Rubio: I hope to visit Serbia soon

NEW YORK - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday evening he hoped to visit Serbia soon and that a strategic partnership between the two countries would be deepened.

"We’ve taken steps in this administration to grow closer in our interactions. I know we’ve already had individuals from the State Department and other government agencies visit there. Hopefully, I’ll have an opportunity to visit as well,” Rubio told reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York.

While Serbia is "tied up in some issues that are potentially problematic and explosive" and subject to international interest, the Trump administration is staying the course on deepening the relationship, the Pavlovic Today internet news portal quoted Rubio as saying.

"But it is a strategic partnership that we’d like to deepen and intend to do so as we manage some of the potential issues that might emerge," he said.

On July 17 in Washington, Serbia and the US officially launched strategic dialogue that they said marked the start of a new, historic stage in their bilateral relations.