Brnabic meets with Kasanof

BELGRADE - Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic met with US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Balkans Alexander Kasanof in Belgrade on Wednesday to discuss, among other topics, the possibility of establishing strategic dialogue between Serbia and the US and the significance of deepening the parliamentary cooperation with the US Congress.

Brnabic said she was pleased with the dynamics of political dialogue and stressed the importance of further advancement of cooperation with the US, and also noted the significance of exchanging top-level visits to strengthen bilateral relations and confirm Serbia's commitment to preserving peace and stability in the region.

The meeting addressed joint projects, especially in the energy sector, the press office of the Serbian parliament said in a statement, which noted that a signed agreement on strategic cooperation in the energy sector would contribute to energy security and sustainable development, enabling new initiatives and investments in the future.

Brnabic and Kasanof devoted special attention to implementation of recommendations by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to advance electoral processes and strengthen democracy in Serbia.

Brnabic noted that she fully understood the significance of continuing the work and close cooperation with the ODIHR towards the joint objective of an even better, more transparent and more efficient electoral process in Serbia.

She underscored that reforms remained Serbia's key priority, with special focus on rule of law, which she noted was substantial for Serbia's European path.

"Serbia's EU membership remains a strategic commitment and one of the most important foreign policy objectives," she said.

Both sides confirmed their commitment to continuing the high-level cooperation while stepping up joint efforts to strengthen the political and economic partnership, which will contribute to long-term development of Serbia-US relations, the statement said.