13 December 2021

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Nikola Selaković stated that today’s meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Western Balkans with the Secretary of State for Foreign Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom Elizabeth Truss in London was an excellent opportunity to exchange views and represent the positions of the Republic of Serbia regarding the issues significant for the stability of our region.
Minister Selaković said that the meeting in London and the bilateral meetings he had were an excellent opportunity to present Serbia’s positions, but also to discuss the best results of reforms implemented in Serbia, primarily in the field of economy, but also in the field of rule of law.
The Serbian Foreign Minister also stated that the progress that Serbia has made in the field of European integration was pointed out, but also the serious results in the field of economy, which were praised.
According to him, the meeting in London was an opportunity to affirm the idea of regional economic integration “Open Balkans”, and that he acted in that direction for the first time together with the foreign ministers of Northern Macedonia and Albania.
“We are convinced that such an approach and paying great attention to the Open Balkans will be a great oportunity for the future of our region,” said Minister Selaković.
In addition to the plenary meeting, chaired and hosted by the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom Elizabeth Truss, with whom he had a bilateral meeting, the Serbian Foreign Minister also met in London with the State Department Envoy for the Western Balkans and Deputy Assistant State Secretary of the Bureau for European and Eurasian Affairs Gabriel Escobar, Special Envoy of the British Prime Minister for the Western Balkans Stuart Peach, and Martin Vickers, Special Envoy of the British Prime Minister for Trade and Economic Affairs. He also met with the Minister for European Neighborhood and Americas at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the UK, Wendy Morton.
Minister Selaković said that at the bilateral meeting with the Head of British diplomacy, Elizabeth Truss, he also discussed the possibility of her visit to Serbia, which would be the first visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom to Belgrade after almost a decade.
The Serbian Foreign Minister also conveyed the open invitation of the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, and the Prime Minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, for the visit of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and reminded that the British Prime Minister had not visited Belgrade for more than 41 years.