Political dialogue is an area in which Serbia is ready to make a significant step forward forth coming months. Meetings of parliamentary delegations surely contribute to the advancement of bilateral relations and better understanding – therefore the Serbian National Assembly will continue to be a relevant and reliable partner to the Australian Parliament in the future.
Serbia is clearly determined to commit to further improvement in bilateral relations in all areas. The bilateral agreement on air traffic, signed in May last year, will help significantly in overcoming the geographic distance between our two countries. The agreement on social insurance, mutual recognition of driver’s licenses… are just some of the areas in which there is interest for contractual regulation.
Economic cooperation of our two countries, in spite of annual growth, is still significantly below realistic possibilities.
Serbia is decisive in implementing reforms, rule of law, and favourable business environment in line with the values and standards of the European Union. In this way Serbia will become a more attractive and reliable partner to new investors from Australia.
The Republic of Serbia has officially started accession negotiations with the EU on January 21st, 2014. This event represents a millstone on the path of Serbia towards the EU, and its full significance will be seen in the times ahead of us through improvement a state and society based on the best foundations of democracy with full respect towards human rights, market economy and good governance.
Serbia will do all in its power to fulfil the requirements for becoming a full-fledged member of the EU as soon as possible.
The Republic of Serbia is today a reliable and predictable partner and wishes to be fully recognized as such in Australia as well.
Confirmation of the fact that Serbia is a reliable and respected partner in the international community is choice of Serbia for the chair the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) during 2015. Serbia is fully ready and open to continue a fruitful cooperation with Australia on the international arena, and primarily within the framework of the United Nations.
Solving the status of Kosovo and Metohia is among the most important priorities of Serbia and supreme national interest. The last year is marked by intensive efforts to come to an acceptable solution for both sides through dialogue. The negotiations process, led by the mediation of the European Union, resulted in the so-called Brussels agreement, with the continuation of the negotiation process practically till the end of the year. A lot has been achieved on the field of normalization of day–to–day lives of citizens on Kosovo and Metohia, however many challenges lay ahead of us. Serbia will stay faithful in its search for mutually acceptable solutions by dialogue, guided by the principles and standards of international law.
One of the most important factors in bilateral relations of Serbia and Australia are the tens of thousands of Australian citizens which identified themselves as having Serbian origin and majority of them spoke Serbian language at home. Serbian ethnic community in Australia enjoy the same rights as all the other communities.
One hundred years ago, Serbia was one of the scenes of the biggest armed conflict in the history of humankind. The First World War began when the Austro–Hungarian Monarchy attacked the Kingdom of Serbia. Serbia and Australia were in that war on the same – righteous – side of struggle for freedom and the true values of civilization.
Even today in Serbia the memory of the dedication of Australian doctors and medical nurses who have selflessly helped the Serbian soldiers on the Thessaloniki front is alive and well. We will invest additional efforts to nurture the memories of this period of our mutual history.
April 2014
For more information about Bilateral Relations between our two Countries GO HERE.
