Djuric begins working visit to Washington

WASHINGTON - Serbian FM Marko Djuric began on Monday a working visit to Washington during which he will speak with US officials about the most significant topics for Serbia, ranging from regional security and the position of the Serbs - including in Kosovo-Metohija - to economic affairs and energy.

Djuric said he would have discussions at the White House, the US State Department and in Congress, as well as with civil society representatives, and that the goal was to secure US support and understanding on important issues.

"Through discussions we will have here, we are striving to lend an additional impetus to our relations, with the aim of unlocking the full potential of Serbia's relations with America in 2026," Djuric noted.

The relations represent a huge opportunity for Serbia, especially during the Trump administration, and that opportunity must be seized fully, he noted.

"There is no state or national issue for the Serbs and Serbia on which it is not important to get support here. That is our main goal also when it comes to political topics such as the position of our people, Kosovo-Metohija and regional relations, but if we look at what I have just mentioned, energy, in a little over an hour, we expect an important White House meeting with the director of the US global energy dominance agency. We are striving to ensure that our energy sources are diversified and we want to use this field, too, for deepening the cooperation," Djuric said.

He said Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic was due to arrive in Washington during the day for discussions on energy.

Djuric said he would have discussions on ways to advance Serbia-US economic relations and that he would also take part in an AIPAC conference.

"The AIPAC is the largest American-Israeli political action committee. So, a large pro-Israeli, Israeli-American organisation. One of the things we are striving for in the triangle of excellent cooperation we today have with Israel and the US is to make the most of the advantages of our friendly historical relations with the State of Israel and the Jewish people, about which often not enough is known here in Washington. We want to make full use of that cooperation for Serbia's objectives and interests," Djuric said.

It is important for Serbia's voice to be heard regularly and loudly in Washington, he noted.

"That is also why this visit early in the year - in which we expect and hope to also see our agreement on strategic partnership, strategic dialogue with the USA materialise - is extremely important," Djuric said.

Djuric: NIS to be just a part of discussions with US on energy

WASHINGTON - Serbian FM Marko Djuric said on Monday in Washington US sanctions on the Serbian oil company NIS would be one of the topics of his visit to the US, but that NIS would be just a part of discussions on energy.

NIS is under US sanctions due to its Russian-majority ownership.

Speaking to reporters after kicking off the visit, Djuric said Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic was also due to arrive in Washington during the day. He said ensuring a resumption of operations at the NIS oil refinery in spite of the sanctions had been extremely important.

"Certainly, a positive resolution of this issue is exceptionally important and we expect it to be resolved in a positive manner in the coming months, but it is already exceptionally positive that an understanding has been secured that our refinery should not be affected by US-Russian relations. That, too, is a part of our mission - for the understanding for Serbia to always be continued," Djuric noted.

Asked if the climate was good for a resolution of the NIS issue through a sale of the Russian stake in NIS, Djuric said energy - NIS and the issue of Russia-US relations - was not and should not be the only topic of his visit to Washington and a strategic dialogue with the US.

He noted that Djedovic Handanovic's visit to the US was very good for Serbia's energy security and that she would attend an important energy conference to be hosted by the US government on Tuesday.

"That is another indicator of our commitment to overall development of the relations," Djuric said.

He said that, more than ever before, Serbia was seen as one of Washington's key partners in its region and that Belgrade would try to make use of that to carry out as many concrete economic and energy projects as possible while continuing to deepen mutual understanding in the political sphere.

"We should not forget that huge potential for cooperation is arising from the fact that we have a strategic energy partnership with America and that there are plans to build new hydropower generation facilities on the Danube in our country soon, at Djerdap, and that solar power-related deals worth close to 2 bln (dollars) - 1.6 or 1.8 bln - have already been agreed and signed, also with the US company UGTR," Djuric said.

"The stronger the economic foundation of our relations is, the firmer the political foundation of our relations will be and, if I may say, it is with more energy and credibility that we will be given wind in our sails by our hosts here when it comes to our important state and national issues such as Kosovo-Metohija, the position of Serbs in the region, etc," Djuric said.

He noted that the Trump administration had substantially changed its approach to the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the position of Republika Srpska and cooperation with the Republika Srpska leadership, and that the US had suspended its strategic dialogue with Pristina over the position of Kosovo-Metohija Serbs.

"There is much greater understanding for our internal situation as well but, at the end of the day, it is a fact that, more than ever before, the Serbs and Serbia are today perceived as one of the key (US) partners in our part of Europe," Djuric said.