Deputy Speaker Marinkovic informed Congressman Engel about the activities the Serbian institutions conducted with the help of the US Embassy to mark the friendship between the Serbian and American people. He said that the cooperation between the two countries has been intensified in the last few years, especially at the parliamentary level in the form of cooperation between the members of the National Assembly and US congressmen and senators. The National Assembly’s PFG with the US and the Serbian Caucus in the American Congress testify to this, as well as the Congress of Serbian-American Friendship founded in Serbia and comprised of representatives of state institutions, NGOs, politicians, businessmen and all others stakeholders in the development of Serbia-US relations. Marinkovic added that Serbia especially appreciates this type of cooperation in view of the copious Serbian diaspora in the US.
The Deputy Speaker also praised the volume of American investments in Serbia, over four billion EUR in the last 10 years, as well as the cooperation with USAID on a series of projects.

Marinkovic said that the MPs are dedicated to regional cooperation and stability, as well as the continuation of the dialogue with Pristina to find a mutually acceptable solution. He reminded the guest of the Brussels Agreement and the Albanian’s side’s failure to fulfil the obligations undertaken by it, sharing his concerns about the customs tariffs imposed on goods from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite it all, Marinkovic said that Serbia has the strength to continue the dialogue and expects a way to unblock it would be found. He was pleased that the President had, at the National Assembly session, called on all the relevant factors in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue to find a mutually acceptable solution.

Marinkovic also spoke about the cooperation in the fight against terrorism, in which Serbia is a reliable partner.

Congressman Eliot Engel, Chairman on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, thanked Deputy Speaker Marinkovic for his personal contribution to the development of bilateral relations between Serbia and the US and the work of the National Assembly’s PFG with the US. He said that he supports the intensification of relations between the US and Serbia, which have a long history, and even though he has a different view of the relations between Serbia and Pristina, he believes that both sides need to look to the future and further development of relations. He said that he will visit the region with the same message and support both sides to find a solution.

“Your message and support of Serbia signals that you support the region and future of our peoples, as well as our country’s strategic goal – EU accession”, Marinkovic concluded.