Djuric meets with Lipavsky in Prague

PRAGUE - Serbian FM Marko Djuric, who is on his first official visit to Czechia, met with the country's FM Jan Lipavsky in Prague on Monday, noting that the two economies were developing alongside each other and that Serbia was making progress on its EU path thanks to Czech support.

Djuric noted that Serbia and Czechia were connected by centuries-long friendship and a close, fraternal relationship between the two peoples, the Serbian MFA said in a statement.

"EU membership is a strategic priority of our country and I am pleased that we discussed here in Prague today ways to accelerate the reform process and help, through joint forces, Europe become complete through integrating the Western Balkans to full membership," Djuric said.

At a joint press conference after the meeting with Lipavsky, Djuric said Serbia was ready to advance its legal and political system as well as economic reforms to meet all EU membership conditions by 2027.

"Not only Serbia will be benefitting through the membership. To a great extent, the EU will be stronger thanks to millions of Serbian citizens, their creativity, talent and energy and Serbia's strategic position in the southeastern wing of Europe," Djuric said.

He noted that Serbia maintained friendships with Asian, African and Latin American states that dated back to the era of the Non-Aligned Movement and that that would be Serbia's significant and strong contribution to the European community.

He said bilateral trade between Serbia and Czechia had exceeded 2 bln euros in 2023, proving that the two countries had become important economic partners.

Speaking about global security challenges, he said the EU as a whole, as well as Czechia as an important actor within the EU, could count on Serbia as firm support to safeguarding regional stability.

"With our European partners, we will be working on implementing a regional growth agenda and, perhaps more importantly, on advancing of political relations and improving the political climate in the region," Djuric said.

"Our future is based on common European values, clear economic interests and a desire for Serbia, a centrally positioned country in the Western Balkans, to also be a pillar of European values," he said.

Lipavsky confirmed Czechia was one of Serbia's top 15 economic partners and said the meeting with Djuric had also addressed strengthening of cooperation in transport infrastructure, environmental protection and tourism.

Lipavsky said Czechia strongly supported Serbia in its efforts to join the EU and that it wanted to assist the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, and noted that Serbia was a very important partner to Czechia in the Western Balkan region.