that territorial integrity of all UN members must be preserved“.

Dragan Šutanovac said that he expected that the introduction of exclusively professional service in the Serbian Army would be finished by the end of the year.

Speaking about cooperation with international forces in Kosovo, Šutanovac said that Serbia had good cooperation with NATO-led KFOR, "which is important not only for security of Kosovo but also for security of the entire region".

“KFOR is Serbia's partner, we have cooperation on a daily basis,“ he said and added that Serbia had received a promise from KFOR that it would not cut down the number of its soldiers in Kosovo without consulting it.

Non-resident ambassadors of Ireland, Lithuania, Estonia, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Peru, Uruguay, Dominican Republic, Vietnam, Lesotho, Benin, Azerbaijan, North Korea, Republic of South Africa and Yemen attended the meeting with the Serbian ministers today in Belgrade.