| |     ћирилица | latinica  
Home
26 January 2021- Minister Selakovic speaks for Politika: The year of rejuvenation of Serbian diplomacy

Serbia's foreign policy positions are naturally being adjusted to the new developments at the international level, but our foreign policy priorities have not changed in a long time. Our top and most important interest is to preserve good-neighbourly relations and stability and peace in the region and, in the same context, to find a peaceful and just solution to the problems in Kosovo and Metohija, Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic said in an interview with Politika daily.

Another lasting interest of ours is full membership of the European Union, because this is the type of society we strive for. At the bilateral level, our goal is to strengthen ties with traditional friends, the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China, but also to build new partner relations with the United States. One of the most important tasks of our foreign policy is to improve the position and protect the rights and identity of our people in the region, as well as to provide various types of support to Serbs in the diaspora. All these are very important and more often than not complementary goals, Nikola Selakovic pointed out.


What kind of relations do you expect Serbia to have with the new U.S. administration?

It is too early to speculate about this in public. The new presidential administration in Washington is currently preoccupied with internal issues and this will be the case for some time. There are people in the team of President Joseph Biden who have dealt with our region, and it is likely that the Balkans and Serbia will be the focus of the U.S. foreign policy at some point. I will remind you that President Vucic and President Biden not so long ago had very substantive talks in Belgrade, after which our President stated that he had the opportunity to talk to someone extremely well acquainted with the situation in this part of the world and an extraordinarily prepared interlocutor. Taking their personal relationship into account, but also the importance of enhancing the ties between Serbia and the United States, we have reason to expect that a meeting between the two presidents will be organized in the foreseeable future. I am sure that the nature and dynamics of the relations between Serbia and the United States will be influenced by the fact that Ambassador Marko Djuric now represents us in Washington, whose presence at President Biden's inauguration ceremony is an important signal and, I believe, a harbinger of positive developments in bilateral relations between our two countries.

How would you describe our country's relations with Moscow, Brussels and Beijing?

Russia is our traditional friend and that friendship goes beyond merely political ties. These are deep spiritual, cultural and civilizational bonds, and it is only natural that we have a mutual interest in improving those ties, even though they are at a very high level. We have a relationship with the People's Republic of China which is, in addition to the sincere iron-clad friendship between our peoples and high political representatives, based on deep trust and mutual support. Full membership of the European Union is Serbia's strategic orientation that all our friends are aware of, but our country does not forget its friendships, but strengthens and promotes them instead, and approaches all with honesty and no ulterior motives. In this context, we do not seek any preferential treatment, but only the right to freely and independently make decisions about our future and relations with all who respect us. 

Could Serbia pursue a different foreign policy than the one it is pursuing at the moment?

It is always possible to have a different policy, just look at the foreign policy of Serbia ten, twenty or thirty years ago, examine the results at that time and you will realize how irretrievably expensive that policy turned out to be. Whether a policy is right, at either foreign or domestic level, is measured through its results and effect on the lives of citizens and the fate of the entire state.
Our foreign policy priorities are not being defined on a whim, but are instead the result of a serious and deep examination of our complex position and strategic thinking about ways to improve it. Today, Serbia has a better international reputation and credibility than two decades ago, and the main reason for that is that our results have shown how serious and responsible we are as a country. That kind of credibility is not achieved by trickery, but only by hard and well-thought-out work on oneself. And I need to emphasize on this occasion as well that the main inspiration for such an attitude towards politics, the state and its future comes from none other than President Aleksandar Vucic. As Minister of Foreign Affairs, I have the opportunity on a daily basis to see the level of appreciation and respect President Vucic enjoys beyond the borders of our country.


When can we expect the vacant posts of Serbian ambassadors and consuls across the globe to be filled?

That is one of the main tasks for 2021. This will be a year of reinvigoration and I believe also rejuvenation of Serbian diplomacy. Our country, given its size, has a fairly extensive diplomatic network, which provides it with great opportunities for deepening political and economic relations with countries in all parts of the world. But we need more fresh and energetic staff, people who will be the most honourable representatives of a modern and dynamic Serbia. There are such people in Serbia, and we do need a serious rejuvenation, in order to avoid wide generation gaps in our personnel, and to lay the foundations of a modern career diplomacy.


How would you describe your relationship with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic?

President Vucic and I are, in addition to having close and friendly relations, by virtue of the work we do and our constitutional competencies, the closest collaborators in the realization of Serbia's foreign policy goals. This allows me to talk to him often, and on many occasions learn a lot of new and important things. President Vucic is a man who inspires people around him with his strategic and visionary approach to politics, and I am proud to have had the opportunity to be part of his closest team of associates over the years, and to have had him as a kind of political mentor. In any case, his vision of Serbia as a modern, progressive and prosperous state, which independently and on its own will decides on its destiny, is my wish as well and key motivation for political engagement. For only such Serbia is a country that its own citizens, as well as Serbs beyond our borders, can confidently rely on, while also being an inspiration to the entire region.

Source: Politika


Print version
News
22 July 2021 - President Vučić: We have decided – our goal is the EU, but China is an important partner
20 July 2021 - Serbia achieves great success in digitalisation
13 July 2021 - Selaković invited representatives of members of the NAM to gather in Belgrade in October
8. July 2021 - Serbian children from the region visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia
29th June 2021 - President Vučić participates in the Mini Schengen conference
5 July 2021- Serbia strongly supports Berlin Process
25. June 2021 - Minister Selaković with future defense attachés of the Republic of Serbia
17 June 2021- Selakovic: Cooperation and good-neighbourly relations are in the general interest of the entire region
17 June, 2021 - Meetings in Antalya successful for Serbia
09. June 2021.- Session of the United Nations Security Council
20 May 2021 -Minister Selaković presented the new e-Consulate service
Non-working days of the Cosulate General of the Republic of Serbia in Vukovar
21st April 2021 - President Vučić met via video link with representatives of the IMF delegation
20th April 2021- Meeting with the World Health Organization Regional Director for Europe
19 April 2021 - WHO describes immunisation process in Serbia as impressive
13 April 2021 - Selakovic: Pristina persists in its campaign of hatred against the Serbian people
13 April 2021 - Selakovic: Political extremism of Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija is becoming stronger
24 March 2021 - Marking the Day of Remembrance of the victims of the NATO aggression
Commemorating Remembrance Day of 17 March 2004 - Pogrom in Kosovo and Metohija
17 March, 2021 -Meeting with the Head of the Delegation of the European Union
17.03.2021 - The Republic of Serbia in the Month of Francophonie / La République de Serbie au Mois de la Francophonie
8 March, 2021 - Selakovic: Fight against all forms of crime is a priority of the Serbian Government
February 18 , 2021 - Metropolitan Porfirije of Zagreb and Ljubljana elected as the new Patriarch of Serbia
February 15, 2021 - National Day
February 7, 2021 - President Vucic: Serbia is ready for dialogue on Kosovo and Metohija, but will refuse being humiliated
February 6, 2021 - Minister Selakovic: We do not respond to provocations, we want peace in the region
4th February 2021 - Meeting with the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia
28 January 2021 - Minister Selaković: Serbia is committed to the values of the Adriatic and Ionian Initiative
26 January 2021- Minister Selakovic speaks for Politika: The year of rejuvenation of Serbian diplomacy
21 January 2021 - Competition of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia for co-financing projects in the field of translation of representative works of Serbian literature abroad in 2021
12 January 2021 - President Vucic: Serbia is the first in Europe in terms of growth
3 January 2021 - Every Serb in the diaspora is potentially a lobbyist
2 January 2021 - Minister Selakovic: New ambassadors will be appointed this year, but the goals remain the same
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia wishes you a Happy New Year
29.12.2020. - President Vucic: Serbia to remain on the course of a winning policy of stability
24.12.2020. - Serbian Prime Minister the first PM in Europe to receive a Covid-19 vaccine
18.12.2020. - Minister Selakovic met with leadership of the Danube Commission in Budapest
19.12.2020. - Minister Selakovic: Someone in the region has an issue with economically strong Serbia
16.12.2020. - Minister Selakovic: Full EU membership remains a priority of the new Government
17.12.2020. - Brnabic and Borrell: Political and economic aspects of negotiations
11.12.2020. - J. Joksimović and Roth on Serbia’s negotiations and new methodology
11.12.2020. - STATEMENT BY THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
10.12.2020. - The 10th Conference of journalists and media of the diaspora and Serbs in the region
08.12.2020. - President meets the ambassadors of the EU member states accredited to Serbia and the head of the European Union Delegation
The Decisions on visa abolition for citizens of the Republic of Armenia, holders of national passports
AGREEMENT ON VISA EXEMPTION WITH THE REPUBLIC OF THE UNION OF MYANMAR
Visa Waiver Agreement with the Republic of Suriname
ABOLISHED VISAS FOR CITISENS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA, GRENADA, COMMONWEALTH OF DOMINICA AND TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
VISAS
Visa exemption for the citizens of Republic of Azarbaijan
Visa exemption for the citizens of Republic of Burundi
ABOLISHED VISAS FOR CITIZENS OF GEORGIA, HOLDERS OF ORDINARY PASSPORT
GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF COLUMBIA ADOPTED ON VISA EXEMPTION FOR THE NATIONALS OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA
News - Archive