Djuric: We have a chance now to build permanently good and close relations with the United States

Photo: Tanjug/Dragan Kujundzic

It is very important for Serbia that US special envoy Richard Grenell came to Belgrade and Pristina very soon after the signing of the agreement in Washington, the director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Marko Djuric, said today, and added that US President Donald Trump is moving, through Grenell, to implement the agreement from the White House at lightning speed.

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Djuric assessed that building relations with the United States through strengthening economic cooperation is extremely important for Serbia, and that this creates chances for us to, in the future, build permanently good and close relations with the United States.

"That is something that would be left as a legacy for future generations, if Serbia finally, along with our traditional friends from the East and the region, has another pillar on which our stability and statehood rest," Djuric told TV Happy.

He stressed that Serbia has achieved several important things in Washington, above all, that President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic managed to remove the story about mutual recognition of Kosovo and Serbia from the agenda.

He also considers it important that Pristina, with pressure from President Trump, has been included in the "mini-Schengen" initiative, which, as he says, guarantees that they will no longer be able to introduce 100 percent taxes.

He added that one of the results of the agreement is a one-year ban on Pristina joining international organizations such as Interpol and UNESCO, as well as mentioning Serbian Orthodox monasteries and churches, and Pristina's obligation to implement laws and court rulings that protect our shrines.

Ana Brnabic welcomes Grenell and DFC representatives / Photo: Tanjug/MITKO ARNAUDOV

"President Vucic managed to get Pristina to sign an obligation before Trump to respect laws and court rulings that mostly refer to the monastery of Visoki Decani," said Djuric.

An important result achieved in Washington is the opening of the office of the US corporation DFC, worth about 60 million dollars, which, Djuric points out, opens the door to American investors.

"So far, we've had investments from Germany, Italy, Russia, China... we will additionally strengthen economically as a country if we have large US investments, not to mention that Americans protect the stability of a space where they invest," said Djuric.

He also recalled the bilateral meeting between presidents Vucic and Trump and pointed out that it was an exceptional opportunity for Serbia, especially when the Pristina delegation did not have such a meeting.

"We are now much closer than before to the visit of the US president to Serbia, it would be extremely important for our mutual relations to continue working on that. Finally, the Serbian lobby can be seen in action, there is no longer only the Albanian lobby while Serbia is silent, now our country is also active," Djuric pointed out.

Photo: Tanjug/Kristina Maslarevic

He added that President Vucic had numerous meetings with world leaders such as Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and that he managed to build international credibility of the representative of a state, which, as he says, implements what has been agreed and is a reliable and stable partner.

He added that Vucic is at the helm of a state which has managed to achieve extraordinary economic results in the previous eight years.

"President Trump also recognized the results we've had in the time of coronavirus, specially when it comes to unemployment. I will remind you that no one gave Serbia more than six months before going bankrupt in 2012, we had to borrow money to pay salaries and pensions after (Dragan) Djilas, (Vuk) Jeremic, and others, who diminish the importance of the agreements reached," concluded Djuric.

(Telegraf.rs)