Serbia, Hungary to continue good cooperation, Djuric says after meeting with Hungarian FM

ROME - Serbian FM Marko Djuric met with Hungarian Deputy PM and FM Anita Orban at a summit of FMs of the Friends of Western Balkans group and Western Balkan FMs in Rome on Friday.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Djuric said the two countries would continue their good cooperation and that the discussion with Orban had been exceptional.

"After this discussion, I am very optimistic that the exceptional relations between Hungary and Serbia will be continued, and we expect, and hope, to have high- and top-level meetings in the coming days that will confirm this but, in any case, cherishing the relations and continuing them at all levels is in the interest of both sides," Djuric said.

He added that this did not only apply to government-level meetings, but also to people-to-people ties, the economy, the social sector and the wider community.

"That is good news - we will continue the good and nice cooperation with Hungary," he said.

Djuric: We used Rome summit to further position Serbia in Europe

ROME - Serbian FM Marko Djuric said on Friday a Rome meeting of FMs of the Friends of Western Balkans group and Western Balkan FMs had been used to further position Serbia in Europe in the context of opening Cluster 3, as well as to promote it as a country consistently implementing various reforms for the sake of itself and its citizens.

"We built a case here around why not opening Cluster 3 now would be a missed opportunity, above all, because it is a group of laws, regulations and items dealing with improving the position of employees, with competitiveness issues, issues of economic strengthening and many other topics that are important for the citizens - perhaps not so much for politicians," Djuric said in a statement to reporters after the meeting.

Even though Cluster 3 sounds - and is - quite bureaucratic, the essence - that reforms are making progress - is what matters, he noted.

He said that, at the Rome meeting, he had presented what Serbia had done, including a quantum leap in legislative activity.
"Lately, with 23 reform laws, with new laws that are currently in procedure, I think we are creating a positive atmosphere and momentum when it comes to European integration," Djuric said.

He noted that conveying also in Rome the message that Serbia was a regional cornerstone when it comes to all three key pillars - regional relations and preservation of stability, a joint foreign and security policy and implementation of reforms - had been exceptionally important.