US State Department: Marco Rubio and Marko Djuric agreed to hold bilateral strategic dialogue this year

Photo: Tanjug/AP

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric met in Washington on Wednesday and agreed that Serbia and the United States will hold a bilateral strategic dialogue later this year.

Recommended

This will be done in order to deepen economic and security relations, the US State Department announced.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement that the US is "committed to a mutually beneficial relationship with Serbia that delivers for our citizens and our interests."

It is also stated that Rubio and Djuric discussed "the importance of de-escalating tensions in the Western Balkans, particularly with Kosovo and in Bosnia and Herzegovina, to advance regional stability and set the stage for economic growth and prosperity."

After the meeting with Rubio, Djuric told Tanjug that there was talk about starting a strategic dialogue between Serbia and the US very soon, which would raise relations between the two countries to a level that did not exist in previous generations.

Djuric said that he asked the US Government for support regarding the verdict against RS President Milorad Dodik and the pressure that the RS is facing, as well as that he informed Rubio about the situation in Kosovo and Metohija and about the difficulties, pressure and persecutions faced by the Serbs.

He added that in the conversation he positioned Serbia as a country that is firmly committed to progress and preserving stability in the region.

Djuric stressed that his visit to the US and the meeting with Rubio are extremely important for the new strategic positioning of Serbia in relation to the current US administration.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)