Serbia’s FM outlines vision for stronger US partnership by 2031

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić took part in the panel “Ohio and Serbia’s Vision of a Shared Future,” held as part of the international conference “Belgrade Dialogue: Political Pillars and Economic Bridges between Serbia and the United States.”

Đurić said the presence of Serbia’s leading political, economic and military-security representatives at the celebration of America Day demonstrated the strength, capacity and potential of relations between the two countries, as well as Serbia’s commitment to building the partnership.

He noted that significant systemic steps forward had been made over the past six years under the leadership of Presidents Aleksandar Vučić and Donald Trump, CE Report informs via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia's official website.

He highlighted the launch of the Serbia-US Strategic Dialogue in July this year as one of the most important achievements, following several meetings at the level of the US Secretary of State, including a meeting between President Vučić and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in September last year, as well as several other meetings with the US Secretary of State over the previous year.

According to Đurić, the Strategic Dialogue brings regularity, systematic planning and methodology to relations between the two countries, including annual cooperation plans for ministries, agencies and other institutions. He said areas such as energy, defence, education, science, culture and the arts had also received clear action plans for the future.

Speaking about the importance of relations with the United States, Đurić said there was no major state or national issue of importance to the Serbian people in which relations with the US were not significant. He pointed to considerable potential for cooperation in new technologies, given the leading US position in IT, technology and artificial intelligence, as well as the importance of the partnership for Serbia’s energy security — from secure supplies of liquefied petroleum gas and oil to using the Danube to increase electricity production and applying new technologies in the energy sector.

Regarding Kosovo and Metohija, Đurić stressed the importance of Serbia’s contacts with US representatives within KFOR, as well as with US diplomatic missions, for protecting the position and rights of Serbs and all non-majority communities.

Đurić also highlighted the importance of the Serbian diaspora in the United States, noting that around one million people of Serbian descent live there. He described the community as an important bridge for building future relations and stressed that building a partnership is never a task that can be considered complete, but must involve all institutions and segments of society.

Speaking about strengthening Serbia’s diplomatic presence in the United States, Đurić said the Serbian government had adopted a decision and completed all procedures to prepare for the opening of a new Serbian Consulate General in Miami, Florida, one of the fastest-growing economic areas in the US.

He stressed the importance of Serbia’s missions in Washington and New York, including its Mission to the United Nations and consulate, as well as the Consulate General in Chicago, which is home to a community of several hundred thousand people of Serbian origin. According to Đurić, diplomatic missions serve as an important gateway both for Serbian citizens and the business community, with some major projects, including in the energy sector, having established their first contacts with partners through diplomatic missions.

He added that Serbia must continue strengthening the capacities of its diplomatic missions, while praising the work of the US Embassy in Belgrade and its daily engagement in implementing joint projects.

Regarding economic cooperation, Đurić pointed to the potential for Serbia-US partnerships in third markets, citing Serbia’s established cooperation networks in Africa, Asia and other parts of the world. He referred to the Serbia-Angola partnership as an example, noting that one of Serbia’s comparative advantages is the diversity of its cooperation networks, while Serbian companies often need additional capacities and partners to implement major projects in third markets — partners they can find in the United States.

Đurić also presented Serbia’s vision for 2031 as a significantly stronger economic and technological country, one of the strongest economies in this part of Europe and one of the continent’s most technologically advanced countries, making full use of the potential offered by new technologies and economic transformation.

He noted that Serbia had increased its gross domestic product two and a half times in just over a decade, which, he said, demonstrated the country’s potential as a partner. In this context, he stressed the central role of the partnership with the United States in achieving Serbia’s national plans and objectives, expressing the expectation that by 2031 good relations between the two countries would be taken for granted and would enable joint planning and policy coordination in the fields of economy, security and other areas.

He placed particular emphasis on education and a new agreement to significantly increase the number of Fulbright scholarships, signed in July as a joint investment by the governments of Serbia and the United States. Đurić said he expected an increasing number of young Serbian academics to have the opportunity in the coming years to further their education at leading US universities, describing the American higher education system as a major opportunity for Serbia.

Speaking about Serbia’s accession to the Artemis Accords, Đurić explained that although Serbia does not have its own space programme, joining the initiative opens significant opportunities for Serbian scientific institutes, industry and companies to participate in the development of a space programme worth tens of billions of dollars, while enabling Serbian experts to develop alongside the sector.

He concluded that all these areas represented only part of what Serbia and the United States could achieve together in the future, describing the partnership between the two countries as one of Serbia’s key development opportunities. He thanked the Ohio National Guard delegation and said Serbia would continue working to further develop relations and strengthen the support base for the Serbia-US partnership.

Photo/Video: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia