First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic received a courtesy call from the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania and Co-Chair of the Inter-Governmental Joint Commission on National Minorities, Mr. George Ciamba.

In friendly talks, the two collocutors agreed that the bilateral relations were traditionally good and friendly.
The agenda of the meeting included topics such as further promotion of the political dialogue through exchange of visits. Minister Dacic reminded his collocutor of the open invitations for the top officials of Romania, President Klaus Iohannis, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila and Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Melescanu.
Minister Dacic confirmed his attendance of the upcoming Conference “Security challenges in the Balkans”, to be held in Timisoara on 9 October, at which he would also meet Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Melescanu.

State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, Mr. Ciamba, expressed the support of Romania to Serbia’s EU course and said that Romania was one of those countries that most strongly advocated the EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans and that this issue would remain high on the list of its priorities during the incoming Romanian Presidency of the EU Council in the latter part of 2019.

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First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic has met today with the Minister of Communications of the Republic of Ghana, Ms. Ursula Owusu Ekuful.

Minister Dacic pointed out that exchange of visits between Serbia and Ghana and intensification of cooperation between the two countries demonstrated that friendship between Serbia and Ghana did not belong only to the past and that it was in the interest of both countries to continue to develop relations both at present and in the future.

Minister Owusu-Ekuful said that Serbia and Ghana were very close countries and that all conditions existed for the realization of the top level visits and for the successful cooperation in the areas of economy, IT, culture, education and other fields.

The two collocutors agreed that the traditionally friendly relations between the two countries, having long and rich history dating back to the time of gaining the independence of Ghana, constituted an excellent basis for the promotion of cooperation in all areas.

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Address by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic in Berlin, at an event on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of registration of Berlin’s International Business Community “Berlin Economic Talks”, in the panel discussion on “The Western Balkans in Europe – opportunities and challenges”:

“Esteemed Mr. Becker,
Esteemed Mr. Harms,
Ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to thank Mr. Becker for his kind invitation, offering me an opportunity to speak before this prominent audience and express the positions of the Republic of Serbia concerning the challenges facing our region, as well as its insights and specific proposals to overcome them.

The Republic of Serbia seeks to pursue a proactive, clearly profiled and conceived foreign policy, contributing to its better positioning on the regional, European and broader international level. The preservation of regional stability and focusing of all countries on ever more intensified cooperation in all areas are of essential interest to the Republic of Serbia, as it enables its own sustainable development. Accordingly, the promotion of good-neighbourly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation is condition sine qua non of Serbia’s overall foreign policy.

Serbia strongly believes that the EU constitutes the best framework for all countries of the region, which will facilitate the achievement of individual interests of each of these countries. There is considerable complementarity in the processes of European integration, strengthening of regional cooperation and internal reforms in the Western Balkans countries. The European perspective of the Western Balkans has had a substantial impact on the promotion of regional cooperation, and has contributed to addressing many outstanding problems through dialogue. However, the migration crises, the unknowns brought about by “Brexit”, and the dilemmas opening the discussions concerning the EU’s future are unprecedented challenges for the European Union, but for our region, too. There are no simple and straightforward solutions to challenges anywhere in the world, and Serbia believes that the only appropriate direction overcoming them is through strengthening mutual ties and focusing on what brings us together rather than what keeps us apart. That is the “winning combination” for each country individually, but also for the region as a whole.

In its relations with neighbours and regional countries, Serbia is committed to the promotion of the “positive agenda”, oriented towards the future and seeks in its relations with all regional countries to focus on the development of economic and other forms of mutually beneficial cooperation. In our assessment, this could contribute to creating a more favourable overall climate in the region, thus facilitating resolution of issues accumulated from the past.

It was for these reasons that Serbia strongly supported the German initiative for launching the so-called Berlin Process, and participated with strong commitment in all Berlin Process activities. The Republic of Serbia considers the Connectivity Agenda as one of the key pillars of the entire “Berlin Process, our mutual regional cooperation, and cooperation with EU Member States constituting a part of the Berlin Process, and the EC, too. I would like to single out several results achieved within the Berlin Process framework: the establishment of the Regional Youth Cooperation (RYCO) seated in Tirana, modelled on the German-French example, conclusion of the Treaty Establishing of the Transport Community in the SEE, seated in Belgrade, whose work is expected to begin by the end of this year, and the establishment of the Chamber Investment Forum (CIF) of the Western Balkans, seated in Trieste, representing the interests of 350,000 companies.
The readiness for cooperation expressed by the Republic of Serbia in the development of regional transport infrastructure is yet another way of demonstrating our commitment to peace, stability and prosperity in the region. In this context, the construction of Nis-Merdare-Pristina-Tirana-Drac motorway is one of our key priorities. In the coming period, the focus will be laid on the implementation of other infrastructural projects, like reconstruction and modernization of Nis-Dimitrovgrad, Belgrade-Budapest, Belgrade-Nis and Belgrade-Bar railways, and the completion of the Belgrade bypass, that is, the works on the Sava and Danube rivers as major navigable waterways, whose construction requires relevant funding. In addition, the development of a regional Study on the hydro-power potential is underway.
As regards regional economic projects, we believe that, in the coming period, it is necessary to focus attention, among other things, on the following themes: establishment of joint border checkpoints within the framework of the CEFTA region and joint use of equipment for border control of goods; establishment of an “on-line” import-export system, assisting institutions in Serbia and other CEFTA parties to carry out all (or almost all) export-related procedures electronically; strengthening of the e-commerce system in the region by defining rules and enhancing participant security. All these proposals are directly related to Digital integration.

The reason for referring to these projects and initiatives is the desire to underpin your interests for cooperation towards their implementation.
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is my pleasure to note that Germany is one of Serbia’s major economic partners, and one of the largest investors in Serbian economy. The Republic of Serbia wishes to further enhance and deepen its economic ties with Germany, as we are confident that in these areas in particular it is possible to achieve even better results, in due course.

In January-July 2018, the overall commodity exchange between the two countries totalled 2.83 billion euro. Serbia’s exports to the FR of Germany were 1.15 billion euro, while imports amounted to 1.68 billion euro, whereas in 2017 the trade in goods between the two countries exceeded 4 billion euro, for the first time, totalling 4.34 billion euro, indicating a 10.3% rise compared to 2016, when the overall exchange was 404.3 million euros, totalling some 3.94 billion euro. I would further like to underscore that more than 400 companies with German capital are doing business in Serbia, employing about 47,000 workers.

I am convinced that such impressive results and positive experiences of your business people will also encourage you who are here today to seriously consider business in Serbia.

On its path to full EU membership, Serbia has carried out a series of reforms in the economic field, but also in the areas of the rule of law, operation of state and local administration bodies, digitalization, etc. Serbia has thus created highly favourable conditions for business and investment by foreign companies in Serbia. The best evidence that such policy has proved to be successful is reflected in the data on foreign trade between our two countries and the number of German companies operating and investing in Serbia that I have just brought to your attention.

I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to visit Serbia and assure yourselves that we are ready to offer highly favourable business conditions, while we have an essential interest in increasing German investments in infrastructural projects, cooperation in automotive industry and energy, agricultural/ food-processing sector, IT and tourism. I hope that this meeting will result in your decision to become part of an impressive German business community in Serbia.

Thank you for your attention.”

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Closing statement by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic at the sub-regional conference “Promoting Progress on Agenda 2030”:

“Dear Minister Djukic Dejanovic,
Dear Ms. Hershey,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to thank you all for participating in and contributing to this important conference held with the aim of promoting progress in the implementation of the Agenda 2030. My special gratitude goes to the President of the Inter-Sectoral Working Group, Minister Slavica Djukic Dejanovic, for her tireless efforts and devotion to the realization of a series of activities the Republic of Serbia has committed itself to, the efforts made towards the promotion of Agenda 2030 and for organizing this conference. The UN Country Team has also made a major contribution to these processes, by supporting the activities in the build-up to this conference that is significant for all of us in the region.

Furthermore, I would like to particularly thank our neighbours for their part played in the success of the conference, as yet another indicator that cooperation and solidarity are the best instruments to employ in order to overcome challenges and achieve desired results.

I wish to underline that the Republic of Serbia has been fully committed to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly seeing that at one point, as a member of key fora such as ECOSOC, the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals and the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing, our country had played an active role in defining the goals of the Agenda and the process of establishing its financing model.

Even though the leading role in this context is played by Governments, these goals cannot be reached without involving the widest variety of stakeholders in a society while also fostering partnerships at all levels, as we have witnessed at this conference as well. Within the scope of its capacity, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to support both monitoring and implementation activities regarding the Agenda in the Republic of Serbia, the achievement of SDGs and its targets, and to participate in the drafting of the report on its implementation. This occasion has assured us again that these goals are interconnected and interdependent, and that it is vital to, while implementing the agenda, share experiences at sub-regional, regional and global levels. It is our wish to affirm Serbia as a pillar of regional cooperation, one that is strongly committed to and actively engaged in the promotion of relations in the region, including the deepening and concrete realization of cooperation – most notably in the framework of regional initiatives and mechanisms. This conference has truly demonstrated the need for us to continue to exchange experience and good practices, coupled with working on political solutions in the context of SDG implementation.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I would also like to emphasize that Serbia has attached utmost importance to the activities and the strengthening of cooperation within the UN, and it fully supports and adheres to the Organization’s principles and goals. Building on this, Serbia will continue to act as a partner to all UN Member States that share the principles and interests of development for all and mutual respect. The exchange of experience and best practices is an indispensable step on the path of success. The motivation that drives us and connects us so strongly is at the same time a commitment. The survival of our planet hinges on the attitude we are fostering towards the environment today and also on our readiness to invest in environmental development and preservation. As a responsible member of the international community having signed and ratified the Paris Agreement, the Republic of Serbia endeavours to make a contribution to the global efforts aiming for maximum efficiency in responding to the challenge of climate change.

My special gratitude goes to the United Nations Country Team and UN Resident Coordinator in Serbia Ms. Karla Hershey for having carried out the MAPS Mission, which ended last week with success. It is our expectation that the report to be written by UN representatives will make a positive assessment of our country and provide useful guidelines for the further implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its harmonization with the chapters in pre-accession talks with the EU, i.e., with the national priorities. We see the path to EU membership that we share in common with other states in the region as a path to a greater stability, economic prosperity and the strengthening of democratic values. What we strive for is a prosperous society that will, as it shares its values with countries in Europe and the world at large, contribute to global stability and progress and, above all, cater to the needs and well-being of its citizens.
However long the road ahead may be, this event has demonstrated that we can succeed, provided that our efforts and activities are comprehensive, coherent and consistent.
Thank you.”

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