Serbia and the US expect a strategic partnership, which would even open up the possibility of visa liberalisation between both countries, Serbia’s Ambassador to the US, Marko Đurić, said in an interview for Kurir.

Đurić met with the special adviser at the State Department, Derek Schole.

“The bilateral communication we have in the US is extremely positive. He highly valued the contribution of the Serbian president when it came to stabilising relations between Belgrade and Pristina. We also considered the issue of bilateral cooperation. We discussed possible dates for starting the strategic dialogue between Serbia and the US. It will be a significant step forward in our relations and will represent a new phase in institutional cooperation,” said Đurić.

According to him, this means connecting various Serbian and US institutions to achieve visa liberalisation with the US in the future.

It would also allow for an agreement on double taxation with the US, which will open the door for American businessmen in Serbia and Serbian business people in America, to be reached, he added. Improving cooperation with technologies is also something that is envisaged.

“I can’t talk about terms and deadlines, but the very fact that talks on visa liberalisation have started is a positive signal. Not only for citizens but also for the business community,” Đurić pointed out.

Serbia intends to continue deepening its relations with the US intensively, notes Đurić.

“The pillars of our policy are the economic exchange that we achieve, and it is increasing significantly in the field of high technologies as well. I would also like to point out the security cooperation we are making. The conditions are ripe for a completely new chapter in Serbian-American relations,” he said.

The ambassador also noted that he tries to change Americans’ image of Serbia every day.

“It’s a process. Let us never underestimate how low the point we are starting from is. Three decades of negative news about Serbia left a deep mark. I am informing them about what Serbia is now focused on, improving our institutions, that the wishes of our citizens are for the country to develop, to build standards and values ​​that are completely equivalent and compatible with European and American ones,” underlined Đurić.

The US is Serbia’s most important foreign trade partner about services, including intellectual property, he added.

(EURACTIV.rs | Milena Antonijević)