The Prime Minister was accompanied by Jiri Schneider, Deputy Foreign Minister, and Hana Hubachkova, Czech Ambassador to Serbia. The Serbian delegation at the meeting comprised Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkic and Maja Mitrovic, Serbian Ambassador to the Czech Republic.
Speaker Stefanovic extended gratitude for the continuous support of Serbia’s Euro-integration process and briefed his guests on the current activities in the sphere of political reform, fight against organised crime and corruption, and concerning the rule of law. Speaker Stefanovic shared information on the economic reforms launched with the establishment of the new government and the new assembly majority. As regards Kosovo-Metohija, Stefanovic emphasised Serbia’s commitment to resolve the issue through dialogue and shared his concern for the safety of the Serbian population in Kosovo-Metohija. The issue of property presents a special problem, said Stefanovic, stating that this and other disputed issues need to be resolved within the framework of international law.
Speaker Stefanovic shared his pleasure at the continued development of economic bilateral relations, deeming that there is great potential to strengthen them further, especially in the spheres of energy and infrastructure, also adding that the National Assembly would be very active on creating a favourable climate for foreign investors and overall bilateral cooperation.
The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Petr Nechas, was grateful for the opportunity to meet and pleased by the good bilateral relations which, he said, have no unresolved issues. Nechas reaffirmed the Czech Republic’s full support of the Euro-integration process and a speedy granting of a start date for the accession negotiations. He also shared the readiness to present the experiences of the Czech side as regards the accession process, as well as the later functioning within the European Union. He deemed that the further perspective of Euro-integration of the Western Balkans is in the European Union’s interest, in which context Serbia is an important partner for the Czech Republic. Nechas said that the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina would play a key role in the Euro-integration process, in the course of which the European Union would be observing both sides in the dialogue.
The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic commended the development of economic relations, pointing out that Serbia is one of 12 priority countries as regards economic cooperation. He confirmed the interest for investment into energy production, infrastructure and wastewater treatment projects. He concluded his talk about economic cooperation by noting the great interest of Czech entrepreneurs for Serbia and adding that Czech entrepreneurs are intent on doing long-term business in Serbia.
Speaker Stefanovic pointed out the role of the National Assembly in the further development of economic cooperation, highlighting Serbia’s interest in agricultural produce placement. Stefanovic briefed the guests about the promotion of cultural cooperation and tourism as a conduit for establishing direct contact and conveying the real image of Serbia. He especially endorsed further development of interparliamentary cooperation, and friendship groups in particular. The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Petr Nechas, emphasised the important role the parliament plays in the European Union countries and expressed support for the development of interparliamentary cooperation, particularly in the context of Euro-integration.