Djuric: We are fighting for stronger ties with US, whose investors opposition is trying to drive away

BELGRADE - Serbia will continue to fight for preservation of traditional friendships, as well as for stronger ties with the US, whose investors the opposition is trying to drive away by disputing an attempt to make a new, better solution on the site of the army general staff building, FM Marko Djuric said in the parliament on Wednesday.

During a debate on agenda items that included a special law on the general staff building and several intergovernmental agreements, Djuric noted that, through more than one hundred diplomatic and consular missions around the world, Serbia's diplomatic service would continue to fight for Kosovo-Metohija as an integral part of Serbia, for preservation of Serbia's state and national interests, as well as for Serbia in Europe.

"We will also continue to fight for stronger ties with the state (US) whose investors you are trying to drive away by thwarting an attempt to make a better solution for the ruins on the corner of Kneza Milosa Street and Nemanjina Street," Djuric told opposition MPs.

The building was bombed by NATO in the 1999 aggression on Serbia.

Speaking about bills on ratifying agreements on visa-free travel for Serbian citizens, Djuric said that, after abolishing visas with St Lucia and Benin, Serbia had climbed to the 36th position in the Henley Passport Index and that, as a result, Serbians were now able to travel to 140 countries without visas.