Djuric in Dayton: Serbia Has a Chance to Elevate Relations with the U.S. To a New Strategic Level

Marko Djuric (mfa.gov.rs)

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric stated in Dayton on May 23 that he had had a cordial conversation with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, noting that Serbia had a "historic opportunity" to elevate its relations with the U.S. to a new strategic level.

After the meeting with Landau in Dayton, where he is participating in an event marking the 30th anniversary of the agreement that ended the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Djuric said that Serbia "for many generations has not had friends and phenomenal interlocutors in the Washington administration like it does now”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs quoted Djuric as saying in a release.

"We now have a historic opportunity to work on improving bilateral relations in our generation, to elevate the Serbian–American partnership, which is 144 years old, to a new strategic level. We will work to fully achieve the potential for developing economic, political, cultural, and all other relations," said Djuric, noting that more than one million people of Serbian origin lived in the U.S.

Djuric also said he was "impressed by the strategic vision" of U.S. President Donald Trump – "a vision of the future that takes into account the interests of ordinary people, economic development, and the creation of a different atmosphere in international relations."

"Our vision is for the Balkans to become a region of success, a region of the future, a region of cooperation, and we oppose attempts to drag us into the past by creating a hierarchy among the victims of past wars, by blaming one side only, the Serbs in particular. I believe we have friends and allies here who will be receptive to our position," said Djuric.