Đurić: I Congratulate All Citizens of Serbia on the Strategic Partnership Between Our Country and the United States

“I congratulate all citizens of Serbia on the strategic partnership between our country and the United States—something we did not have even during the era of the former Yugoslavia. Today, the entire senior leadership of the U.S. Department of State took part in discussions with the Serbian delegation. The dialogue was opened by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with whom we held a brief meeting, followed by working-group sessions with Assistant Secretaries of State, representatives of the Departments of Energy and Commerce, as well as representatives of the Pentagon. Over the past 24 hours, we have also met with representatives of NASA, and the culmination of these engagements was a meeting with Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, with whom we worked last year on supporting the Republic of Srpska and contributing to the stabilization of the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Đurić said.

The Serbian foreign minister emphasized that the discussions covered a broad range of issues.

“We discussed energy, as it is of paramount importance that we continue strengthening our energy security, develop new gas interconnectors and electricity generation capacities, and further expand our transport infrastructure. In that area as well, we have an important partnership with American companies, which will continue to grow and deepen. We also signed an exceptionally important agreement on cooperation in education and science concerning the Fulbright scholarship program. I congratulate our academic community and hope that our research institutes and other academic institutions will actively participate in this cooperation,” Đurić said.

According to the minister, the parties also held detailed discussions on the situation in the region and on ways to further align their respective interests.

“I conveyed the greetings of our people in Kosovo and Metohija, who need assistance and support. I also raised the issue of the Visoki Dečani Monastery and the need to maintain the protection it currently enjoys. I stressed the importance of the continued military presence there, noting that it is one of the monasteries that has remained on the list of the most endangered cultural and religious sites for many years, which is precisely why that military presence should continue,” Đurić stated.

He assessed that one of the key values of the Strategic Dialogue lies in establishing a regular framework for communication.

“This is not a one-off initiative. It is a mechanism that will continue on a regular basis and will include the preparation of cooperation plans across a wide range of sectors by the relevant ministries. As I said before the dialogue began, this does not mean that we will always agree on every issue or that we will always share identical views on every topic. Serbia pursues an independent foreign policy, but we have reached a firm consensus that we seek a strategic partnership, long-term cooperation, and stronger long-term relations,” Đurić pointed out.

The Serbian foreign minister stated that the administrations of President Trump and President Vučić are ushering Serbia into a new era of Serbian-American relations.

“I also see that attacks against me personally and against the policies of President Vučić have already begun. I will not respond to domestic political attacks from here. I congratulate all citizens of Serbia and dedicate this achievement to every one of them, regardless of their political affiliation, religious beliefs, or any other personal conviction. I am confident that Serbia, united, will continue to achieve positive results in the future,” Minister Marko Đurić concluded.