Djuric: Serbia needs to remain on right track of cooperation with US

BELGRADE - Serbia's current policy towards the US is based on fundamental determinants resulting from a strong and responsible domestic policy, clearly defined and sustainable goals for growth and development and careful identification of areas of cooperation that are in the interest of Serbia and its people, says Serbian Ambassador to the US Marko Djuric.

"With the support and understanding of our state leadership, this approach has been producing concrete results on the ground, not only in the past three years - as I have been witnessing in person - but for more than ten years now," Djuric told the Politika daily.

It is essential that Serbia continues to move forward on the right track of cooperation with the US, on the path of a historical partnership forged 143 years ago, relying on newly-created political infrastructure, its new image and a new enthusiasm in its approach to the American continent, Djuric said.

It is a fact Serbia and the US disagree on the Kosovo-Metohija issue, but it is also a fact that unilateral and provocative measures Pristina keeps taking to make life as unbearable as possible for Kosovo-Metohija Serbs not only raise serious concerns but also draw growing condemnation from representatives of the US administration, he said.

Djuric also said economic cooperation - primarily reflected in a record-high annual bilateral trade volume of 1.2 bln dollars - was one of the strongest factors underpinning overall Serbia-US relations.

Besides being its fourth-largest external trade partner, the US is Serbia's top export market for ICT services, he said.

"We have put Serbia on America's economic map as a regional economic hub and an attractive destination for investments, infrastructure, technology and tourism," Djuric said.