Selaković: Gratitude to Italy for supporting Serbia's European path

After the meeting with his Italian colleague Luigi Di Maio, Selaković said at the joint press conference that a joint session of the Governments of Serbia and Italy will be held in November, which will be followed by a business forum.

Selaković said that Serbia and Italy have a long tradition of good and friendly relations, as well as that Italy is one of our most important political and economic partners in the EU.

"I am pleased to state that our strategic relations, established 12 years ago, have been developed in practically all institutional areas, that they are very stable and consolidated", said the head of Serbian diplomacy.

He said that he talked with his Italian colleague about all topics that are of interest to both countries, and added that they stated that economic cooperation between the two countries is developing in a good direction this year, and that it is showing signs of recovery after the pandemic. The Minister added that the interest of Italian investors in the Serbian market is not declining, but has a tendency to grow.

Selaković states that Serbia considers the visit of the head of Italian diplomacy extremely important and timely, considering the need, he adds, to reaffirm the positive agenda, and to evaluate what is Serbia's success, both in terms of regional policy and European integration.

The Minister reminded that the visit of the Italian Minister was realized less than three months after his visit to Rome, when an Agreement on Cooperation and Understanding was signed between the two ministries, which defined specific types of cooperation such as political consultations, exchange of experiences and exchange of experiences in economic diplomacy.

The topic of conversation, Selaković adds, was the situation in the region, and he states that he informed his colleague from Italy about the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina, as well as about the last round of talks in Brussels, which took place on 15 June.

He states that he asked his Italian colleague for support to normalize relations through dialogue.

Addressing the press, Minister Di Maio said that Italy was convinced that the assistance provided by Brussels, with the full support of the USA, in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, was a historic opportunity for both sides and that Italy strongly encouraged negotiations to continue in order to find a solution.

He said that this was a message that he would repeat in a few hours in Pristina, where he would stay.

Di Maio pointed out that the Kosovo issue is a central issue for the stability of the Western Balkans and the security of the whole of Europe.

Speaking about Serbia's European path, the head of Italian diplomacy expressed hope that today's Intergovernmental Conference in Luxembourg would be the beginning of intensifying the dialogue between Belgrade and Brussels.

"The goal that needs to be achieved is to speed up the negotiations for Serbia's accession, because we really claim, with full conviction, that there is a necessity to work in that direction. I talked with Minister Selaković about the importance of continuing and advancing reforms so that your country could join Europe", Di Maio said.

He congratulated Serbia on the work it has accomplished on that path and added that this is certainly a difficult period for Serbia, but that it has the potential to progress successfully, and that it can count on Italy's help on that path.

"For us, the process of enlargement to the Western Balkans is a strategic priority of the European agenda and we will continue to do everything in our power, even in Brussels, to keep the entry of all countries from the region a tangible goal", Di Maio stressed.

He says that he had a productive meeting with Minister Selaković and that he is looking forward to the next session of the Governments of Serbia and Italy in November with great optimism.

Speaking about economic cooperation, Di Maio pointed out that Italy is already Serbia's first-class partner and added that regardless of the decline due to the pandemic, trade between Serbia and Italy last year amounted to around three billion euros.

He says that Italy currently holds a historical record from the point of view of exports, and, as he points out, the exchange with Serbia is one of the pillars of that growth.

Di Maio states that there are 600 companies in Serbia that employ more than 40,000 people, and adds that they are proud of the fact that Italian companies are investing in Serbia.

He says that the political and economic relations between Serbia and Italy are excellent, but also cultural relations, thanks to, as he says, numerous similarities between our two nations.

Source: Tanjug