Austria "fully supports reforms in Serbia"

Austria "fully supports reforms in Serbia"

Vučić told the RTS that his Austrian hosts fully support the economic reforms in Serbia, as well as the necessary political reforms.

There were also discussions with businesspeople and major Austrian companies, including those that are already operating in Serbia, but also some that have plans to do so, he said.

"I think that our relations with Austria are perhaps better than ever in the past hundred years - on the centenary of World War I, we were greeted as friends, and it was a pleasure to represent Serbia," the prime minister said.

Asked if the visit can be considered as a way of preparing his upcoming visit to Berlin, Vučić said that he did discuss the visit with Austrian Vice Chancellor Michael Spindelegger, adding that Spindelegger's and German Chancellor Angela Merkel's parties are part of the European People's Party bloc and that he expects the Serbian Progressive Party to join it by the end of the year.

"We discussed cooperation involving Serbia, Austria and Germany," the prime minister said, adding that it is no coincidence that the Serbian leadership arranged the first visits to EU countries in that order.

"We will clearly establish our policy of changing the relations with both Austria and Germany - we want the best possible relations with Austria and Germany," Vučić said.

"Expectations"

Head of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung offices in Serbia and Montenegro Henri Bohnet has said he expects the chief topics of the coming meeting between Serbia's Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić and Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel will be the situation in Serbia after the floods, economic reforms, EU integration, normalization of the relations with Priština, "and Berlin's expectations of Belgrade."

Merkel will certainly ask Vučić how he intends to move forward with economic reforms that are necessary for Serbia to recover from the recent floods and years of economic crisis, Bohnet said at a conference about the relations between Serbia and Germany in terms of Serbia's EU integration and the Ukrainian crisis.

When asked if the meeting would have a sharp tone and include topics such as Serbia's view concerning the crisis in Ukraine, energy policy and the situation with the media, Behnet responded that he expected no negative atmosphere and believed that the meeting "would be pleasant."