Keepin touch

Whether you have a question, comment, suggestion or any problem in the purview of the government, send us your message and we will try to respond as soon as possible. If your problem is not in our purview, we will forward your message to the relevant institution.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Improvement of cooperation with Norway in interest of Serbia

Belgrade, 24 June 2019

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic stated today that it is in the interest of Serbia to continue improving bilateral relations with Norway in all fields, especially in politics and the economy.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide, held after their meeting, Dacic underlined that Norway is one of the leading countries in the number of direct investments in Serbia and one the largest donors.

He pointed out that in the past fifteen years, Serbia has received more than €216 million in development aid from Norway, and in the case of direct investments, this country is second with €1, 360 million in investments in the Serbian economy.

The First Deputy Prime Minister said that for that reason foreign trade could be higher than the amount reached last year, which is €64 million.

During the meeting, I informed the Foreign Minister of Norway about the problem in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, as well as with the determination of Serbia to resolve peacefully, with compromise, all open issues in the region. We want to solve these problems and not leave them to future generations, Dacic stressed.

According to him, for this reason, Serbia is asking international organisations for support for dialogue and to exert pressure on Pristina to abolish tariffs on goods from Central Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as to encourage all to accept compromise.

Eriksen Søreide pointed out that Serbia is a long-term friend and an important partner of Norway, and that Norwegians and Serbs think similarly.

We would like to expand our cooperation on the cultural, economic and, of course, political level, Eriksen Søreide said, adding that Norway fully supports reforms of the government of Serbia.

She stressed that her country provides full support to Serbia's EU membership, adding that she also spoke with Dacic about the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.

We want the dialogue to continue, because it is the only way to solve all the issues. Later today I will go to Pristina and I will start all these topics there, and I hope that we will soon see the renewal of the dialogue, the Minister said.