Vučić ends visit to France

Vučić ends visit to France

According to a Serbian government statement, Valls underscored that the two countries' relations are exceptionally good and that in addition to the historical ties, there are a number of other areas in which the ties can be further deepened.

Vučić said that France should intensify its engagement concerning Serbia because of the two nations' traditionally friendly ties.

During the meeting, the two top officials agreed that Serbia is implementing highly important reforms and that its geographic position offers possibilities for the country to become an economic centre of the region.

Vučić noted that Serbia is well-aware of its obligations and that it will do all it can to fulfil them by 2018.

"We will pursue our European path and we will maintain good neighbourly relations in the region," Vučić said and added that the Serbian delegation visiting Paris called on French investors to place their funds in Serbia.

He noted that he invited Valls to come to Serbia with French businesspeople, and added that the visit of the French prime minister is expected in autumn.

"We hope that we will manage to ensure increased presence of France in Belgrade, Serbia and the entire western Balkans," Vučić told a media conference following the meeting with Valls.

Vučić satisfied

Aleksandar Vučić stated on Thursday, upon concluding his one-day visit to Paris, that he is very satisfied with the visit and that Manuel Valls expressed the determination of Paris to make a big return to the Western Balkans and Serbia, a task in which Serbia is ready to provide assistance.

In a statement for Radio Television of Serbia, Vučić said that he is proud that the French prime minister accepted his invitation to head a French business delegation during its visit to Belgrade in autumn.

He said that the Thursday talks covered matters in the areas of transport, traffic, agriculture and infrastructure, and added that he called for an increased presence of France in the territory of Serbia and the entire Western Balkans.

Vučić said that his talks with the French prime minister also focused on the forthcoming donor conference in Brussels on July 16 and that the preparations in Paris, due on July 8, would constitute an important introduction to the event.

Speaking about the interest of French businesspeople in investing in Serbia, Vučić said that they are waiting for the adoption of important reform laws, especially the Labor Law, before they place their funds.

At the same time, he voiced criticism of those who are using false information to stand up to reforms in Serbia, and said that politics in Serbia is still at the level where it boils down to dealing with scandals.

He noted that Serbia has substantial fiscal deficit, for which the blame rests on those who increased pensions and salaries without justification. Vučić noted that the country's public debt is also very high and underscored that courageous measures need to be implemented.

“Will we have the strength to do this? We will act with determination because we will either succeed in reform implementation and will be able to say in 2018 that we have cured the country, or we will continue failing, blaming others for everything and will eventually become incapable of doing any good,” Vučić said.

He underscored that Europe wants Serbia to implement the necessary reforms because they want to see Serbia become a part of the European family.