Djuric: Latvia supports the European path of Serbia

On that occasion, Minister Djuric pointed out that it was his privilege and honour to be the first Serbian Foreign Minister visiting the friendly nation of Latvia after many years, as the two countries’ long-standing relations were about to mark their centenary.

“Both Latvia and Serbia are freedom-loving countries which also share a joint commitment to the European Union. Serbia has a clear ambition to complete all of the reforms necessary to join the European Union by 2027. This includes reforms in the political, economic and institutional spheres and we can certainly draw and learn from the experience of our Latvian and other Baltic colleagues and friends,” Djuric said.

Speaking about today's meeting, the head of Serbian diplomacy emphasized that the talks took place in the spirit of productive exchange when it comes to the EU accession agenda and process.

“We are grateful for the vision to support the enlargement of the European Union, not only when it comes to Serbia, but also the broader Balkan region,” Minister Djuric emphasized.

He said that it was very important to develop the economic exchange between the two countries.

“I am proud to be here at a time when we really have an amazing story to tell about Serbia and its economy which has doubled in size in less than a decade and attracted 65% of all foreign investment in our region, with a big emphasis on IT, software and new technologies. We would love to connect our economies better,” the Serbian Foreign Minister stated.

Speaking about the continuation of his visit to Riga, Djuric announced that today he will also meet with the head of the Latvian Chamber of Commerce to discuss new avenues of cooperation between the two countries.

„I should also use this opportunity to invite all Latvians and Serbs and all other people of good will to use the direct flight between Riga and Belgrade, connecting the two amazing cities, and to take advantage of the opportunity to travel freely between our countries,” Djuric said.

The head of Serbian diplomacy said that he agreed with his Latvian colleague that our two countries shared some views in the international sphere and added that Serbia would continue to uphold the principles of international law uniquely and unequivocally in all cases.

“When it comes to the international stage and our region, I want to express gratitude to our Latvian friends for being present and helping with maintaining peace and stability as part of the KFOR mission. I think it is crucial also to keep supporting the EU-facilitated dialogue process. I used this opportunity to inform my Latvian colleagues about the difficult situation of the Serbian community and the challenges that we are facing, but also to send a message that Serbia is very much committed to finding rational and compromise solutions for this issue,” Minister Djuric underlined.

We will continue to develop bilateral relations with Latvia, said Djuric and told his Latvian counterpart that she is always welcome in Belgrade, and that he is looking forward to her return visit as soon as possible.

After today's meeting, Minister Braže pointed out that she had already met with the Serbian Foreign Minister several times, both in European Union meetings and during the NATO summit, where partner countries participated.

Speaking about the significance of the meeting, Braže stated that this was a very important visit for both countries, as it was an opportunity to discuss bilateral relations in detail.

“The relations between Latvia and Serbia are not new, they were founded in 1926 and in two years we will be celebrating a centenary”, Braže said and added that the two countries would continue to build future relations in the same framework.

Minister Braže said that she discussed Serbia's European path with the head of Serbian diplomacy, but also sensitive issues such as the crisis in Ukraine, as well as the importance of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. In this context, Braže stressed that Serbia was a very important country to Latvia, because of its significance in the region and due to our bilateral relations and future mutual ties on the path to the European Union.