12 June 2022

The Ambassador of Serbia to the United States of America, Marko Djurić, says that the first term of the President of the Republic, Aleksandar Vučić, had a defining influence on the development path of Serbia in our time.

In an interview with "Politika", he states that he has changed the paradigm and focus of Serbian politics and directed the political debate from one-century debates on ideology, identity and territory to economic and infrastructural, but also technological development and progress in de facto all segments of society.

"That is why I believe that in the first term, President Vučić made a decisive contribution to building the foundations of a new, rejuvenated and emerging Serbia. After a decade of his predominant influence on politics in Serbia, a new standard has been set when it comes to accountability to the state for all possible contenders for or future holders of state power. That is my personal opinion. However, the people gave a politically authoritative assessment of President Vučić's term so far on 3 April. The uniqueness of his convincing victory in the presidential election in terms of the historically large number of votes won, as well as in terms of him as a candidate who was the first since the introduction of multi-party system in our country more than three decades ago to succeed in the first round in such a dominant way and win again support of the citizens speaks for itself", says Marko Đurić.

What do you expect in the second term of President Vučić?

From the conversation with the President, I clearly see that for Serbia, in addition to deep-rooted love, he also has great dreams and ambitions, and the unwavering determination and sacrifice that are needed to turn them into reality. Therefore, in the next five years, I expect many changes, dramatic acceleration of reforms and modernisation, as well as continuation of hard work on the recovery and rejuvenation of Serbia. Bills for decades of wandering, various mistakes, and sometimes bad choices have come to be charged to our generation. We are lucky that in our time, a statesman capable of continuously turning challenges into chances has happened to Serbia.

What is your cooperation like now?

President Aleksandar Vučić is always there when needed, both professionally and humanely. He is more accessible to associates and all in general than people who are in incomparably less demanding positions. I am immensely grateful to him for the indicated trust and honour to perform the duty of Serbia's representative in the world power such as America, and then for his wholehearted support in all my activities and efforts to get relations between Serbia and the United States developed, expanded and improved every day. Moreover, I am grateful to him for all the professional opportunities he has given me so far, and to which I have tried to respond appropriately with all my being, sometimes grateful for his patience and friendly dedication. We understand each other and believe in the same things.

Can we expect the President of Serbia to officially visit the White House again, or someone from the top of the US administration, President Joseph Biden or Ms. Camilla Harris to visit Belgrade?

President Biden and President Vučić maintain very good personal communication. I would also like to remind you of President Biden's recent letter to our President, which may not have received enough media attention, and which was visibly more than a routine congratulation. I am convinced that new meetings at higher levels between our two countries will take place in the coming period. The personal relationship between President Vučić and President Biden, built through numerous meetings at multilateral gatherings, and during bilateral visits to Serbia during his term as Vice President of the United States, is also very useful for Serbia. During my recent meeting with President Biden at the White House, I took the opportunity to repeat the President Vučić’s invitation for him to visit our country, reminding him that the last American president who visited Belgrade was Jimmy Carter back in 1980.

What are the relations between Serbia and the United States?

Relations between Serbia and the United States are on a continuous rise and a great and mutually beneficial future lies ahead for the partnership of our countries. Our relations are based on a 140-year-long tradition, the unbreakable ties of hundreds of thousands of American Serbs with their homeland, political, economic, educational, cultural and scientific ties. We are also working together to overcome the legacy of the 1990s in our relations, and we want to return the relations to the paths of old glory.

Is it possible to maintain a neutral foreign policy in the long run?

Military neutrality is the determination of the people and rulers of Serbia, based on history, but also on the modern needs of our country. I believe in military neutrality, too. However, Serbia has not shown any claims to political neutrality since the beginning of the EU membership process. What we aspire to, or rather what we fight for and what we firmly insist on, are independence in decision-making and freedom. These are our values ​​woven into our political DNA. And cooperation with everyone. We will not give up on that as long as we exist. The Prime Minister of the Provisional Institutions of Priština, Albin Kurti, experienced a diplomatic fiasco during his visit to the United States.

Will Priština be recognised as a factor in destabilising the region?

Albin Kurti showed an enviable amount of nervousness because of the Serbian lobbying and presence in the centers where he and his like-minded people had a monopoly on the fight for support for a long time. Understanding for Serbia in the United States, just like its recovery, would be much healthier if Kurti saw it as positive for the entire region.

Is Washington's attitude towards Belgrade changing and how much?

I am optimistic about our relationship. Foreign policy of the great powers changes gradually and in proportion to each other's interests, but also to the efforts made to harmonise them. Today, Serbia is seriously working on this relationship. During my service in the United States so far, I have witnessed increased attention to and interest in Serbia, and deepening of our ties across the political spectrum in Washington.

What are the latest activities of our embassy?

Serbia now maintains relations with America not only from Belgrade, but also directly on the ground, in Washington, where in communication with the White House, the State Department and other institutions we come up with specific, our, Serbian proposals and initiatives aimed at strengthening cooperation, understanding and dialogue in a number of areas. Results of that, I would say, in this difficult time in the world, are already visible for those who follow and correctly interpret international relations. In the coming months, they will become even more visible, which, I emphasise, is very important at this time.

Are you preparing to move into the new Embassy building?

I am very satisfied with the work of my team and the fact that the presence of Serbia in the Congress, in think tanks and the political public in general, is becoming more and more effective. We strive to restore the trust of our emigrants and to arouse their interest and enthusiasm to work together with us. We always have a lot of work ahead of us, but we know what we want and we believe in Serbia. These days, we are also preparing to move into the new Embassy building on 16th Street, in the immediate vicinity of the White House. It is a historic building in the heart of Washington, which was the home of former US Secretary of State Elihu Root, and which we acquired into the permanent property of the Republic of Serbia. I am personally grateful to the President, the Government and Minister Selaković who supported the solution of the decades-long problem with the space for the Embassy in the most numerous diplomatic capital of the world. This gave Serbia a home to be proud of. We also started the accelerated renovation of the old, Serbian royal residence in Washington, which was abandoned for several decades, and whose renovation, along with gaining representative space, will bring significant savings to Serbia, just as it saved by buying a new building below market price, thus disposing of the previous expensive rents for the next period. We are really working hard in all fields, and one day, digging through the archives, someone will say much more than I can today.

Source: Politika